| Aziz Idris |
BRUNEI’S contingent for the 45th Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Programme (SSEAYP) arrived home on Thursday night from a 50-day goodwill visit to ASEAN member states.
On hand to welcome the contingent at Brunei International Airport was Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Haji Amer Hamzah bin Pehin Orang Kaya Amar Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Zakaria.
Also present were proud parents, family members as well as SSEAYP alumni.
Fully funded by the Japanese Government, the 28 Bruneian youth joined 330 youth from 11 countries on Nippon Maru Ship, with port of calls in Brunei Darussalam, Manila (the Philippines), Bangkok (Thailand), Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) and Tokyo, (Japan).
In an interview with the Weekend Bulletin, Nurharzelah @ Nurfazelah binti Yakub shared that her communication and interactions skills have improved after being exposed to the different cultures during the journey.
The Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) graduate said that she was a shy person due to lack of self-esteem. However, she managed to overcome it by understanding, respecting and tolerating other youth during the programme.
“It’s important to learn how to adapt to new surroundings with new people. When you are shy, you regret – of not participating in the activities,” she said.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Wafiy bin Haji Norhalim said that this journey was a great opportunity for self-development, to meet friends and people from different walks of life and to see the worlds in a broader perspective.
“When you’re on vacation, you tend to go sightseeing (and) rarely interact with the locals. But this journey gave me a chance to make new friends and exchange ideas,” he added.