The 36TH Asia Pasific Dental Students Association Congress 2009 by Chong Jun Ai

How would you feel if you had the opportunity to spend 5 days and 4 nights with 400 dental students from all over Asia Pacific, namely Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia at a resort next to the beach in Penang?

WOW! COOL! EXCITING!. I certainly had an amazing time during the 36th Asia Pacific Dental Students Association Congress last August. Hence, I would really love to share my experience with you and hopefully, this year, we can book half an airplane to head down to Japan for the congress this year.

Now, picture travelling to 8 countries in one night! That is how I felt during the Cultural Night. You can see people dressed in kimonos, hanbok, cheongsam, baju kebaya exchanging souvenirs from their countries (Yes, I am a proud owner of a basketful of goodies-japanese paper fans, iconic keychains etc!). Throughout the whole dinner, each country took turns to perform traditional dances, songs and drama. It is fun to share a table with someone who can speak Thai or live behind Mount Fuji, so different culturally but yet we share something in common- dentistry! Another great night was Tropical Night where we dressed up in beach clothes and partied!


Besides that, I had the opportunity to show our beautiful country to my friends and share our famous Penang food at Gurney drive during the city tour. It is delightful to see their satisfied faces as they savor the char kuey teow! We also had a telematch session where we battled it out, hopping around in gunny sacks and catching water balloons.


I proceeded to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and had to miss out on the community service slot where a group of dental students visited a school to give oral health education which was held simultaneously. At the AGM, issues pertaining to the association were discussed such as feedback of the current congress, updates on the mid year meeting and bidding of the host country for the 2011 congress. The Executive committee was also elected of which I was selected to be the General Secretary 2009/2010.


Most importantly, I had the opportunity to gather precious
gems of knowledge from top notch speakers during the seminar session. Moreover, I did a poster presentation on the Oral Health Awareness of the Students and Staff at our university in the Scientific Research Competition. I am very thankful for the guidance from Prof Toh Chooi Gait and Associate Professor Dr Seow Liang Lin.


Lastly, the wonderful moments of the congress do not end after 5 days because it is actually the beginning of a great friendship. I am still in contact with my friends from the dental universities in Malaysia and I enjoy meeting up with them at Malaysian Dental Association (MDA) events. Dr Seow once told me that there were 2 things that she most enjoyed during her university days and one of them is APDSA. I certainly agree with her!