Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei's "Polar Girl" left for the United Kingdom last night on a quest to become the Sultanate's first woman to conquer the South Pole.

The 26-year-old Dk Najibah Eradah PAM Al-Sufri, or also known as Dr. Era, will be aiming to set foot in Antarctica for the Kaspersky Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition by New Year's Day in 2010.

Members of Brunei Adventure Recreation Association (SARA) saw off Dk Era at the Brunei International Airport, along with her family and representatives from government and private agencies involved in making the expedition a reality.

Dk Era, a diplomatic officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is one of the eight all-female team selected from more than 800 applicants of Commonwealth countries for the Antarctic expedition.

She will be joining women from Cyprus, Ghana, India, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK in the expedition, which aimed to demonstrate the potential of better intercultural understanding and exchange, and highlight the achievements of women across the world at the same time.

"I want to inspire Bruneian women of all ages to do something and move out of their comfort zone," she said during a previous interview with The Brunel Times.

She said that seeking knowledge was also one of the main motivations to participate in the expedition. "It's the drive and determination that makes it important to achieve what you really want," she added.

BAG Networks Chief Executive Officer Haslina Hj Ad Taib is Dk Era's patron for the expedition, while the local IT and business service provider sponsors her.

The 900km skiing journey from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole will take around 40 days and Dk Era is scheduled to return to Brunei in February next year.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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