Monday, September 3, 2007 @ Monday, September 03, 2007
Hutan!!!
"GF: Yo people!
Kids: Wassup, wassup!?
GF: Spell IBAN!
Kids: Alright, Alright
All: I-B-A-N
Action: stomp, stomp, clap
(left) (right)
stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp, clap
(left) (right) (left) (right)
[Repeat action]
1st time shout: IBAN IBAN OHH!
2nd time shout: IBAN IBAN AHH!"

This was simply one of the many songs that were sung during the 3 day long camp. It was fun, it was exhausting, it was crazy...most of all... It ROCKS!!!

It started with a plea. Kang Qi, a fellow LEO member, needed volunteers desperately and it had caught my attention. I had participated in many camps, but only facilitated a few camps, most notably sec. 1 camp and SCIP in TJ. This was a totally new twist, and i wanted to try it out.

Upon stepping into Tao Nan School on Friday evening, everything began to occur rapidly.
I had known or seen nearly all the facilitators during pre-camp, except my partner. She was Hilary, and my first encounter with her was a little awkward at first. However, we quickly got along as the hours passed, to my relief (Haha..i won't feel good if i don't get to know her quickly...lol). All the group facilitators (GF) had to scramble to finish their banners and identities . Boy, it was certainly the start of the busy schedule ahead!

My group was IBAN, K5, and it represented the "killer whales" of Tao Nan student. Our group was easily recognizable with its red cloth. Additionally, the GFs were given whistles, mainly for crowd control, as well as to entertain oneself...

That Friday ended in a special way, as 3 of our members had their birthdays within the camp duration- mainly Jia Yu (our house capt.), Kian Yan (GF) and Hilary. A birthday cake was bought, and everyone had fun eating it. We even had cake fighting (well only a few "lucky" ppl was "caked"...haha).

The first day kicked of with much anticipation, as we had a real taste of managing primary four kids Believe me, it certainly felt horrid at first! As soon as we began ice-breakers, they began ranting. " This is boring...", " Can we rest?" and " Can I go to the toilet?" quotes filled the air as i became increasingly fed up with the relentless verbal assault...

The first major challenge began as soon as we started the hike at Bukit Timah Hill. They were simply MAD (Muddle-headed, Atrocious, Disastrous) and it was driving me crazy!!! From simple things like wanting me to hold on to their bottles, to begging me to walk faster, i nearly wanted to drop everything i was attending to and race to my house to hide. U will feel like that when u have to carry several 1.5 litre bottles and attempt to catch up with a bunch of wild and annoying monkeys. Trust me...

Yet, there was a sense of inner pride as i see these youngsters muster their strength towards climbing up to their destination. Through the GFs' constant encouragement, we drive them on to finish the activity. It was even heart-warming to see the kids starting to loosen up and stick to u like u are their best friend. At the end of the hike, i felt warm with love...lol...

However, growing too attached does have its limitations, especially when growing attached means growing reliant. After the hike, all the Iban students (Ibanians) began groaning about being tired and hungry. At first, we encouraged them....but soon we realized that it was futile. Worse still, they are not the only tired ones, as we too started to become edgy... By lunchtime, everyone had morphed from enthusiastic people to mindless, moaning zombies.

After lunch, the moaning was less noticeable, but the enthusiasm was at an all-time low. Everyone was tired after the hike, and i was personally feeling exhausted. Yet, it was time for the station games. From charades to river crossing, from slippery eel to balloon stepping, it certainly required a great deal of energy to overcome these barriers. Then again, primary 4 kids are simply unpredictable. These "species" are known for their outburst of energy, and are capable of manipulating their surroundings. As soon as they found the games enjoyable, they started becoming delightful and energetic. Even after the games ended, they continued pestering me whether there will be any more games, much to my annoyance.

Bathing the kids was one of the highlights of the day, as i had the personal "luxury" of practicing my "shooting" skills. Using only a hose connected to a tap, i began to hose my targets and managed to enforce a quick bath for all those boys within my group. Dinner passed with almost no major hiccup, except the fact that there was this girl called Wan Ying that would cry at the slightest provocation into consuming food. After dinner, night walk was now the main focus, as the unique mix of moaning and enthusiasm resumed. It was a combination of fairies (balloon-headed people or wearing those yellow vests seen by traffic police), fighting ( some seriously weird kungfu skills and gold nuggets (don't ask me why, i don't know!). I was grateful when it was finally over and everyone was given a well-deserved break to sleep. I never felt so motivated to sleep until that eventful day.

Day 2 was no less boring, as dragon-boating kicked off with a bang! In the waters of Kallang, the 3 hour session was simply enjoyable. Armed with oars and sheer willpower, we proceeded with paddling and cheering each other on. Thankfully, the weather was merciful and the sun decided to take a nap behind the clouds. My entire group had loads of fun here, simply because the kids seemed to derive pleasure in splashing water at other groups on similar boats. As for Hilary and I, we endured a couple of hours of splashing and soaking and at the same time, laughed at the heartwarming scenes of the kids enjoying themselves. Everyone came back to school drenched, tired, but satisfied with the outcome.

After lunch, rock climbing caught the attention of all the Ibanians, as everyone tried their hands at reaching the peak of the rock wall. I was particularly bored as the GFs had no major roles here, except to guide the kids into putting on the safety harnesses. While waiting for some kids to finish their climb, we engaged the rest with cheers. Never in my life have i met such overwhelming resistance, as the kids for once held power over the GFs, by refusing to abide by our demands. In the end, it required some expert persuasion as well as rugged hollering to get them to learn the cheers, for the campfire performance that night.

It was simply magical! Despite the rain, which forced the change in venue, the performance went on without any major hitch. Every group had their moment to shine, and when it was our turn, we blazed the area with our booming songs and cheers. Every group was brilliant and everyone was at their limits, but at their best as well.

The last day of the camp was simply the most memorable of all. After breakfast, area-cleaning began with earnest, followed by the telematch. The latter was simply the most memorable part of the camp, as all 4 groups competed for the honour of being champions. It was full of excitement and passion as the kids displayed the passion towards cheering their own groups. (well...most of the kids...haha). Even though IBAN did not win the champion, we felt that we were champions as we had done our very best and the main aim of having fun was achieved.

To end off, Camp Hutan has certainly been memorable for me, as the kids, fellow GFs and activities greatly stirred the desire within me to lead my group with passion and drive. To all my fellow GFs: Hilary(Teach me more camp songs, pro! haha), Kian Yan(love ur chattiness), Davis(cool u are!), Linda(, Kang Qi(thx for introducing me to this camp), Sean(Nice sense of humour), Han Chen(cheerful u are!), Benedict(another joker..haha) and Xin Hui(Love ur N2ness), as well as our leader Jia Yu(Hail Lao Lao)...u guys have been BRILLIANT! Kudos for a job well done! To all the kids in K5: U guys have inspired me to be more patient and enthusiastic.

Benedict- For making me feel like a loser. U are simply a devil! You are loads of fun though!
Jolie- For calling me Mr. Noodle...u are the most cutest girl in the group...(haha...anyone jealous?jkjk)...thank you Miss spaghetti.
Oliver- Ur msn charcter so different from real life...haha
Wan Ying- Finish your food pls!
Yong Xuan- Mr. Laughing gas...keep laughing
Eric- Love ur independent nature!
Marcus- Learn to be fast!
Isabelle- Ur quietness is a blessing to me...in those chaotic moments!
Chloe- For ur perky nature
Nicholas- Love your enthusiasm!
Clarice-Fun to be with!
Rachel- Your friendliness and bossiness will be remembered!
For the rest of u: Can't remember that clearly..sry sry...but u guys are a blessing to me!

To everyone else whom i know, thank you so much for making this camp a success! U ROCK!

Finally, i would like to say: Camp Hutan is unforgettable, the kids are lovable, the activities memorable...and most of all...IBAN is wonderful!! IBAN Baik! =P

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