Emily
16111994
ex-Compassvalite
SCGS-
Trombonist
<3s FA5 and TIDE:D
breakthetrend@hotmail.com
1SY 2SY FA5 S&L TIDE Trombones Celestine Cheryl Dorcas Elizabeth Fann Ivan Janine Leanne Leewei Lyeann Melissa Valerie Wenyuan
My OBS experience-A once in a lifetime encounter
OBS was undoubtedly the most enriching experience I have ever gone through in my entire life. We had to spend five days at Pulau Ubin without our families by our side, the daily comforts that we used to take for granted, and deal with the five days of vigorous physical activities which resulted in sore muscles, bruises, and numerous mosquito bites. Many of us were homesick by the first night and we would walk to the coast of base camp and just stare longingly at mainland Singapore. By the end of the fifth day though, we have learnt to deal with our tiredness and discomfort, and tried to curb our homesickness. The main activities that were mentally and physically draining were the land expedition which involves trekking 7km with a heavy backpack and sea expedition which involves kayaking for 10km through mangrove swamps. These expeditions tested our endurance for long hours of active trekking with a huge burden on our backs, and also the protesting aches of arm muscles while kayaking. Besides the taxing activities, we also learnt how to cook food in the outdoors and to pitch tents in the wild. It was definitely a challenge to cook our own meals with grumbling stomachs and to pitch our own beds with tired hands after a long day. These were the moments when I felt hot and thirsty, wet and cold, tired and frustrated, with myself and my watch members. However, it was also thanks to these moments when I discovered my inner strengths and resources which I never knew existed within me. I never knew I could find it in me to comfort discouraged friends, nor did I know that I was so strong in controlling my own feelings and helping other people when I myself have not done what I needed to do.
One memorable incident that I would always keep with me of OBS was the trust fall which all OBS participants would have to take part in. For this activity, one person has to stand on a higher elevation and fall backwards onto a sheet held by her watch members. For the person to be courageous enough to fall, she has to trust that her watch members would prevent her from hitting the ground to their best ability, which was to hold on tight to the sheet and never let go. When it was my turn, I was hesitant to fall. I felt extremely insecure as I glanced back to see the sheet stretched taut due to the force applied by all my watch members. I worried that one of the members would suddenly let go to relieve an itch, or for any reason. My instructor Hairi told me to trust them, and fall with ease. Thoughts circulated in my mind, and I came to this understanding. If I cannot trust my watch, who could I trust in this five days when we live together? With that thought, I fell backwards and as I opened my eyes with relief, I see my watch members bent forward due to the impact of my weight, but all smiling as they have just successfully protected their friend, I, from hitting the ground. That was an enlightening moment as I learnt to trust.
Throughout this OBS course, we had a sharing session almost every morning with Instructor Hairi. Hairi shared one particular reflective story with our watch which I thought was really meaningful. It is a story of a butterfly in a cocoon, where the butterfly tried to get out of the small hole that it had made on the cocoon. After a long time, it was still stuck in the cocoon and a man who witnessed the process of the butterfly trying in vain to get out decided to help the butterfly by cutting a bigger hole on the cocoon to free the butterfly. The man then continued to observe the butterfly. He found out that it could not fly even though its wings have dried, and it had a swollen body. It turned out that the butterfly was supposed to have squeezed itself through the small hole on the cocoon to squeeze out the liquid from its swollen body, thus reducing its weight and enabling it to fly. Because of the man’s “kind-heartedness”, the butterfly was useless in that it could not fly for its whole life.
In the case of the butterfly, it got help from someone when it was faced with a challenge, and it got the easy way out. However, it suffered later on as it could not fly and was stuck with a swollen body. Indirectly, the kind-hearted man who wanted to help the butterfly was actually harming it. He would have helped the butterfly even more by doing nothing. In life, people should go through obstacles to toughen themselves up and emerge a wiser person. We should not accept help from people if we know we have the capabilities to overcome a challenge. There is no easy way out for anyone in life, and it is better for us to work hard first, and enjoy later. If help comes readily, a person will never succeed in life as he would be dependent on others forever, just like the butterfly. This story has had a great impact on my view of life as during the OBS course, I realized that Hairi never gave us the easy way out. He would always require us to test our strengths, and think of ways to overcome problems. He understood that for us to really succeed and feel proud of our achievements, we had to overcome obstacles by ourselves with no outside help. If he had helped us, we would forever be dependent on his help and never be able to help ourselves. OBS has therefore helped to shape my viewpoint of life and its meaning, and that story would forever be etched on my mind, constantly reminding myself to persevere in face of challenges. As the OBS motto goes, “To serve to strive and not to yield!”
Emily Pang(11)
3SY
ivan: Ehh you said it, you're gonna treat me to tako! Hahahaha!
Suharyo: ohhh I realised..
Fann: RICE! Of course I didn't delete right? If not they will say this blog has been removed..lol...