It was 5 years ago when I was a rookie on my SSEAYP Journey in 2002. This year, the ship will be in Singapore from 8 Nov to 11 Nov. Nippon Maru will dock at Harbourfront nearer the public access area infront of Vivo city. SSEAYP International Singapore (SIS) will be having an exhitbition at Vivo City or near Vivo City. Francis, one of my batchmate who is in-charge of this exhitbition asked me to write about my experience during SSEAYP and all the other programs which I attended. I've decided to place this in my blog.

My voyage with SSEAYP and beyond ………..

A time to learn, unlearn and relearn.
A chance to experience a borderless world with youths from different nations, educational background, ethnicity, language and culture.
An opportunity to travel and to taste firsthand local culture, food and way of life.
The privilege to meet senior Government Officials and visits to Government and Non-Government Institutions.
An occasion to re-discover oneself

Introduction.

On 7 September 2002, I embarked on a 52 day journey with 27 other youths from Singapore from various youth organizations and government agencies. We came from different backgrounds, ethnicity, education and cultures to be part of this life-changing journey. We had about 2½ months to prepare ourselves to be good ambassadors for SINGAPORE.

My SSEAYP journey started from Japan and we sailed onboard Nippon Maru to five ASEAN countries. The formal program encompasses a range of activities which includes visits to various government and private institutions, courtesy calls to government officials, homestays as well as discussion sessions on prevailing global issues. We also had many informal sessions such as club activities including games and craftwork and cultural performances.

Life onboard Nippon Maru

Nippon Maru was a melting pot of cultures and nationalities where participants from different countries and diverse background eat, sleep, and live side-by-side. There were numerous opportunities for individual growth. Minds were widened, barriers overcame and life-long friendships were cemented as we talk over meals, noodle parties and drinks well into the night.

Homestay – A Home away from Home

The homestay program was an opportunity to learn about traditional family life in the countries I visited. I will never forget the warm hospitality extended to me in each of the homes that I had the privilege to stay. I still keep in touch with several of my host families and I hope to visit them in the near future.

Post SSEAYP

A new journey began for each one of us as we step out being a more enriched person. My post SSEAYP experience includes serving in the SSEAYP International Singapore (“SIS”) Alumni Board, and played host to visiting PYs.

Other youth exchange programs

I was also involved in other youth exchange programs with youths of ASEAN and around the world. In 2005 and 2006, I represented Singapore at the 21^st Century Youth Renaissance Exchange Program (“REN”) held in Japan as a participant and an overseas planning committee member respectively.

The REN program was an opportunity for me to share my experience gained and also to learn from others on the best practices in engaging the youths of today. After REN, I collaborated with friends from Costa Rica, Bahrain and

Japan

in a project called “Our World One World – Photographs by Children” which allowed us to share the joy of photography with children from around the world.

In 2006, I participated in the first REN reunion in Athens, Greece and in May 2007, I was part of a team from Singapore and Japan participated in a community service project in Cambodia.

Conclusion

I have never regretted putting aside a few months of my life to embark on this journey. This journey encouraged me to challenge the way I view the world, taught me to embrace differences as an asset and showed that people from different nations can live together peacefully, learn from each other and work together to overcome differences.

Most importantly I have developed a network of friends from ASEAN and around the world – whose aspiration is to make the world a better place then we first found it