Muhamad Hafiz Ismail's Blog

Here I am again, sitting at the airport. The same familiar pause before boarding: tired legs, full heart and a mind that’s still playing catch-up with everything that just happened.

Muafakat Games 2025 has just wrapped up in Brisbane. This was my first time joining and facilitating the event and truthfully, I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I have attended many student programmes before but this one had a different kind of energy; one that felt a lot more personal.

From the moment I arrived, i...

Here I am again, sitting at the airport. It feels like a familiar scene by now. Whether I believe it or not, I was posted here at the end of September 2024, and now it is already the end of June 2025 which means I have been in Perth for about nine months.

In that period, I have travelled back and forth to Sydney more times than I ever expected. I genuinely thought I would not need to move around this much, that I could simply settle into one place and build my rhythm there. However, the nature of...

This week, I have just been trying to ease myself back into routine, mentally and physically after spending a short week at home in Malaysia. Funny how I did not realise how much I actually missed home until I was already back here in Perth. It was not a long trip but it was important. It reminded me of the kind of comfort that no other place can quite offer.

Since coming back, I have been picking up my walking habit again, early mornings and later in the evening. Nothing ambitious, just some qu...

Sometimes you don’t realize how far you’ve gone until you come home.

On the flight back to Perth now. I feel sad. I don’t know how to explain it properly. It’s a different kind of sadness this time.

I’ve traveled before. But working and living in Perth, it hits differently. Maybe it’s because I feel… older. Maybe it’s seeing my parents getting older. Maybe it’s just life moving forward.

The life I have in Perth, somehow, makes me feel like I’ve been leaving them for too long. When I meet everyone a...

Believe it or not, it has been six months since I was posted to Perth, Australia. Time really moves fast, sometimes too fast and it still feels surreal. There are moments when I just stop and wonder if any of this is actually happening. But I guess that’s just how I process things sometimes.

What’s crazy this time around is how fast I’ve been learning. I mean, I’ve always said that I pick things up quickly but this time it feels like I’ve been on some kind of accelerated mode. It’s not just about...

 Wow, it’s already 2025. Out of nowhere, I think. I came to Perth in September, and since then, everything has been moving very, very fast. I’ve learned so much—new things, in a different country, and in the diplomatic world, especially focusing on education. The pace felt so fast before, but towards the end of the year, and now, early this year, I finally have a bit of time to reflect and think about what I’ve learned.

Here are three main things that I’ve realized from this experience, especiall...

It has been more than two months now since I arrived in Perth, Australia. Time really flies. Working with Education Malaysia Australia (EMA) has really made me see myself in a different light. Honestly, I did not expect this experience to be just about learning the culture here in Perth, but I also got the chance to travel to other places. I have been to Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne, and every place had its own story and lessons.

What is really surprising is how much I have been able to push m...

 

Isn’t it amazing to learn and understand a culture other than the one that we are used to? I am so glad that this time around I a wonderful sweet time with Dr Kit and family to spend more time learning about the Welsh culture.

I travelled to the UK this time to say goodbye before starting my new adventure in Australia. To be honest I am very nervous thinking what is coming next in the chapter of my professional life. As much as you think you have experienced a lot, still inside of me, I am still...

I was very nervous to go back to my office in JPA. I could feel my heart beating fast and I had goosebumps. After about a month and a half, I was invited for a bon voyage event. I think a part of me still cannot process that I have already moved out to a different ministry and left JPA behind. When I arrived, I hesitated to knock the door. I remember breathing in and out hard to put myself together to have the bravery to face the reality. 

Once I started to see everyone in the room, seeing the sm...