Think Outside the Woods (28~30 May)

Posted by Silas

I greatly anticipated the Kiwanis Builders' Camp at Benum Hill Resort, Pahang. I love facing the challenges, alone in the woods and doing different things with new friends. I noticed that this time more than half the participants came from sheltered homes  (ie homes for the abused, neglected or abandoned children). I like them because they were very open in one to one conversations, independent, but very shy in groups. It took a lot of effort to get them to speak out in group discussions, although they had brilliant ideas. But as we spent more time together, we grew comfortable and started to be more confident. 

People think camp is a time to have fun, to learn, to get along with each other, and come out a better person. That's just pretty much it. But to me, those are not the main reasons.

Thinking hard without thinking caps...

Besides fun, I realized that these games were trying to train us to look at things from different angles; think further outside of the box.

 Humpty-Dumpties dropped from the sky,
We watched as we bid them goodbye.
Can the Egg-catchers save the eggs?
Or will they fail, and watch them break their legs?

Games are supposed to make you smile, not frustrated. I know that pond rafting is hard. But just take a look at the surrounding; we're in a lotus pond! It's hard to be frustrated in the midst of a peaceful environment. So just change the way we look, and find peace.


 Let's take Mr Potato as an example. Trying to stab him with a straw sounds absurd, right?  He would probably die of laughter before you even try to stab him. But the guy below just made the other potatoes felt nervous.

Look! If he can do it, is it counted as impossible? Just put in lots of concentration, along with some strength, believe in yourself, and Follow Through!

I noticed that in this camp, nobody jeered even though we performed badly. Instead, they were very supportive. The CAs had always encouraged us to speak out, or volunteer, since Day 1. So I realized that camps are a place to learn, where people are more patient with us, because it is never too near our comfort zone, nor too far out of the discomfort zone.

A happy morning before the end of camp...

"The story of my past, present, and future-The Vision Collage"

So I realized that although we came from different backgrounds, we must get to know one another and work together. That is, I think, the purpose of a camp, besides having fun.

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