10-Days Meaningful Journey o10-Days Meaningful Journey of World Youth Meeting 2012

10-Days Meaningful Journey of

                                                   World Youth Meeting 2012

Acknowledgements

Before starting my feedback of World Youth Meeting 2012, I and on behalf of Royal University of Phnom Penh would like to show my deep gratitude to Nihon Fukushi University and WYM Student Steering Committee that made this unforgettable event possible for me and for every participant and made my dream came true. I really appreciated their hard work and sincere effort. Thank to all professors for pushing me to the next level. Thank to my host family that gave me warmth and hospitality. I still keep in touch with them even we are apart. Thank to all oversea participants and Nihon Fukushi University students for giving me so much memory that I will never forget. Especially, wholeheartedly thank to my lovely correspondences who comforted me all the time, since I arrived until I left Japan, and gave me true friendship. And thank to everyone else that I have not mentioned here.

Introduction

The opportunity to meet people across Asia is very rare. World Youth Meeting makes this possible.​ World Youth Meeting is an annual event organized mainly by Nihon Fukushi University in cooperation with many other universities and high schools from different countries in Asia. As the name imply, WYM creates meeting environment for students and remarkable people from famous institutions to connect with one another for cultural exchange and international cooperation. World Youth Meeting 2012 event took place at Nihon Fukushi University, Japan, on 7^th and 8^th August 2012. It was so big and the greatest event I have ever participated. WYM2012 was more extraordinary than I had expected. This was the best event in my life that I had chance to know many people, especially professors and international students.

Welcomed by Risa, Chika, Akane, and Yasu

(Risa and Chika were Cambodia correspondences)

Arrival Day

My excitement had erupted even before the plane landed. I was amazed by how wonderful Japan was at night from the sky. I arrived at Nagoya airport with great surprise. There was my name beautifully written on a signboard and a group of very cheerful and kind students of Nihon Fukushi University warmly welcomed me. To be honest, it was my first time to be greeted with such comforting manner. They were so lovely. We got to know each other so well within just a short time. At the end of the day, I met my host family. I was actually a bit nervous, but my host family’s friendly attitude erased all those feeling and gave me cheerfulness. I felt so warm because we had sweet time together. The homestay program was excellent. I love my host family so much. Surprisingly, I adapted to the way of living in Japan so quick.

Unforgettable Time We were Together

Nihon Fukushi University had already perfectly prepared the upcoming schedule for oversea participants. First of all, oversea participants had an honorable chance to meet the President of Nihon Fukushi University at the courtesy call. Later on, we all were introduced around the university campus. The campus gave me a jaw-drop because of beautiful buildings, canteens, classrooms, libraries and labs. The environment was really fresh. It was very refreshing during the walk that I did not feel tired at all. After the campus tour, everyone gathered for exchange view activity. That was where everyone got to know one another and had so much fun together. Besides the university’s beauty and joyful activity, I had an impression about Japanese students that I continuously admired. From the first moment I met them, they were really kind, friendly, cheerful, communicative and interestingly conversational although their English were limited. They tried to talk although they found themselves in hard situation in using English. They are interesting and admirable. I was really inspired by them because of their kindness, helpfulness, hard works, activeness, and never-give up spirit. 100/100 score for them!

On the next day, it was Ise Tour. Ise Shrine was very astonishing. Beautiful scenery made me felt so relaxed and energetic. Everyone learnt so much about Japanese tradition and culture through this sightseeing. Personally, Japanese tradition is absolutely interesting and simply amazing. At that moment, I realized that I was really lucky of having a chance to experience culture in Japan which I cannot learn anywhere else. During this event, everyone was getting closer, and for me, I felt like I was with the best friends in the world that I ever had. I love them so much.

Preparation for Big Day

Before WYM2012, everyone temporarily stayed at Mihama seminar house and Japanese inn and had to prepare for the upcoming presentations. It was a whole new experience. Honestly, I had never heard what seminar house was, and I had never seen Japanese inn. Thanks to WYM, I learnt so much about seminar house, stayed at the Japanese inn, and learnt many more customs there. The food looked strange, but it was extremely delicious. This was a rare opportunity that I would never forget. During the stay, everyone was cooperatively made his/her own group presentation. In my group, there are 4 members. Two of them were Nihon Fukushi University students, and the other was a student from Institute of Technology of Cambodia. Actually, our group had already discussed some of the main points in the presentation outline before arriving Japan. We communicated through email, Skype and Facebook. My team members were very active, hard-working and cooperative. However, there was language barrier that each member found it hard to display his or her opinion using the right words to express. Despite the difficulties, the progress was not staggering, and we managed to get over it successfully. Generally, in discussion, there is always conflict of ideas, and so did our group. Nevertheless, we overcame it by learning from the lectures made by professors from famous universities and high schools. We learnt how to collaboratively solve conflicts where everyone is a winner, and my group successfully did it. Moreover, we also learnt how to live in intercultural environment. This was really critically important because participants from different cultures generally cause controversies. The result was incredible. Everyone became intertwined with one another like siblings. We helped one another, laughed together and learnt together. In addition, while we were preparing the presentation, professors actively helped us to prevail any difficulties. I was really grateful to all professors for guiding and improving me so much that I couldn’t forget.

World Youth Meeting 2012 - 7^th and 8^th August 2012

In the early morning of the day, everyone woke up with excitement and nervousness, including me. I finally arrived at the most exciting moment of 10-days Journey of WYM. The hall was incredibly surprising. Big audience made the stage even more exciting. The arrangement was perfect. Many programs followed the opening remark were really interesting. What made the event even greater were presentations made by various groups of different universities and high schools from different countries across Asia. Their contents and performances were informative and amazingly fascinating. I really learnt a lot from those presentation that I thought I could never have another chance to learn such unique lessons ever again. My group presentation did well to what we expected and we got Platinum Award. To my point of view, I would evaluate my group presentation 99 out of 100 because not only that our performance went well, but also tight cooperation and teamwork that my team embraced. Moreover, presentations made by professors were really enlightening. We saw our strengths and weaknesses through their lectures and feedbacks. Furthermore, we were really inspired by them to commit ourselves for improvement in the future, and hopefully, for World Youth Meeting 2013.

World Youth Meeting 2012 theme was “Strengthening Connections to the Future”, and we really did it. During the event, I made a lot of friends from Japanese high schools and universities. We left our memories by exchanging written messages. Each participant tightened their connections and these connections would last not only today but forever. I am still contacting them everyday now. Not only that, sincere thanked to Professor Kageto, I was introduced to many remarkable leaders and professors from big companies and famous universities. I knew a lot of new people in just 2 days. It was extraordinary. World Youth Meeting 2012 ended with joy and memory.

Conclusion

World Youth Meeting taught me a lot. First, in private sphere, I was improved by inspiring lectures and I learnt many new things from the WYM presentations. Second, not only me, but also everyone were able to have a chance to experience intercultural environment. We shared experiences in our cultures, and we learnt so much from one another. Thirdly, everyone learnt how to collaboratively solve any conflicts despite their differences in nature. Fourth is public speaking. This was my first time on stage to do a presentation to a very big audience. I became more confident when speaking on stage. Moreover, I learnt a lot from professor how to make a good presentation and to be a great presenter. Fifth is my understanding about Japanese culture. Participants had chance to explore the beauty of Japanese culture through homestay, seminar house, Japanese inn, and sightseeing that displayed vivid living environment in Japan. They were able to see things that were totally different from their countries. After experiencing them, I felt in love with Japan and Japanese people. Last but not least, the most important one is connection and friendship. Tightening international cooperation between educational systems of different nations was one of a remarkable achievement. I was really glad that I met new people at WYM2012, and especially, my new friends at Nihon Fukushi University. They made me felt like home and gave me so much to remember. I wished our time together were longer.  I love them!

I left Japan with many unforgettable memories. I was so sad that it ended so quickly, but I hope I will have another chance to join World Youth Meeting, hopefully I have more time, and meet my lovely friends and professors at Nihon Fukushi University again. After arriving in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, I shared my exciting experience to my friends and other people, telling them how wonderful World Youth Meeting was. 

I haven’t participated WYM the previous year, but through the archive on the website, I have seen incredible improvement from previous World Youth Meeting. The meaningful memory of World Youth Meeting 2012 had big impact on my life and it lives in me forever. Joining it was a milestone in my history. Next year is going to be more awesome!

Ratanaksamrith YOU
Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia