Summarizing my ASEAN experience into a few short sentences is like trying to define love which cannot be constrained. Beyond some of things I have sacrificed, I have seized an opportunity that changed my life. Everything starts when I decided to take SHARE scholarship exchange program that has brought me closer to ASEAN. (Read more haihaira.weebly.com/blog/student-exchange-experience-with-share-scholarship )
It was hot summer day in May 2017 and I came across the information of Duta Muda ASEAN Indonesia 2017 (DMAI) application by chance. Eventually, after long consideration, I dare myself to apply and fulfill the requirements. Long story short, I was nominated by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Indonesia as Duta Muda ASEAN Indonesia 2017 for Central Java. I had a very memorable week with the other finalists of ASEAN Youth Ambassador coming from thirty one provinces in Indonesia with different cultural background. This event was amazingly organized in order to celebrate 50 years anniversary of ASEAN. I can really feel the celebration vibe in Jakarta as the capital city of ASEAN which also enlivened by the presence of this event. Becoming part of DMAI big family has awaken my soul to keep sharing ASEAN awareness to the society, as it is not just a regional intergovernmental organization but it is a community of great opportunities.
2018 is like another year full of surprises. I was selected by the embassy of Indonesia in South Korea to participate in ASEAN Korea Youth Network Workshop (AKYNW) 2018 in Seoul and Manila for two weeks. This prestigious workshop is organized by ASEAN-Korea Centre under the broad theme of Youth and Digitalization. I had the opportunity to meet many aspiring youth coming from all over ten ASEAN countries, South Korea, Japan and China. I was amazed and inspired by the speakers and their informative materials from the lectures during the workshop.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is changing how we live, work, and communicate. It's transforming many aspects in life such as government, education, healthcare, and commerce into a digital platform. In line with the purpose of this workshop, as a key partner of ASEAN, South Korea fully supports the development of ICT in ASEAN by enhancing the capabilities of ASEAN youth to face the risk and challenge of digitalization. Seoul is the role model for ASEAN countries in the promotion of smart city development. In this workshop, I was fascinated to see the advanced technology in managing Seoul metropolitan city.
Keep chasing your dreams! Just because you fail once, it doesn't mean you're going to fail at everything.