Monday, July 21, 2008
FUCHUN SECONDARY SCHOOL 16-18 JULY 2008
so that was it. my last camp ever. even though i keep saying that, somewhere deep in my heart, all i wanna do is to have another camp, and another camp, and another, and another.
this is my second year doing fuchun secondary. i can't remember much about the camp last year, except that both my mirror and i got so mad that we walked away from the class at one point, which was the main reason why i was so reluctant to do the camp. but seeing my ex-campers coming back as student leaders in the camp this year meant a lot to me, and the camp didnt turn out as bad as i prepared myself for.
the kids were all mixed from different classes (just a side-note, i just realised that none of my camps this year was done on class level! sucky.) my group was very quiet, all they did was to smile at me, which was why they were named smiley =)
it isn't the most enjoyable camp i've had, but it probably is the camp that i see the most changes in the kids. and at the end of the day, that's what that matters the most to me. when they cried during the last debrief, i felt that they truly saw the changes in them, and i felt that i have truly grown as a person.
so, tadah. this should be the end.
so that was it. my last camp ever. even though i keep saying that, somewhere deep in my heart, all i wanna do is to have another camp, and another camp, and another, and another.
this is my second year doing fuchun secondary. i can't remember much about the camp last year, except that both my mirror and i got so mad that we walked away from the class at one point, which was the main reason why i was so reluctant to do the camp. but seeing my ex-campers coming back as student leaders in the camp this year meant a lot to me, and the camp didnt turn out as bad as i prepared myself for.
the kids were all mixed from different classes (just a side-note, i just realised that none of my camps this year was done on class level! sucky.) my group was very quiet, all they did was to smile at me, which was why they were named smiley =)
it isn't the most enjoyable camp i've had, but it probably is the camp that i see the most changes in the kids. and at the end of the day, that's what that matters the most to me. when they cried during the last debrief, i felt that they truly saw the changes in them, and i felt that i have truly grown as a person.
so, tadah. this should be the end.
Labels: camp
blossom. 11:10 PM
Saturday, July 12, 2008
watching my seniors take photos in their graduation gowns, looking at their commencement photos, all the wide smiles and excited chatter, i wonder how it would feel to finally be there.
blossom. 11:19 PM
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
TAMPINES SECONDARY SCHOOL (SEC 2) 2-4 JUNE 2008
andrew's last camp. i shared a group with kim, and we mirrored rendall and horheh. it was fun with them around, sabo-ing horheh by naming the group horheh when he wasnt around. hahha ;) but the camp was still quite low, probably because they had four instructors who didnt dare to communicate to work with each other. or at least, that was what i felt. it was really a pity - we could have done so much more. we should have done so much more, for andrew, and for rendall.
when andrew broke down during the campfire, i finally realised how much all these meant to him. despite his ahbeng exterior, despite his crude language and bochap attitude, he loves what he's doing. when rendall broke down too, four of us just hugged and cried. even though its long overdued, i wish these two all the best in whatever they go on to ;)
i can hardly remember anything from the camp since im blogging so long after it happened. but i know very clearly that no matter how cui that camp was, i have at least made a difference in someone's life.
ITE COLLEGE EAST (STUDENT COUNCIL) 23-25 JUNE 2008
i was very reluctant to take on this camp at first, due to the bad memories from my ITE camp last year. but we can't always stay where we are - we need to constantly challenge ourselves to reach greater heights.
i had a very strong leader in my group. hes always there to lead the group - in cheers, amazing race, kidnapped, campfire performance, blahblahblah. it was obvious that the group was very disunited, simply following the leader that they do not acknowledge.
things got much better after gladiator on the second day. we had a team talk where everyone thrashed everything out. the words were harsh, there was no face given. but everyone took it with an open heart, and worked towards a stronger team. our campfire performance was great! it was really heart-warming and encouraging to see people who have not spoke up before volunteer for roles in the performance. it made me feel that my effort have not gone to waste, thank you ;)
a leader has to:
1. get the job done
2. keep the team together
3. motivate the team
4. groom others to be leaders
and the fourth is always the hardest, no?
SILING PRIMARY SCHOOL (P4) 26-27 JUNE 2008
felt weird to take a primary school right after an ITE camp. it was a 180 degrees switch - from taking a mentor role to a control freak. you always need to be there, you cant let them out of sight for more than three seconds, you need to instruct, basically, you need to be in control. probably my worst camp ever.
day one: pampered spoilt brats
day two: pampered spoilt brats (who are slightly more aware of people around them)
yup. thats all for them.
AI TONG SCHOOL (P5) 30 JUNE - 2 JULY 2008
did belaying for the school. being a belayer is both slack and tiring. such an irony, but isnt life about ironies? three sessions of three hours of belaying, i swear i would have fell asleep while belaying if i were wearing sunglasses. loved the slacking part where we all enjoyed the aircon in the learning room and played stupid games and watch stupid shows that we could find on teckkoon's laptop. got to know a few instructors better, they are really great people ;)
SILING PRIMARY SCHOOL (P5) 2-4 JULY 2008
horrible first day, fantastic second day. everyone was shagged out by the back-to-backs - no one bothered helping anyone else. things got much better after the motivating talk by mojo ;) thanks mojo for taking the song session and sentry and whatever shit that comes along despite your bad leg so that we can rest. esriously, thanks.
day one: selfish spoilt brats
day two: less selfish spoilt brats
day three: a boy who willingly cleaned the toilet and picked up the grossest stuff ;)
things didnt start out well at all. i was thrown with 40 kids, luckily there was zul to help out, even though he didnt know much about camp business. we didnt have time to break the ice, it rained the whole day, the kids had no sense of urgency at all.
i dont really know how to describe this group. there were times when they showed visible improvement - a sincere will to do things not just for themselves, but for others. we asked them if they were willing to help another group with their dinner duty, we got a resounding 'YES!!!' i was pleasantly surprised and was really glad. imagine a super big box of food which would require two of me to carry. imagine super crazy slopes. imagine just eleven-year-olds. sometimes, the human spirit never fails to surprise me ;)
despite all the goodness, i was sorely disappointed during the last debrief. they couldnt gather as a group by themselves - i had to go to their dorms to get them. after the debrief, we gave them a bottle of sprite as a reward. sharing it amongst themselves was so difficult, it was painful to watch.
the next day, while i read the reflection booklets, i wasnt expecting much. but most of them gave me non-textbook answers. i nearly cried after reading one of them. this boy, he wrote: "my personal goal is to make my instructors happy." something so simple, yet so meaningful.
everything feels different from last year. even though i was inexperienced and didnt know what to do, i connected with the kids. i guess all the additional pressure i put on myself has made me draw the instructor-camper line too clearly. now that my last camp is nearing, xinyi is gonna go all out and find the girl she was last year.
there is no secret ingredient, just belief.
andrew's last camp. i shared a group with kim, and we mirrored rendall and horheh. it was fun with them around, sabo-ing horheh by naming the group horheh when he wasnt around. hahha ;) but the camp was still quite low, probably because they had four instructors who didnt dare to communicate to work with each other. or at least, that was what i felt. it was really a pity - we could have done so much more. we should have done so much more, for andrew, and for rendall.
when andrew broke down during the campfire, i finally realised how much all these meant to him. despite his ahbeng exterior, despite his crude language and bochap attitude, he loves what he's doing. when rendall broke down too, four of us just hugged and cried. even though its long overdued, i wish these two all the best in whatever they go on to ;)
i can hardly remember anything from the camp since im blogging so long after it happened. but i know very clearly that no matter how cui that camp was, i have at least made a difference in someone's life.
ITE COLLEGE EAST (STUDENT COUNCIL) 23-25 JUNE 2008
i was very reluctant to take on this camp at first, due to the bad memories from my ITE camp last year. but we can't always stay where we are - we need to constantly challenge ourselves to reach greater heights.
i had a very strong leader in my group. hes always there to lead the group - in cheers, amazing race, kidnapped, campfire performance, blahblahblah. it was obvious that the group was very disunited, simply following the leader that they do not acknowledge.
things got much better after gladiator on the second day. we had a team talk where everyone thrashed everything out. the words were harsh, there was no face given. but everyone took it with an open heart, and worked towards a stronger team. our campfire performance was great! it was really heart-warming and encouraging to see people who have not spoke up before volunteer for roles in the performance. it made me feel that my effort have not gone to waste, thank you ;)
a leader has to:
1. get the job done
2. keep the team together
3. motivate the team
4. groom others to be leaders
and the fourth is always the hardest, no?
SILING PRIMARY SCHOOL (P4) 26-27 JUNE 2008
felt weird to take a primary school right after an ITE camp. it was a 180 degrees switch - from taking a mentor role to a control freak. you always need to be there, you cant let them out of sight for more than three seconds, you need to instruct, basically, you need to be in control. probably my worst camp ever.
day one: pampered spoilt brats
day two: pampered spoilt brats (who are slightly more aware of people around them)
yup. thats all for them.
AI TONG SCHOOL (P5) 30 JUNE - 2 JULY 2008
did belaying for the school. being a belayer is both slack and tiring. such an irony, but isnt life about ironies? three sessions of three hours of belaying, i swear i would have fell asleep while belaying if i were wearing sunglasses. loved the slacking part where we all enjoyed the aircon in the learning room and played stupid games and watch stupid shows that we could find on teckkoon's laptop. got to know a few instructors better, they are really great people ;)
SILING PRIMARY SCHOOL (P5) 2-4 JULY 2008
horrible first day, fantastic second day. everyone was shagged out by the back-to-backs - no one bothered helping anyone else. things got much better after the motivating talk by mojo ;) thanks mojo for taking the song session and sentry and whatever shit that comes along despite your bad leg so that we can rest. esriously, thanks.
day one: selfish spoilt brats
day two: less selfish spoilt brats
day three: a boy who willingly cleaned the toilet and picked up the grossest stuff ;)
things didnt start out well at all. i was thrown with 40 kids, luckily there was zul to help out, even though he didnt know much about camp business. we didnt have time to break the ice, it rained the whole day, the kids had no sense of urgency at all.
i dont really know how to describe this group. there were times when they showed visible improvement - a sincere will to do things not just for themselves, but for others. we asked them if they were willing to help another group with their dinner duty, we got a resounding 'YES!!!' i was pleasantly surprised and was really glad. imagine a super big box of food which would require two of me to carry. imagine super crazy slopes. imagine just eleven-year-olds. sometimes, the human spirit never fails to surprise me ;)
despite all the goodness, i was sorely disappointed during the last debrief. they couldnt gather as a group by themselves - i had to go to their dorms to get them. after the debrief, we gave them a bottle of sprite as a reward. sharing it amongst themselves was so difficult, it was painful to watch.
the next day, while i read the reflection booklets, i wasnt expecting much. but most of them gave me non-textbook answers. i nearly cried after reading one of them. this boy, he wrote: "my personal goal is to make my instructors happy." something so simple, yet so meaningful.
everything feels different from last year. even though i was inexperienced and didnt know what to do, i connected with the kids. i guess all the additional pressure i put on myself has made me draw the instructor-camper line too clearly. now that my last camp is nearing, xinyi is gonna go all out and find the girl she was last year.
there is no secret ingredient, just belief.
Labels: camp
blossom. 2:13 AM