KUCHING: A group of Japanese students from Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS) learned about the culture of Sarawak during a study tour at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus recently.
The global liberal arts students from KUIS accompanied by staff had the opportunity to experience the city of Kuching and its surrounding wonders first-hand through Swinburne Sarawak Campus’ international biodiversity and culture immersion programme.
Swinburne, in a press release yesterday, said over an eight-day stay in Kuching in July this year, the students learned about Sarawak’s culture by visiting cultural sites within and outside the city.
During their time in Kuching, the students attended art workshops and biodiversity seminars conducted by industry experts and a renowned book author besides visiting popular locations such as Sama Jaya Nature Reserve, Borneo Cultures Museum, Kuching Old Bazaar and Sarawak Cultural Village.
Swinburne Sarawak’s Faculty of Business, Design and Arts executive and professional course director Dr Ling Chui Ching said the university’s various international immersion programmes encouraged international students to strive for greatness and enriching academic experiences that went beyond the standard classrooms.
“At each site, the students were briefed by experienced speakers and they were actively involved in interactive discussions. The students also indulged in authentic Malaysian cuisine, particularly indigenous food,” Ling said.
Shiga Nasumi, a first-year student, said her favourite part of the programme was the art workshops as she enjoyed learning how to paint batik and draw Dayak motifs from the artists.
When sharing her thoughts on the programme, student Goto Sakino said: “Through the programme, I came to know the government agency that strives to conserve Totally Protected Areas in Sarawak and the important role of nature.
“I’ve also learned more about cultural diversity, the interaction between people and the tropical rainforest in Sarawak while visiting Sarawak Cultural Village was the most useful and valuable aspects of the programme,
“This experience allowed me to visit the longhouses of different indigenous tribes and examine the sustainability of biodiversity with my own eyes,” she added.
According to the press release, in addition to learning about Sarawak’s ecology and culture, the study visit allowed KUIS students to interact with Swinburne Sarawak students through student panel discussions and study experience sharing sessions.
A KUIS student panellist interested in environmental issues, Sakamoto Kotone said the panel discussion allowed her to speak her thoughts while also listening to Swinburne Sarawak student panellists.
KUIS Global Engagement and Partnership Division assistant chief, Nemoto Takakuni, also participated in the programme and noted that it had a nice combination of seminars and outdoor learning activities.
“It included all aspects that the students wanted to learn and the speakers were very informative and passionate.”
