Primers Challenge 2011 has been a truly meaningful experience!
Day 1: The adventure begins!
On the 19th of December, those of us who signed up for Primers Challenge met at BBHQ at 6.45am, forming into groups and beginning initial conversations with our group members (There were a total of 6 groups with 6 members each, with the exception of group 1 with 7 members). 37 Primers aside, we had 4 officers following us. Mr Kang Guo Quan from HQ, Dr Andrew Yong from 12th (I), Mr Matthew Kwan from the 12th, and Miss Lai from the 60th. Following a briefing on the proceedings for the day, what to expect and an equipment check, we boarded the bus and began our journey to Gopeng, Malaysia. Along the way, we began initial conversations among each other and watched 2 movies. The first was Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl which was OK and entertaining. The second however, was Sanctum and scared the crap out of all of us, and made us reconsider the desire to go caving. Along the way, we stopped at 2 stops, the first at Yong Peng where we had RAMLY burgers (which was great!) and the second along the highway where we had A&W (which honestly wasn't fantastic). And the Mozza Monday burgers took forever to come :(
Continuing on our journey, we reached Gopeng around 4 or 5 plus (I can't remember, but I think it was 4.30pm). There, we proceeded to enter our huts/villas and unpack our belonging. Here we were, 37 Primers from different companies all over Singapore, going to sleep together in a hut. THAT IS TRUE BROMANCE!
After dinner,we proceeded for a time of sharing. A representative from each company proceeded to share about how his company functioned, how the primers helped the development of their juniors and how it helped them work toward the President's Award. For 12th (I), Jian Rong and I presented on our company structure and our Primers program. It was really a joy to share about our company, mentoring system and our primers program and committees. Although our sharing was the longest, I feel that the sharing of the other Primers were more meaningful as many of them came from small companies without a fixed Primers program. Hearing about the difficulties and problems faced by other companies made me wonder whether our company can find ways to help these smaller companies, and whether I would go if I were called to serve in other companies in the future. It was also very touching to hear about the passion for serving in other companies, and how in a group of only 10 Primers in another company coming back to serve their juniors, almost all ask for nothing back (no NYAA, no President's Award) and yet all become officers and serve with a willing heart.
After the sharing session, we went to bed and everyone conked out by 10.30pm as we were all too tired and wanted to have enough energy for the next day's activities! I slept next to a guy called Daniel from the aforementioned company and we discussed stuff like serving our juniors and church stuff and it was really really enjoyable to do so with someone whom I had never met before! And btw, some of us manly guys opted for a powder bath in order to challenge ourselves ^_^
Day 2: Off for a swim, time to get wet~
Day 2 saw us waking up at 6 and reporting for 5BX at 6.30am. Shaun Low led us in a time of softball stretches before Joshua Ong started the more exercise-y aspect of the 5BX: Push ups and jumping jacks. After 5BX, we had breakfast (Fried rice, bread and milo). I chose that time after breakfast to challenge myself and use the squat toilets to...ya know.... IT WAS A REAL CHALLENGE, BUT I WAS GLAD THAT I DID IT AS IT HELPED ME ON MY WAY TO BECOME MORE OF A MAN. ANYWAY after that we boarded the bus and went for waterfall abseiling!
I will admit that I am terrified of heights and thus before the activity, was praying for strength to carry out the challenges ahead. In the end, I managed to summon up enough courage to volunteer to be the first 10 Primers to abseil down the waterfall (8/10 of us who volunteered were from 12th (I) anyway...). I used my enthusiasm to help keep my spirits up and fear away and am glad to have had the opportunity to also lead the other 9 first batch of abseilers in a small prayer before the activity :D In the end, I was the FIRST Primer to abseil down the waterfall and have to admit that the experience was AMAZING and so to all of you who are reading this, you missed out on something uber fun!! So like, after the abseiling, I was glad that I had managed to deal with my fear of heights there and eventually went once more...
The abseiling activity also gave me opportunities to look out for other Primers and help them with their harnesses. It also promoted Bromance as us guys contributed to nature and 'watered' the plants in order to help them grow, with hopes that someday they will become trees: tall and strong!
After a peaceful lunch at the waterfall area, we walked to a nearby campsite where we would begin our white water rafting activities! Some of us stopped for a pee-t stop along the way (hehe), only to realize that our destination was only 50m away behind a bend in the road -.- and our destination had a proper toilet -.-"
At the campsite, we gathered the necessary equipment: a helmet, life vest and paddle. I was wearing a yellow shirt and black pants so I chose a yellow helment and ended up looking like bumblebee from transformers :D Anyways there was an Australian guy who was busy touring the world trying out rafting in different rivers there and he gave us the safety briefing, throwing in witticisms and humour to a comical effect, but successfully conveying the message. But what use is listening only without trying? And thus after the briefing, we carried our big blue inflatable rafts and proceeded to the river!
The current in the river was really fast and the water turbulent. We proceeded for a water confidence test where we floated through a section of small rapids before being thrown a rope to catch. I thought that I would have no problem with it but in the end, was humbled and almost thought that I would drown after messing up and panicking while floating down the river :S Thankfully, I survived and am here today to write this blog post.
Basically, we just paddled as the guide instructed and did as we were told, but honestly he was doing most of the navigating due to the fast rapids, his vast experience and our overall noobness. However, it was fun working as a team, and for me, I formed an 8th group with Primers from other groups due to the limit of 5 people + 1 guide per boat. However I do not regret it as I got to know more people! Highlights of the rafting were going through drops in the rapids and trying not to fall off, as well as rest stops along the way. There, we would all try to submerge Mr Kang as well as the birthday Boy Weng Shian in the water. The entire duration of the rafting took about an hour and a half to two hours but the enjoyment of the scenery and each other's company was priceless.
That evening after the rafting, Mr Kang forced all us to take a shower, carrying out an inspection before dinner in order to find out if anyone had not showered. Being the good BB Boys that we are, all of us showered :) The night saw us carrying out our ice breakers, with multiple mass sessions of 'I never' and 'I have' involving Mr Kang and all us Primers. On the first round of 'I never', Mr Kang and I were the first two to get booted out (we have too much of a life) and ended up doing the chicken dance in front of the everyone. It was really fun to do the chicken dance with an officer and I'll never forget that memory. I'm also thankful for the spontaneity and enthusiasm of all the Primers there! Subsequent sessions of 'I have' resulted in Jefferson being the one with the most interesting life, he having parachuted and all, etc. However, those sessions (although impromptu). were good as they allowed us to get to know each other - Primers and officers better and after brushing our teeth (some did...), we went to bed.
Day 3: Caves, jungles and leeches...
With the arrival of Day 3 came the arrival of caving on our itenarary. Having watched Sanctum on the way to Gopeng, some of us (I myself included) were terrified of caving and being trapped in the cave. However we received reassurance from the officers that the cave we were going to was safe and thus happily and eagerly embarked on our journey.
Arriving early, we had to sit around and wait for the cave to open. However that allowed Primers to intermingle and get to know each other better. When the cave finally opened, all of us eagerly walked in, not knowing what to expect.
The cave was HUGE! Walking in on the metal railings and walkway, we could see the river below, which we were told would be our exit point since we would explore both the dry and wet segments of the cave. The journey to the 'top of the world' segment of the cave consisted of 600+ steps which some Primers counted (Shaun did it because he's wu liao and Lucas did it because he was bored and he wanted a challenge), and many fascinating rock formations. Due to the pokemon childhood that we had, rocks shaped as animals became pokemon. Sheep = Mareep, Seahorse = Horsea, Elephant = Phanphy. All other rock formations were geodudes and onyxs. I admit that it was tiring to walk all the way up but we did manage to take a few group photos near the top and feel mysterious air currents flowing through certain segments of the cave.
However, we soon completed our ascent to the 'top of the world' and that meant that we would consequently begin our descent down into the darkness of the wet part of the cave. To begin, we had to slide down a slope. Here, traces of teamwork and encouragement surfaced as Primers shined their lights onto the slope to guide other primers down. We also helped each other and taught each other the correct method of coming down the slope. After the whole group had reached the bottom of the slope, we climbed down a hole in the ground (just like Alice!) and ended up in the river!
Oh Yeah! The acidic water originated from somewhere and flowed all the way out. Our task was to follow the river out of the cave. Sounds simple? Yes, aside from the fact that one had to walk, squat and CRAWL through the river. I figured that since we would be getting wet/were wet already, we might as well enjoy the experience to the max! Thus I eagerly commando crawled, backstroked and rolled my way through the cave, acting like a whale or seal at times. It was real fun to bring smiles onto the other Primers' faces and use my powerful torch to guide them through the small crawlways.
"Let your light shine forth before man..."
It was a really good team-building experience as we had to look out for each other and guide each other, yet at the same time it was fun and engaging. I also got to know the other Primers more! Although I was sad when we eventually left the cave, I remembered that all good things must come to an end. It was a truly memorable experience.
After caving, we proceeded to shower (to prevent abrasions... down there... you know where) and had lunch. My group served lunch and it was really great to be able to serve each other, even though it was something as simple as food as we could chit chat with each other as we served the food and the others queued up to receive the food. Lunch also gave me the opportunity to get to know the guides attached to our group better and they were really interesting and fun people, especially Joyce (who seriously looks like Florence from Oasis) who tried to find piranhas in the lake and later on talked to cat. And the fried chicken was da bomb! Malaysia's fried kampung chicken > Singapore's fried imported chicken.
After lunch, we sat around for a while while waiting for the lorry to come and pick us up. That presented yet another opportunity to play icebreaker games! I managed to gather a small group of varied Primers and officers and together we played the Animal Game! It was exciting to be able to teach that fun game, and yet at the same time work on my people's skills and help facilitate the game, ensuring that everyone had a go as well as getting to know more people. After a few sessions of the game, we boarded the lorries and proceeded to go jungle trekking!
The jungle trek started a little behind where we gathered for the briefing on white water rafting, and consisted of an ever increasing upward climb, causing a few of my group members to wish the incline would cease and we would reach level ground or head downward. Along the way, we saw worms protruding from the ground and presumed they were earthworms. However, we later found out that they were LEECHES and as a result, started to Hentak-Kaki whenever we stopped to wait for the rest of the group to catch up as we thought that as long as we kept moving, the leeches would not get to us.
We climbed on and on and soon, reached a fork in the road. We were told that the left path would take us back to base camp, while the right path would allow us to climb further to the top of the hill. The lazy bunch of us opted for the left path but the guide asked us 'Where is your sense of adventure?' and forced us to climb higher! This part of the climb was more difficult due to the absence of visible proper footing (path was covered by vegetation) and a steep incline. BUT, the view at the top was AMAZING. We could see the whoooooole valley and other hills in the area. It was simply worth it. The climb was tiring but the view from the top was one to remember. Indeed, this caused me to reflect on how in life, we are always faced with problems but as long as we persevere and overcome down, the end is always rewarding.
It soon began to rain and all of us immediately descended from our viewpoint and transformed into an army of green sorcerers with our ponchos! (Thanks Seb for buying one for me). The descend from the hill back to base was quieter than usual (the climb was merry and noisy) as it had gotten slippery and we had to establish proper footings on the way down in order to avoid getting injured. It was also fun to pick out my own path down the hill as I felt like a ninja! Moving on to something deeper, I noticed that people like to follow the path taken of those in front of them, as that means that those places were 'tried and tested' amd were safe ways to proceed down. However I realised that that does not necessarily mean that it was the best path and decided that at times, I was more confident of choosing my own path and footholds on the way down. Relating to life, I feel that many times we would be tempted to just go with the flow and tried and tested way but if we only lift up our head and look around, there might be better paths elsewhere that we can tak! (deep huh!) And relating to the IB learner profile, we have to be risk-takers and carve our own paths in life!
We soon reached a river that we had to cross. Thus linking arms, we proceeded to cross it, standing strong as a group in the face of the oncoming current, finding firm footing on the riverbed and avoiding the big smooth rocks in the water. The theory that the strong current of the river will wash away all leeches on our skin is utter rubbish as those little suckers (literally) held on tight and as a matter of fact, we ended up with MORE leeches than before :( however, it was a really manly and interesting experience, having your own pet leech and having something so attached to you <3
Anyways we walked the 20 minutes back to camp (yet another interaction opportunity!), showered (Mr Kang insisted that the rain does not count as a shower) and had dinner. Following dinner, we had a debrief session where we gave feedback on our thoughts of the entire Primers Challenge and completed an evaluation form. The officers noted everything we had said and also taught us a thing or two about ourselves, such as how we always have to 'Be Prepared' (thank you scouts!) and anticipate all sorts of activities and conditions not just when we travel but all the time. This was followed by a peer evaluation session where we evaluated each other, encouraged each other, and wrote comments to each other on how to improve. 12th (I) then presented 'One in Vision, One in Christ' to the other Primers before all of us were dispersed for the night. Lights-out was at 2359 (the deadline for most AIs!) and everyone spent the last night of the camp meaningfully, strengthening friendships and the like!
Day 4: Return.
Day 4! No 5BX today. Just breakfast, area cleaning, packing up (if you did not do so the night before), phototaking and then whoof! we left the campsite. We were finally allowed to stand on the lorry and dodge the leaves and branches that flew in our faces. Truly a real life video game experience!
The return trip was just a reflection of the trip to Gopeng, stopping at the same places (well..they looked the same) on the way back, although this time I had lunch with my group, eating cheap and tasty KFC. It was extremely worth it. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Malaysia's fried chicken = best!
Time flew and before we knew it, we had cleared both the Malaysia and Singapore immigrations. To some, it was a relief to get clean toilets again! (see the pun there? hehe). We traveled back to HQ, calling the then Primers OIC to get ready to unload 37 Primers and 4 Officers and our bags. (He sounded confused lol) Arriving back at HQ, we said hi to Sir Ben, Raymond and Jian Ping (Frederick was nowhere to be found) and proceeded to sing the vesper before being dismissed. After dismissal, some of us went home directly while some went to Great World City, all with one objective on our minds: TOILET!!!
Jokes aside, I really thank God for the opportunity to go for Primers Challenge. Indeed, it was more than just a means to an end with regards to NYAA and President's Men. It has allowed me the opportunity to get to discover more about myself, to CHALLENGE myself, to conquer my fears and an opportunity to serve and lead others! Primers Challenge has also allowed me to get to know Primers from other companies better and has been a humbling experience and a reminder that there are others out there who are as good as or if not a better leader than I am. Also, it has allowed me to encourage others and help develop the skills and leadership ability of other Primers and spur them on as we all work toward the same goal: the advancement of Christ's kingdom among Boys and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-Respect and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness! Lastly and most significantly for me, this experience has opened my eyes to the situations in other companies, starting me pondering whether I will go and serve there if that is my calling and if that is God's plan for me in the future. As of now however, it is hard to say what will happen in the unpredictable future. Indeed, coming to the end of the Primers journey is but the beginning in the step toward becoming an officer and serving the Lord more. In fact, these other Primers who we went for Primers Challenge together with and whom we worked along side with could well be serving side-by-side with us again in the future! The future will hold many surprises for us all and you can be sure that I'll be there when it happens! ^_^
Adios!
~Written by:
SCL/5 Nicholas Lim
Matthew 22:21
"They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."
