Billy Kwong & Chastity Leong
Secondary Student
On August 15, five students from Grade 11 were selected to join the OBI camp Ekspedisi Bhinneka Bangsa. Initially, we thought that we were the only ones joining this camp. However, as we started the morning introduction, we soon realized that there were 9 other students from seven different provinces joining as well.
Throughout our trip, we were accompanied and supervised by two professional guides, Pak Zaki and Pak Marwan. Both insisted that we carried out all of our activities independently and that they would only provide us with the necessary materials to do the activities. At the beginning of every day, we were assigned roles to take charge of the different parts of the daily programme. There were six roles: leader, cook, cleaner, sweeper, journalist and the navigators.
During the camp, we faced many unique challenges from canoeing to overcoming language barriers that brought every participant closer together. We cried together, laughed together and suffered together. One would expect that the most vivid memories we’d hold would be the activities themselves. However, it was the little things that we remembered most, such as a helping hand, the jokes shared and motivation we gave to each other. These were the tiny things that stayed with us because it was those infinitesimal actions that built the strong, unbreakable bonds holding us together. And that, more than anything, was what we hold dearly.
However, the camp couldn’t last forever. As we bade our tearful goodbyes promising to meet again in the future, we held in our hearts the motivation to do more for our society and the friendships we forged through challenging moments.
All in all, the camp was an unforgettable experience for us, and we would like to thank Ms. Carmen and Dr. Lee for giving us the opportunity to participate in this camp.
