Wednesday, June 02, 2004

In the summer of nineteen seventy six I attended a training seminar in the then Federal Republic of Germany.... The training seminar: Internationales Studienzentrum Fur Landjugendarbeit - Centre International D'etudes Pour L'activite De La Jeunesse Rurale - International Study Center For Rural Youth Work was held at the Landvolkshochschule in Feuerstein starting Sunday June thirteen. Participants to this training seminar came from all over the world, we were then in our youth and we all live together at the hostel provided at the seminar site... And during the duration of the seminar which is almost a month, we all live like a big family, having our meals together and of course attending the training together.... For the benefit of all, the seminar was conducted in three languages group, German, French and English.... And I was in the English language group.... Although we were separated into these language group, because we had our meals together, play and socialized together, we soon became a big family and as days goes by we soon became close friends... Since the seminar centre is far away from the nearest town, the evening was spend together at the 'club' at the basement, where we would sit to enjoy the drinks and eating bar b q foods,till late at night.... This evenings session soon became our ritual and it was really great fun to be together..... At the seminar I learn many new things and acquire new knowledge for the promotion of rural youth programs..... To me the knowledge that I got were very useful in my career as a Youth Officer.... When I came back to Malaysia after the training, I introduce the knowledge and idea that I got in this training seminar, to train more youth leaders in the leadership training program.... The method that I learn was really good and effective in the training of the future leaders of this country... Today some of these youth leaders that I have trained, have graduated and became political leaders in their own right and are now serving the people as community and political leaders in various aspect in the country..... As for us who participate in this seminar we all went back to our respective countries hoping to keep in touch... But then as time passes we lost contact.... As for me since the introduction of the internet I had managed to makes contact again with one of the participants, a young lady from Australia.... Now she is a PhD and live in Perth... She now taught at one of the University in Perth.... We keep in touch and recently she came over to attend a seminar in Kuala Lumpur .... My wife and Me met her and we took her for lunch, as well as taking her around to see the city.... It was indeed a great reunion.... One reason I am writing this in my Blog is that I hope to makes contact again with those participants, who are now, like me in their golden age... Hoping that someone who visit my site, perhaps their children or whoever, would pass the news of my being in cyberspace all the time and that I could be easily be contacted by email at my site..... I do hope that we all could meet again..... At least in cyberspace.... Or in person,like my meeting with the lady from Australia last year in Kuala Lumpur.... Since I travel from time to time overseas... May be we could meet in the country that I may visit from time to time... So to those of you who read this, do pass the word around....Who knows something would materialized..... And we all could meet again after all those years..... And enjoy our golden age together.., nostalgic of our youth in Germany in the years gone by.....

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