Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: DAY 443/444/445

Nov 17, 18 & 19

1) The past couple of days have been another flurry of activities for me. With relatively short notice, I found about the Malaysia Young Scholars Universal Leadership Programme 2017, taking place at Malaysia Hall Dublin. After meeting up with my friend Vik at RCSI, we walked there together. It was a pleasant surprise to meet so many familiar faces from RCSI and UCD, and even some representatives of UKEC. We caught up with each other over breakfast, which consisted of nasi lemak (coconut milk infused rice) and teh tarik (the literal translation is "pulled tea", so go figure :) Following breakfast, we heard the Opening Remarks by Her Excellency Ambassador Puan Siti Hajjar Adnin. Then the Director of Education Malaysia United Kingdom and Ireland (EM), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zainal Abidin Sanusi coordinated the first session, entitled "Towards Realising Malaysian National Agenda".

2) At around 10.00am, I had no choice but to excuse myself as I had another important meeting to attend. I've recently been selected as International Student Ambassador for Education in Ireland, representing the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. In its seventh iteration, and with over 400 Student Ambassadors, it is truly an honour to be part of an organisation that aims to bridge the gap between Ireland and our homeland. This year's batch consists of 52 Ambassadors, representing 19 different countries and 23 institutions. After registering and getting to know some friends, it was time for our first "Ice- Breaking Session" - the Viking Splash Tours. I've always wanted to see what the fuss was all about, and luckily I waited until this long to experience the ride FOC! Anyway, we walked to St Stephen's Green, before being split into two groups. Our group's tour guide/driver was Anto - a lovely chap who wasted no time in introducing us to the various iconic landmarks in the city, all the while poking fun and shouting at passersby. All in good fun, of course.

3) As we toured round the City Centre, the International Finances Service Centre (IFSC) in Dublin 1 came into view. There, our bus magically "transformed" into a boat, although we had to put on our life jackets first. After a brief safety guide, into the water we went! Anto gave us a nice long tour around the Dublin Docklands, and then it was back on terra firma as well as the end of the trip. We alighted at the same place, before walking back to the hotel. A nice assortment of sandwiches and wraps would suffice for lunch. After lunch, the workshops began. For the rest of the session, our coordinator Ms Claire Dalton explained the tips and tricks to writing a good blog (!), as well as our role as ambassadors in promoting Ireland to aspiring undergraduates in our home country. We were instructed to write five things we loved about Ireland, and five things we wished we knew before coming here. Lastly, we were separated into Group A and B, each having their own datelines for submission of blogs/videos/promotional material.

4) Before leaving, we all took a lovely group photo together. I have made so many new friends today, and from various parts of the world too! Many of my friends had come from afar, including some from Galway and Cork! I'm looking forward to a great year ahead, with lots of challenging yet exciting activities to come. Stay tuned for more, and until then, have a great weekend. Cheers!