‘Nippon Maru’ memories

It’s been a good 31 years since a gaggle of Filipino students and working youths (15 boys and 15 girls, aged 20 to 25) hopped aboard the Japanese vessel Nippon Maru to begin a journey of a lifetime. The group was henceforth to be called Batch ’75 of the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program. Neophyte travelers all, whose farthest trip away from home was an excursion to Antipolo, these young ambassadors of goodwill sailed for close to two months to the five Asean countries – Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines – and Japan on the good ship Nippon Maru, ably steered by Captain Michiyoshi Yuba, to foster friendship and goodwill among Southeast Asian youth, and learn more about each other’s countries. Heading the Filipino delegation was a young and dynamic Lt. Col. Honesto Isleta (who’s now a general).

The gregarious (and easily most talkative) young Pinoys did make a lot of friends in and out of the delegation. Some became more than just friends. What started as a shipboard romance ended in an altar date for two pairs of Filipino delegates: Charles and Elsa Owen, Ike and Josie Altavas.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing for the Pinoy delegates who, for one thing, had to learn how to use chopsticks, hai, especially if they were late for meals (which was often) and had no choice but to buy food from the vending machine. UP students Yvonne Castro and Carmina Galvez and Nayds Foronda of NMPC found out that using those tricky chopsticks was the best way to diet.

Of course, dieting was the last thing on the delegates’ minds. Their first meal on board the ship was a smacking preview of things (or feasts) to come. First came big trays laden with tempura (oishi!). But that was just for starters. There were fruits galore on all the tables in the humongous dining hall, which became the most frequented place on the ship for the 180 delegates. As they were burping and wiping their mouths, in came the big fat steaks for the next assault. Some delegates swear they had enough steak to last them a lifetime.

But there’s really no such thing as a free (hearty) lunch, so the delegates were to find out. Each delegation had to present a National Day on board the ship, which was highlighted by a cultural-cum-fashion show and historical/political discussions, for which they had prepared for a month back home. There were sports activities and competitions, too.

The ultimate thrill for the young delegates was meeting up close and personal some of the Asean and Japan’s prime ministers, dining with them, and partying with the rich and famous.

Towards the end of the trip, the delegates chose Miss Nippon Maru. Singaporean delegate Elsie Ho was crowned Miss Nippon Maru. But the boys were quite wary of Miss Nippon Maru because the arresting (pun intended) Elsie was a policewoman! If you broke a traffic rule in Singapore, you would probably have been issued a ticket by Elsie. Elsie has opted for early retirement in favor of a life of leisure.

Actually, everything is fine in Singapore, as even Singaporean delegates Ling Soon Chua and Awyong Thiam Seng would tell their Pinoy counterparts. The Pinoys found out why: you get a fine for littering, for jaywalking, for selling chewing gum, etc.

On a sad note, a Singaporean delegate got so seasick (or was he homesick, too?) that he couldn’t finish the program. Another Singaporean delegate gave up another two weeks of the program to escort the sick delegate. It was surely a poignant display of friendship.

As they sailed the high seas, the delegates discovered that "the world’s but a home and all people are family," to borrow a beautiful line from the Nippon Maru song, composed by Youth Leader Kytt Mier, and which became the ship’s national anthem. Twenty-one years later, Kytt, who now holds a key government position, again joined the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program, this time as the Philippine National Leader of Batch 1996.

Last year, 30 years to the date, Batch ’75 celebrated its anniversary on board the new Nippon Maru with the 2005 ship delegates. Joining them were Singaporean delegates, yes, Elsie Ho and school teacher Pauline Yip, who blew into town just for the reunion.

This year, the Singaporeans are celebrating their 31st anniversary and inviting their Pinoy counterparts to join them on the ship, Singapore being this year’s first port of call (as it was in 1975).

The reunion dinner, dubbed "Nippon Maru Memories" promises a night of "gastronomical delights, nostalgic memories, and light-hearted gossip!"

Dress code is Attire A, B, C or D. FYI, Attire A on Nippon Maru means the delegates’ formal uniform (a blue suit for the Filipino delegates) while Attire C means casual (brown corduroy pants and blazer for the Pinoys). No one would want to be caught with his/her pants down in Attire A if Administration announced that everybody should be in Attire B that day.

The Singaporean delegates invite ex-PYAESS (SSEAYP spelled backwards) to: "Relive your SSEAYP memories on board Nippon Maru ... So go ahead and dig out your official uniform, national costume, and other SSEAYP attires from the bottom of your wardrobes. Of course, this is a great reason for some folks to hit the treadmills and watch their weight so they can fit into those old outfits (and we can admire their new svelte figures). Shape up or ship out?

A night of indulging in memories (worry not, it’s guilt-free), there will also be a special screening of photos from the SSEAYP days. Here’s what to do: "Dig out your treasured photo albums, select and scan the nicest, wackiest, funniest, most memorable individual or group photos from your batch and send to the Singaporean committee. Voila! We’ll do the rest of the leg (and hand) work. We hope to receive at least a photo from each SSEAYP batch (1974 to 2005) so we can do a chronological pictorial show."

So, see ya on board Nippon Maru on Nov. 3 in Singapore! All aboard!