Hi guys, so as you guys may or may not know, I've been involved in this event called the Asian Youth Leaders Travel and Learning Camp 2015. I think I've mentioned about it briefly before, but usually I'm too lazy to give a complete explanation of it hahaha (even when people ask me I'll just be like, uh, you know, some student leader thing...). But anyway, I'm gonna type everything here, right from the very beginning, because this has become an event that I hold very dear to my heart, and I hope to look back some day and remember everything.
So last semester, I didn't join any CCA (even though I did went to try fencing and judo) because I wanted to try something new but I really don't know what to join. Overall I guess I was still feeling very overwhelmed by everything and was finding it hard to settle down. So I decided that if I cannot decide to commit to anything I might as well don't join first and keep my eyes open for any other opportunities.
So about mid-semester, I saw the advertisement for the recruitment of AYLTLC organising committee on IVLE! I was immediately very attracted to it HAHAHA because of the promise of free food and stuff HAHAHA. Kidding, it was because I really like meeting people from different cultures and I like events management etc. So I thought it'd be good to gain some exposure and experience, plus it really sounds like a thing that I will love! However, the camp period falls on recess week which is basically a week for me to muggggg so I was very hesitant about it as well. I ended up asking my family and friends for advice and some did tell me not to do it, but after rounds and rounds of consideration, I decided to follow what my heart tells me and went ahead to apply for it anyway.
So I filled up the application forms and etc. Actually I honestly thought my chances of getting accepted was pretty low because I don't have a lot of experience hahaha. Like I only have some of my CO events experience but that's really on a much smaller scale. But I was very sincere and passionate, and I really really wanted to get in, so I emphasised my enthusiasm and willingness to learn. So afterwards I was contacted for an interview, and I remembered I prepared quite a bit before going hahaha. Went to research on their objectives and stuff and pre-empted their possible questions and wrote down my answers etc etc.
So anyway I chose the first slot in the morning because I'm definitely more awake in the morning and I wanted to get it over and done with. I was soooo nervous and I went to the Shaw Foundation Building which I've never been before and I was early so I just sat on some of the sofas outside. I remember it was such a nerve-wrecking experience for me because I've never been there before so I was unsure if I was even at the right place (even though I went to double check again and again....). Anyway there were 2 ladies on the sofa across me and turns out they're my interviewers HAHAHAHA. (Cos the interview room only opens at 9 so we were all waiting for it to open)
So yup I went for the interview and it was a pretty intimate setting like it was just a small table so the 3 of us were sitting really closely together. I felt like it was a pretty good interview though because I thought it was pretty chill and I was just sharing about my life and my experiences. The 2 interviewers were super nice and smiley so I wasn't nervous at all. So yeap I left the interview room feeling pretty good about myself (HAHAHAHA) and went for my French lesson.
So yeap anyway about 3 days later I received the acceptance e-mail and till today I am very grateful to be chosen. I didn't really know at that time but afterwards I realised that it was not easy to get in at all............ Cos I have 2 other friends who went for the interview too and didn't get in and there were actually like 3 to 4 rounds of interview omg. Not trying to say I'm very zai or what, but just trying to say that I am honestly very appreciative of this opportunity to learn. In fact, I'm one of the youngest (if not the youngest) in our entire team of around 14 people. Cos there's only 2 other Year 1s and another is a guy so he's older hahaha. So it's pretty crazy and I was constantly feeling amazed by everyone else because everyone seems so professional and has been through so many things. So yes, once again, I'm very very thankful for this opportunity, and I've definitely learned a whole lot more, thank you :')
Planning:
Well so here comes General Meeting 1 which I went knowing NO ONE and it was kinda awkz for me HAHAHA. GM 2 was awkz too because I was late (sobs). I remember dreading GMs because I was so awkz with everyone but who knew I will grow to be so attached to everyone in the team now :(
So anyway in the beginning we had to do publicity which was basically searching e-mail addresses from different universities and compiling them together so that we can send our publicity emails to them. 900 e-mail addresses per week don't play play. Honestly quite leceh but I was quite fast with it so I thought it was fine hahaha. I was in charged of the Chinese universities anyway so it really helped to improve my Chinese as well HAHAHA. If anybody needs help navigating through Chinese universities websites now, I am the person to ask man. All the 师资力量, 团委, etc is no joke!
After about 6 to 7 weeks of doing that, we started to divide our committee into different teams to be in charge of different highlights during the camp! So there were opening ceremony, learning sessions etc. I chose to be in 'Travel' because honestly it sounds the most fun to me HAHAHA and I didn't think I will be up to the jobs of opening ceremonies etc because I really don't have any experience with those. So grateful that I'm in travel team, because I met the best people like Melphin and Claribel /hugs/
So I remember the initial phases of the events planning was pretty overwhelming for me because I was overseas hahaha. I missed one of the committee meeting and missed one travel team meeting because I was enjoying my time in Europe HAHAHA. But I remember feeling damn lost every time I open my WhatsApp in the hotel because I don't really know what's going on and I remember feeling super bad because we had a deadline then to meet and I couldn't help!!! Also I was so worried that my teammates will hate me LOLLOLLOL. I mean if I would totally hate myself la HAHA.
Yup so I remember the day after I came back from Europe was a meeting and both Claribel and Melphin couldn't make it due to work so I had to represent our team even though I barely knew anything omg you can't imagine how stressed was I?!!?! Like it was a chance to prove myself ok because if I don't do well during the meeting I'm dead. So anw I came back and I immediately went to Google drive and read through everything thrice to make sure I knew what was going on and Claribel even met me at Northpoint Starbucks to go through things with me one more time. But I was still feeling super stressed because I have yet to speak up during our general meetings HAHAHA and I wasn't close with the rest in the committee yet. I also stayed up late and woke up early to do some maps thing to show our travel routes even though I'm a complete IT noob and had to use paint to do it (don't judge).
So anw I was damn early for the meeting because I was too scared to be late HAHA and it was such a nerve-wrecking meeting but it ended up better than expected because everyone was so nice and it was pretty chill in the end :p I even prepared slides and all but actually it was just reading out from the document LOL.
So yeah things started to look up after I came back from Europe because I can finally meet up with my team IRL and okay the first 2 meetings were quite awkz for me at first too (because I keep feeling bad for missing out on so much LOL) but after the 123242523942 meetings we are gossip buddies now HAHAHA. Gonna miss our late-night meetings and weekly Friday morning meetings :(
So after months and months of intense planning and revision of plans and getting ready of the logistics and etc etc, the camp officially started on the 26th of February.
Camp:
Day 1: Registration
So basically day 1 is when all the participants arrive and we are stationed at a counter at the hotel to settle their hotel check-in stuff, pass them their room cards, ez-link, receipts etc etc! There were 2 groups, one hotel group and one airport group (in charge of welcoming them, giving them directions to the hotel etc). So I had hotel duty and it made me swear never to work at a hotel counter again HAHAHA it was soooo tiring omg. Our duty was from 9am to 8pm HAHAHA but we had shifts la. Though sometimes when too many participants come at the same time everyone just help other out. It can get super overwhelming at times when too many participants arrive at the same time and some of them have additional questions which you don't know the answer to and then you'll have to direct their questions to someone else. Or sometimes they have to wait for their room cards because the hotel hasn't finished cleaning their rooms and you'll have to appease them. And then we had to make sure to get them to sign everything and coordinate the rooms and make sure the information is copied onto the Master Copy etc etc. The worst thing is probably repeating "Hi, welcome to Singapore, this is our name tag, this is your ez-link for public transport..., please report at 7.30pm for ice-breaking.... blah blah blah" for 1000000000000 times HAHAHAHA.
BUT, it was also very fun and exciting to see people from all over the world! Even though it's supposed to be an Asian camp, we actually received and accepted applicants from Azerbaijan, Australia and Nigeria too. So it was an eye-opening experience for all of us and I had a good time making small talk with them when they register as well. And it was so exciting to see your own group members HAHAHA.
So after dinner, it was time for ice-breakers!!! Initially I felt damn nervous cos I scared I won't be hyped up enough for the games and many participants were actually older than me and I didn't know my fellow facil (because she isn't part of the ocomm, she's a friend of another organiser who came to help out cos we lacked manpower!) But all was well in the end and I think everyone had lots of fun :) Had lots of fun introducing the games too hahahaha these ice-breakers seem so common to us but yup people in other countries don't play them yo! HAHA. All the games like 'big fish small fish' etc HAHAHA. Also taught them a 'Singaporean' version of the McDonalds game so instead of all the fast food chains, it was all the local food e.g. 'La Kopi', 'Flip Prata', 'Chicken Rice' and 'Kaya Bread'. All of them were so confused and kept asking me what's that HAHAH so cute! Had a great time bonding with all of them and my fellow facil Sarah and I ended the date on a really happy and optimistic note :') I remember feeling soooo happy seeing all the participants having fun and basically just seeing all our plans coming true! The I/Cs for the games xujie and joshua did such a good job as well and I was just feeling super happy HAHA. Had a great debrief (did our AY whoosh!) and went back to the hotel rooms (5 - 6 people share one room don't play play HAHAHA).
Anyway, I stayed overnight at the hotel everyday because I'm the bus I/C so yeah need to be there every morning taking attendance and sending them up on the bus etc. Intended to study in the hotel room but obviously with so many people staying it was just a gossip session HAHAHA. (gonna fail midterms sigh pie) BUT it was a great experience bonding with everyone. Even though we're in the same comm, we were divided into different departments too so I didn't really get that many opportunities to interact with the others too!! So it was a lovely experience squeezing in one room and talking nonsense :') Also staying over = free breakfast at hotel hahaha. Super love the croissants and orange juice!
Day 2: Opening Ceremony + Learning Sessions + NUS Campus Tour
Went to NUS early in the morning for the opening ceremony, and on the bus I was talking to them about Singapore, NUS and education in Singapore in general cos I'm the bus I/C sigh. HAHA it's tough being bus I/C because no one will respond to you and you basically it's like monologuing! And you can't really talk crap too because these people really rely on you for info so you gotta make sure everything you say is true. So yeah I actually spent any free time that I have reading up on all these important topics about Singapore LOL. Actually this camp really made me understand and know a lot more about Singapore and I'm quite glad that I got such an opportunity because prior to this I really knew NOTHING. And I know how to go all the touristy areas now HAHAHA like Singapore River, Maxwell etc. Slowly starting to cultivate a better sense of direction yay!
So anw, the opening ceremony was great, loved the video that Elaine did for us! Afterwards it was lunch WHICH WAS FREAKING AWESOME best catered food EVER. The chicken wings were da bombzxc and the chocolate mousse cakes were HEAVEN. I don't even like chocolate mousse cakes usually but those literally melted in my mouth. Wish I could have eaten more but I already ate like 3 la LOL BUT STILL!!! Super high quality and yummy food, I love it *o*
The learning sessions were really interesting as well, though I had door duty so my feet nearly died especially since I was very heels! A little bit of minor hiccup in between but things ended well in the end and my comm did a super good job with their spontaneous reactions /thumbs up/ Was the Q&A I/C and originally I was still worried that no one would want to ask questions and xujie even gave me some questions so that I can ask if no one does. In the end all the students were really enthusiastic in asking questions that we even had to cut them off due to time constraint. Really proud and happy to see all these young people so passionate about their dreams and so actively fighting for them. I see them coming up to ask really good questions about policies and stuff, about starting a social enterprise, about fighting for the welfare of people etc etc. These are all future leaders working hard to achieve what they want and fighting for a better future. Was really very inspired by all of them (and also made me questioned myself lol what am I even doing).
After that, it was the NUS Campus Tour which my travel team was in charge of! Everything went well in the end and I am soooo glad to see our plans coming true once again :) Brought them around Utown, FASS etc and showed them the canteens and facilities etc. Had a good time sharing about academics stuff as well and once again, many of them are super zai and are learning 3rd languages like French and German etc. Had dinner @ FoodClique and by then everyone was already damn tired (and most of them can't get used to walking in the hot SG weather in formal wear hahaha poor things!!!) and we took the bus back to the hotel and dismissed them ^^
Day 3: Travel Session
Day 3 was the day I was most scared about because my travel team was in charge of the entire day. Also I had to memorise the things to talk to them about at various places (because Sarah isn't Singaporean and doesn't know much about SG, though she did try to help hehe :)) and just the thought of it made me wanna faint. BUT everything went well in the end and even though my group members were REALLY tired, everyone persevered till the end and for that I'm really grateful and really proud. I think my group was the only group without anyone leaving/falling sick throughout the entire 5 days!!! And I had a couple of really sweet members who would help me to do head counts and come and talk to me when I look damn stressed trying to memorise the info LOL :')
Dismissed them at Clarke Quay and briefed them about the debate sessions the next day and wah suddenly all of them look super alert and stressed hahahaha. Hanged out with a couple of them while waiting for all the other facils to come back for our comm debrief and started to feel sad that the camp was gonna end soon :-(
Also another thing I'm sad about is how I often have comm debrief and other miscellaneous comm stuff to do (+ midterms studying for me) that I didn't have enough time to hang out with them outside of the camp :( Really regretful about that sigh. But at least all of us is on WeChat now and we have a group chat there so we can at least keep in touch with each other outside camp! :)
Day 4: Presentation (debate) Session + Culture Performance
EARLIEST wake-up call this morning and everyone honestly look damn tired LOL. I was really half-dead pls. But also really glad that I'm not a participant because they had to do a debate LOL I really kenot. It was also my favourite day cos day 3 is finally over and I don't have to memorise anything anymore HAHAHA and could finally really enjoy myself.
Started off the day with the briefing for the presentation session + their discussion time. All of them were super serious about it and were doing research and rehearsing etc while Sarah and I just floated around either zoning out or listening to them talk hahahaha (slack day). But we were also damn impressed and proud of them for coming up with so much in such a short period of time wow this is when you can really see those with really strong leadership potential.
So the debate sessions were actually very intense (for me HAHA). For some reason Sarah and I were damn nervous for our group, it was like watching my kids going up and hoping that they will do well!!!! (Overly-attached facils HAHAHA). Even took videos and all HAHAHA completely behaving like a parent at their child's performance or smth. But group 3 did so well I AM SO PROUD OF THEM!!!!! 2 of our members got the 'Best Speaker' award too omg love love. :')
After that, it was time for culture performance (aka the HIGHLIGHT of the camp HAHAHA). Had soooo much fun with them seeing them come up with ideas and rehearsing the dances and songs etc omgosh. Anw they were assigned a specific item and a local phrase like "catch no ball" and "why you like that one" so they had to incorporate them into their performances LOL. But even without these phrases, all the performances were already hilarious enough! Lots of group did all the dancing and stuff and it was all very educational and informative too! Legit learned a lot through it. Especially cos we had a participant from Nigeria so he taught us about their wedding practices etc, super cool :)
SUPER proud of my group for clinching the Most Creative Performance Award and Best Performance Award hehe :') They really deserved it because they really put it a lottt of effort into it!
Went around taking pictures with everyone in their traditional costumes too and it was great fun to see them wearing theirs!
Day 5: Closing Ceremony + Farewell
So here comes day 5 which is also the saddest day because I really cannot bear to say goodbye to them :( 5 days literally FLEW past and it's like a dream seeing all our plans coming true. We've all grown so attached to each other and just when we start to get really close with each other, things had to come to an end :( Was chionging out my farewell notes to them so I barely had the time to appreciate the closing ceremony but I did watch the closing ceremony video and nearly teared :( Saw a couple of my comm members teared and felt like tearing too, especially ZL who was our strong and strict events director :(
The participants had to close their eyes as they reflect upon their journey in the past 5 days (with emcees' touching words + sad instrumental songs) as we try to navigate within the narrow aisles to place their certificates onto their laps (TOUGH JOB). But it was definitely a touching moment and quite a few of them cried :(
So after the closing ceremony, I gathered them around for a final group picture and the final debrief. I honestly didn't want to cry at first (though I really felt like doing so cos so many people were already crying LOL) but I thought I could tank it BUT NO. Said like 2 lines and started crying myself wth HAHAHA even I am speechless by myself. Though once I started crying many of my members started crying too so (even one of the guys hehe) so yay #missionaccomplished? But it was really a very sad moment because everyone came from different countries and it is honestly hard to see each other ever again. Of course, with technology, it is easier to keep in contact etc but meeting each other again? For many of us, it's probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Didn't manage to say everything I wanted to them because people started crying and comforting one another and one of my participants had to leave earlier due to her early flight and etc. In the end that night (after I finished my midterm test) I sent that another loooong message :(
So yup that's about all for the camp; it's a super summarised version which still took me like 2 days to type it out. Really wanted to write things down so I can read this and reminisce next time hahaha. (Takes a lot of effort man!) For photos and stuff, can check out my Facebook LOL it's currently flooded by the pictures.
So anyway, this camp has been really, really inspiring. Honestly I questioned my decision to join the comm sometimes during the planning stages especially when things got really tough but I'm glad that I stayed, that we all stayed, and made this camp such a memorable event for all of us. Looking back, I still wouldn't say the planning process was enjoyable, but joining the camp was definitely WORTH IT. Worth it for all the friendships forged, worth it for all the experiences, worth it for all the horizons I've broadened.
I was (and am) really truly inspired by each and everyone of them in the camp, not just the participants, but also the ocomm and our founder of the camp. It's really not about how big or small your dreams are, but how much effort you put into working for it, and how much passion you feel for it. I could see all of that in the eyes, actions, words of the people in this camp. All of them came together for a common goal, to better themselves and to make themselves greater leaders. I guess this is also why things like ice-breakers and Q&A sessions that I thought were going to be awkward were not; these people were there because they WANTED to be there. They signed up for it, they chose it. And that's why when these opportunities come, they don't shun them, they don't hide at one side; but they embrace them, they volunteer, they speak up. They really actively participate and interact with one another. There were people introducing themselves right from the first day, because they know this is a rare opportunity for them to learn and build relationships.
I've actually realised this before but this just confirmed my opinions again. The success of anything depends on your mentality. No matter how great the ocomm is, what makes the camp a true success is the mindset of the participants themselves. If they want to learn, if they want to interact, they WILL find these opportunities. But if they are unwilling, no matter what you plan and do, nothing will make a difference.
So this is why I am honestly impressed and proud of these people, because they actually flew overseas to grab opportunities like these. And everyone I met in this camp is passionate and eager to learn. I truly believe that each and everyone of them will become (and already is) a great leader of the future. After the camp, many of them reflected that one really needs to go out there to know where one stands. For me, I didn't leave the country, but it resonated within me as well. For me it was more like the world coming to find me instead of me going out there but the effects were there as well (though definitely not as strong as theirs). Meeting these amazing people made me realised my place in the world as well, it made me realised how lacking I was and how much more I could and should do. Constantly staying in your own country and comfort zone will only make you narrow-minded, because there's an entire world out there for you to explore and learn from. Things don't revolve around you, and you really got to go out there and see for yourself what's it like outside.
Tbh, when I started planning this camp I did not expect to get lessons like these, because all I wanted was to gain some events-planning experience and have fun meeting people from all around the world and basically to break out of my comfort zone. But I ended up learning so much more, and for that, I am eternally grateful. These 5 days have made such a great impact on me and the many life lessons I have learnt from these past 6 months of planning and execution will forever be with me. I am so grateful for this opportunity, so grateful for my awesome committee members, so grateful for my lovely participants, and all the people that made this event come true (the speakers etc). I have definitely broken out of my comfort zone, and even though it was tough for me, it was also very fulfilling. Even I was surprised by myself, because I did things I never thought I could. I never thought I could handle 20 foreign delegates smoothly, I never thought I could brief and talk to such big groups of people, I even never thought I could email MPs and various organisations. But I managed to do all of that, with almost 0 experience, and I am so, so proud of myself. In the beginning of day 1 I was worried about my public speaking abilities LOL I could feel myself blushing when I saw 20 pairs of eyes looking at me, but by the end of day 5, I was super okay with 40 pairs of eyes looking at me. I finally learned how to slow down when I talk (I tend to talk faster when nervous) and really organise my speech and make sure people understand what I'm talking about. These are experiences I never thought I would be getting, but I did and I'm grateful for it. Many of these experiences I gained because I had no choice but to do it. In those moments, I was given those responsibilities, I was bus I/C, I was their facilitator, people were relying on me and depending on me and there was nothing I could do but to take up the responsibilities. I'm glad I did. And that's why it's important to break out of your comfort zone, because only then you'll be given responsibilities that you've never imagined yourself getting.
Indeed, these are baby steps, but don't we all start small?
All in all, this entire journey can only be summed up by one word: Gratitude. Gratitude for all the opportunities and all the people. Wishing everyone all the very best wherever they may be, wherever they may go.