Soulprints - Amyline Quien Ching

SSEAYP 2004: Odyssey of Soulseeing

The world changes as each dons a different perspective.
And though we exist amongst these inherent and bred differences, it is not an impossibility to live in unity, using the very beliefs and traditions that keep us apart.

In an effort to blur the lines that have divided the world in recent times, the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP) once again sets sail on the shores of the ASEAN region to cultivate the spirit of international cooperation, understanding and friendship.
“Through the program, the Japanese government aims to broaden their international perspective and awareness, learning lessons that they can share with others when they return to their respective countries. Each of the delegates are future leaders and in their hands lie the future of the next generation,” says Administrator Masakazu Nakada, director for International Affairs in the Japanese Cabinet Office.
Established by the Japanese government in 1974 to promote and strengthen solidarity among youth leaders, the annual cultural exchange program has helped instill in the youth a love for their culture and an appreciation and understanding of other people’s culture, reveling in their uniqueness and at the same time celebrating others’ individuality as well.
Though they come from different backgrounds, the delegates, according to Nakada, are able to interact well with others, sharing their views of the situations in the world from the vantage point of their own experiences.

A JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY
This year, carefully selected youth leaders from Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia and Myanmar have embarked on a month-long journey to six different ports of call, Manila, Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok, Jakarta, Singapore and Yokohama, seeing different sites, immersing in different culture, forming bonds and weaving memories that will last them a lifetime.
For participating youth Timi Gomez, the experience is more than just a mine of memories, it is also a journey through the self, through one’s heritage and ultimately one’s future.
“Though I have had some experience living with farmers in Benguet, I have always been a city girl. It was therefore quite an experience for me to live in a farm, a rural prefecture called Takushima when we visited Japan. I could not help but compare the way the Japanese live with the way we live. One morning I looked outside and everything looked exactly like Benguet except that it is wealthier, more abundant, more progressive. I really started to cry because it was so much like our country without the struggle, the poverty,” the De La Salle University Applied Economics student confesses.
Unlike Timi, who was very interested in international relations even before she joined, Cinderella Wahab, a third year Political Science student from Saint Columban College in Pagadian City never really thought that she would learn so much and change so much.
“It was initially just a pleasure trip for me. It was only when we reached Japan and I had the chance to see how they live and feel for its people that I realized that it was much more than that,” she reveals.
There is in SSEAYP, she quickly learned, much more than meets the “sightseeing” eye. Beyond the trips around town, the shopping for souvenirs and the pleasure of vacation, the program allows each delegate not only to sightsee but also soulsee, discovering not just those that their eyes could envision but also those that only the soul could understand.

LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY THE HEART
Communication, according to most of the delegates is probably the hardest part in the whole experience.
As Cinderella relates, they would often use improvised sign language and even drawing just to understand each other.
“Some of the participants could not really speak straight English and as some of us only know the language of our country and that, we would often resort to sign languages… and yet miracle of miracles, we seem to understand each other in spite of that.”
Spending a month with people you cannot talk with in the language that you are familiar with can indeed be mighty frustrating especially using signs would not suffice. And yet… despite the language barrier and the cultural differences that divide each race, the delegates have quickly formed friendships, establishing a bond that would surpass traditions and beliefs. The experience made them realize that though words could not connect them, they could still understand each other in the language spoken only by the heart.

REDISCOVERING ONE’S HERITAGE
Though coming from different backgrounds, each of the delegates are brothers and sisters, bound mayhap not by blood but of far more importance, by the love for their countries and for the world as a whole.
Perhaps the best thing that SSEAYP has given them is the opportunity to discover the beauty in their heritage and the honor in their ancestry.
Filipinos has always been known for their artistry. In every cultural presentation, their production is much anticipated. In fact, even Nakada comments on how exceptionally good Filipinos are in singing, quipping “Dahil Sa Iyo” when asked what his favorite Tagalog song is.
“I grew a lot in spirit during this trip. You’ll soon realize that no matter where you are, no matter how beautiful the country you have visited, you will always be a Filipino in your heart,” confides Francis Ron de Guzman, a sophomore law student in University of the Philippines-Diliman.
Though the Philippines may not be able to compete in terms of technology and may even need to change a lot of its attitudes, no race, according to Francis, can show more warmth than the Filipinos. National Youth Commission and SSEAYP National Organizing Committee Chairperson for the Philippines Benigno “Bam” A. Aquino agrees, saying,
“In addition to the sceneries and the wonderful history, the best thing about the country is the people.”
During the SSEAYP country visit, he enjoins each delegate to see the beauty of the country through the heart of its people.


One may want to change a lot of things, institute reforms and revolutionize the way things are done and thought of but no matter how dire the circumstances may be, how much change is needed, one would never trade off one’s identity, the heritage that defines who he is and his part in this world.

posted by Amyline Quien Ching @ 12:24 AM