Ubin hike

Today was a tiring but fun-filled day. My CCA (Boys’ Brigade if you haven't already know) organized a hike at Pulau Ubin for us sec 2s for us to attain our adventure stage 2 badge and to clear our first aid stage 2 practical. It lasted from early in the morning at 8 till 3 in the afternoon.

We were split into different teams of about 3 or 4, given 18 checkpoints scattered all over the island, and competed to see who emerged with the most points. The points for each checkpoint ranged between 10 to 200.

Of course that team would be the winner and every member would receive a prize.

And never did I ever expect that my team of 3 would emerge champions. It was a pleasant surprise. Receiving a black air pillow and an Swiss army knife each sure made the rest of the teams envious. Fortunately I was relatively well-versed and famaliar with Ubin.

The tedious hike drained my physical energy and got me stinky, sweaty and dirty. The scorching hot sun blazing down on us made the hike an uncomfortable one. Thick mud and disgusting brown soil impeded our journey occasionally. But despite all the challenges, it was worth it.

Definitely.

I have learnt valuable lessons like trust, teamwork and proper planning. These are lessons that only can be learnt through real-life experiences like this. I have also got to know my team mates, Matthew and James better. We all have weaknesses and strengths. The key to succeed in a team is to use other’s strengths and minimize their weakness, and most crucially, to have a positive outlook.

What might seem as a small island on the map isn’t that small in reality!
Ian