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NISC 2026 | Day 2: Different Countries, More in Common
NISC 2026 | Day 2: Different Countries, More in Common
18 Aug 2026 | Tuesday
Day 2 of NISC 2026 was a day filled with new learning, cultural experiences and, most importantly, new friendships. As we interacted with students from different countries, we began to realise that despite coming from different backgrounds and cultures, there was much more that connected us than separated us.
From Waste to Wisdom
From Waste to Wisdom
We started our morning with the Keynote Address, “From Waste to Wisdom: Ending the Global Paradox of Scarcity Amid Abundance.” The session brought together two guest speakers, Mr Prhomput Thammarutjinda and Ms Nantaporn Thirapongphaiboon, who shared their perspectives on issues surrounding scarcity, food waste and sustainable food systems. One takeaway, as shared by Xinyue to the presentors, was how mindsets towards food needs to change - food that may seemingly look 'imperfect', like oddly shaped vegetables or fruits, are still good to eat and should not be discarded.
What made the session especially meaningful was that students were not just there to listen. NISC participants from the different countries took on various roles in facilitating and responding to the session. We were proud to see our fellow Canberrans taking an active part too. Aneeqa Shanza was one of the student chairpersons, Zhang Xinyue served as a respondent, while Jayden Ronak Mariados was one of the secretaries. Together with students from Thailand, the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, they helped to make the keynote a truly international exchange of perspectives.
Following the presentations, student respondents shared their thoughts before the floor was opened for questions from participants. It reminded us that challenges such as food waste and food security are not problems faced by just one country. While our circumstances may be different, we all have a part to play in thinking about how the resources around us can be used more responsibly.
Getting Hands-On with Thai Culture
Getting Hands-On with Thai Culture
Later in the day, we had the opportunity to experience Thai culture through a series of hands-on activities.
One of our highlights was making a traditional lantern. It required us to carefully thread beads onto a string to form the lantern piece by piece. What initially looked simple turned out to require quite a lot of concentration and patience! It made us appreciate the amount of care that goes into traditional crafts and reminded us that sometimes the most rewarding things take time to create.
We also tried our hand at making bracelets using beads and thread. Once again, patience was definitely needed, but it was satisfying to see our own creations slowly come together.
The pace changed completely when it was time for Muay Thai! We learnt some of the basic movements and techniques of Thailand's well-known martial art. Besides being useful for self-defence, it was energetic, fun and certainly very different from threading beads. Experiencing these different activities gave us a chance to learn about Thai culture not just by hearing about it, but by actually taking part in it ourselves.
Different Countries, More in Common
Different Countries, More in Common
One of our most memorable experiences came during the Thai cultural showcase.
Students from the different schools and countries came together to enjoy the Thai cultural showcase and music. Even though some of the songs were unfamiliar to us, everyone joined in and enjoyed the experience together. What made the evening especially meaningful was seeing students from different countries interacting so naturally — sharing laughs, enjoying the music and getting to know people whom we might not have spoken to earlier. By the end of the evening, many unfamiliar faces had become new friends, leaving us with fond memories of a simple but meaningful time spent together.
Perhaps the biggest thing we took away from Day 2 was something we had not expected. Even though we came to NISC from different countries, we realised just how similar we actually are. We laugh at the same things. We enjoy some of the same music. We can have fun together even when we do not speak exactly the same way or share the same culture.
Before NISC, our different nationalities might have been the first thing we noticed about one another. After spending the day learning, creating, singing and dancing together, those differences seemed much smaller.
Instead of dividing us, our different cultures gave us more to share with one another — and somehow brought us even closer together..
NISC also gave us the chance to form new friendships a little closer to home. Although we travelled to Thailand as Canberrans, we also got to know fellow Singaporean students from schools such as Gan Eng Seng Secondary School. Being away from Singapore gave us the opportunity to interact in ways we might not normally have back home. It was a nice reminder that making new connections does not always mean looking across borders — sometimes, new friendships can begin with people from our own country too.
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