Welcome.

Hah! I'm back after a long hiatus! Well, the main reason why I'm posting right now is that I'm super relived that I have just survived 2 5 days 4 nights camps, one being OBS and the other being the super xiong NPC ( National Patrol Camp). Wasn't really too simple surviving both of them- there were times where I felt really desparate for the camps to end- but I'm gald I went for both camps.

First, I was in OBS group 1, and I really did not expect it to be as fun as it turned out to be, cause most of my closer friends were in group 2,  but hell, it sure was fun! All the trekking, kayaking and rock climbing really bonded people together. One word which would describe anyone who survived OBS was perseverence, cause if one was not determined, he or she would be the first to drop their bags and refuse to do anything. I was really gald that none of us in the watch gave up or anything, cause that would simply mean that the others in the watch had more to do! Well, I am not going to talk about OBS in detail as it has been a really long time since I went for it. 

Now for NPC, I was not really looking forward to this camp, cause I had the tiring OBS before it, and I was not sure whether we were going there to compete or to disgrace ourselves. Let me talk a little about our team first. We basically had 4 year 1s, 1 year 2, 2 year 3s and 1 year 4, so it was a pretty inexperienced team. We did as much as we could to train the year 1s in all the knots etc, but there was only so much that we could train them. Some were also not really willing to go for the camp and kept complaining, which brought morale to dangerously low levels at times. But still, the training really helped, and together with all the support from other scouts and our scout leaders in training and logistics, we made it through the NPC.

For one, I did not expect our campsite to be as good as it turned out to be. It was cozy and had all that we needed, including a basin so we need not head to the toilet just to wash our hands before dinner etc. Our structures were all quite stable and above my expectations.  Our kitchen shed helped shelter us from rain or shine. One stupid thing was that we did not know that the tap water was drinkable, so we kept boiling water to drink. Our camp cook was Zhang Yao, who helped us notch the best camp cook in the whole camp!

Our pioneering structure was the one I was the most worried about. In comparison to others, it was kinda small and not really complicated. Initially it was just a frame to hold up a game board, but through some improvision we managed to make the structure look nicer, but still it was not really good. If anything would cause us to lose some awards, it would be this. 

So came the campfire which we would know how well we fared for the camp. We watched all the skits from the different schools and those particularly memorable were from Catholic High(Scout man!) and ACSI (Poem/Rap). After all the skits and songs, it was time for the award presentation. Through all the hard work of the scouts and scout leaders as well as the kind weather (it did not really rain) we achieved what we set out for- a sliver award! We were already delirous about getting a sliver award, but as if to add the icing on top of the cake(a really huge icing), we got the best newcomer patrol for the camp! Say hi to a brand new Wenger Swiss Army Knife!

This has certainly been a meaningful few weeks for me. Although I was totally worn out (slept from 11 plus at night to 3 in the afternoon), I'm really gald I've been through the highs and lows of each camp. Those few days would certainly hold a special place in my heart for I have really learnt alot! Thanks to all those who have gone to the camps with me and made them memorable!

posted by pan chuen  # 7:18 pm 0 Comments