edit: posts will be by chronological sequence so scroll! also, for people who have no idea what this trip was about, i went as part of an interact team to visit and help out at an Orang Asli village in malacca (Y)
im back! ^^
im kinda surprised, the withdrawal syndromes are setting in already. normally, it takes a week or so. it feels a bit weird to sit here alone and studying in a dark quiet house when you've spent the past 5 days in very.... boisterous company. i kinda miss being able to turn around and find someone to talk to (or annoy with my constant chatter).
overall i think this trip has been... quite an experience. ive been enriched on so many different levels its really been a whirlwind.
on a personal level, i do think that i needed this trip a lot. i havent really been overseas with school since sec 4 and i kinda miss it because i do enjoy travelling so much, and travelling with friends is just so different from travelling with your family. it wasnt really the "yay i get to slack for a week!" mentality that i appreciated (in fact, no, there was a lot of studying instead) but the fact that i was physically away from.... my life. being away from all these politics and emotional mess that only city people seem to be capable off has been so refreshing. not only were the physical facilities so basic (which is another good thing. i appreciated the short separation from my material goods), but because so many of us were new people we had a lot of new relationships forming. i think that is something that was really precious since a lot of these relationships started with blank slates, which meant we could become friends without judging each other based on preconceived notions.
besides the emotional break that i really needed, this trip also served to reinforce many of my personal principles. i think a lot of people (im not judging here) do have this focus on service and aid as a tangible, obvious, radical impact on other peopls lives. personally, i dont think that is true and although the trip didnt really in any way significantly and directly affect the lives of the Orang Asli we visited i do think we've done them a service and our presence has definitely brightened up their lives, if only for a while. besides this, this trip has also proven to me that it pays to put myself out that and that only by actively involving myself in the process will i maximise my takeaways.
both (and others i cant currently rmb) are key lessons i have been and plan to keep close to my heart.
on a group level, i think this trip has brought us all closer tgt. as forementioned, i got to know a lot of people a lot better these 5 days, and re-got-to-know a few old friends. i think i really enjoyed myself, and i feel kinda sad that we wouldnt have the chance to capitalise on these new relationships anymore since most of us may not meet up like this again. so yeah, its been really very bittersweet. but no matter; the 5 days i had were thoroughly enjoyable.
on the cca level, this would be my last interact activity (cue interact post coming up soon). once again, its been nice to get so close to fellow interactors (far closer than the whole 1.5 years that ive actually been in this cca). at the same time this is my first overseas service trip, and although it may not have been as focused on service as some of us would have liked (me included, although i did not expect to), it has still been a wonderful experience thats wholly fulfilling.
i'll follow up with a day by day summary tmr i think. todays been a long day and i still have some questions to clear before i conk out.
