10th Nairong International Students' Conference

Today, many of those faces belonged to friends we were not quite ready to say goodbye to.

The morning began with a souvenir sale, where delegates from different schools set up stalls offering snacks and keepsakes from home.

One particularly popular item was the amplang brought by our friends from SMAN 10 Samarinda, Indonesia. We learnt from their teacher, Ms Ismi, that these savoury fish crackers are a speciality of Samarinda in East Kalimantan. Traditionally made using fish and tapioca flour, amplang has become a well-known local snack and souvenir from the region.

It was a small but delicious example of how delegates brought a little piece of home with them to share with everyone at NISC.

Around us, the exchanges continued in other ways too.

After five days of workshops, competitions, meals and conversations together, everyone seemed determined to make the remaining time count. Souvenirs changed hands, photographs were taken and final conversations stretched on for just a little longer.

There was also one particularly meaningful activity.

We wrote notes of gratitude and appreciation to one another, placing them into individual envelopes for our friends to bring home.

Some messages were probably heartfelt. Some were probably funny. Some may have been only a few sentences long.

Soon, it was time for the Closing Ceremony.

And, of course, there was one question on everyone's minds.

How did we do?

As the competition results were announced, we were thrilled to learn that Canberra Secondary School had been awarded Second Runner-Up in both the Quiz Competition and Video Production Competition!

Our Quiz team receiving their Second Runner-Up award.

Our Video Production team receiving their Second Runner-Up award.

There were smiles, cheers and undoubtedly a great deal of relief.

Behind those few moments on stage were hours of preparation: researching, discussing, scripting, filming, editing, practising, revising and sometimes wondering whether what we had prepared would be good enough.

To see that effort recognised was incredibly rewarding.

But Competition Day had also shown us something equally important.

We had the opportunity to watch the work produced by delegates from other schools, including their video entries, and we were genuinely impressed by the creativity, perspectives and effort we saw.

Winning gave us something to celebrate, but it also reminded us to celebrate graciously.

We were grateful for the recognition, while recognising that every team had brought something valuable to the conference.

And for those of us whose competitions did not end with an award, there was still much to be proud of.

We had stepped onto an international platform for the first time, presented our ideas, responded to challenges and learnt alongside students from different countries. Sometimes success comes with a certificate or a place on the podium. Sometimes, it comes from having the courage to participate, learning what we could do better and knowing that we gave it our best.

Then came perhaps the most difficult part of Day 5.

Saying goodbye.

Over just five days, something special had happened.

We came to NISC with different personalities and different levels of confidence in meeting new people. Some of us were naturally outgoing, while others took a little more time to warm up.

Yet somehow, everyone seemed to find someone they clicked with.

Some friendships grew through working together during activities. Others began over meals, conversations between programmes, shared jokes or simply choosing to sit together. By the final day, the unfamiliar faces from our first icebreaker had become friends we actively looked for and wanted to spend our remaining time with.

And that was one of the loveliest things to witness. There was no single way to “fit in” at NISC. Whether we were talkative or quiet, adventurous or more reserved, there was space for each of us to form connections in our own way.

In just five days, a place filled with unfamiliar faces had somehow begun to feel a little like a home away from home.

We had also grown incredibly fond of the NISC organising team who had accompanied and supported us throughout the conference.

So when it was finally time to part, a few tears appeared.

Photo with one of the NISC core team members who had journeyed with us throughout the conference.

Goodbyes are never easy when strangers have become friends.

Five days does not sound like a long time.

But friendships are not always measured by how long people have known one another. When we learn, work, compete, explore and spend almost every waking hour together, connections can form remarkably quickly.

The tears were perhaps the clearest indication that NISC had become more than a conference.

And saying goodbye is part of growing too.

With slightly heavier hearts — and considerably heavier luggage after some final souvenir shopping — we made our way to the airport.

There was still one last journey ahead.

Bangkok → Singapore

After five packed days, tiredness was definitely beginning to catch up with us.

At 9.55 p.m., we finally touched down in Singapore.

Back in Singapore — all delegates accounted for, luggage accounted for!

Home.

Waiting at the airport were familiar faces: our families.

After five packed days, there was something comforting about finally being home. Parents were there to welcome us back, eager to hear the stories that photographs and daily updates could only partly capture.

And judging from the welcomes at the airport, there were some very proud parents too.

One family even prepared a little surprise for the delegation: bags of treats for every student and teacher, accompanied by a message that perhaps summed up the homecoming best:

“Congratulations, Canberrans! We are so proud of you!”

When we first prepared for NISC, much of our attention naturally went towards the competitions.

Would our presentation be ready?

Would our video be good enough?

What questions might the judges ask?

Could we perform under pressure?

Five days later, those questions somehow seemed like only one part of the story.

Yes, we competed.

Yes, we were incredibly grateful to bring home awards.

But we also learnt to walk up to someone we did not know and start a conversation. We worked with people whose experiences differed from ours. We encountered unfamiliar cultures and beliefs with curiosity and respect. We represented our school and Singapore away from home. We experienced nerves, uncertainty, excitement, disappointment, pride and finally, the sadness of saying goodbye.

That is what an experience like NISC is ultimately about.

Not simply what we bring home in our luggage or even the awards we carry back with us, but who we become through the experience and the connections we carry forward.

Five days ago, we arrived as delegates from different schools and different countries.

We leave with friendships that made saying goodbye unexpectedly difficult.