First Week of the Holidays

The days that I have been yearning for have arrived – the school holidays! The past few weeks have been very hectic and I would be exhausted at the end of each day. During those days, I longed for a break badly and would grab almost any opportunity to rest. There was a palpable sense of excitement as the holidays approached. I told myself constantly that I should really treasure this break and refresh myself; so that I can be geared up for the next journey when school reopens.

I was thoroughly rested on the first two days of my holiday. On the third day, I headed back to school in the morning. My teacher conducted Physics remedial on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was optional for those students who had passed the SA but I chose to go back in order not to miss any pointers that the teacher might give. I felt that even though I had passed, I needed more practice in the subject.

After the lesson, I met my group members to work on a Mathematics project which had been assigned to us. We met at Ang Mo Kio Central to buy the materials needed. After buying them, my friends headed for my house. Unfortunately, there was a heavy downpour and we were all drenched. Luckily, two of my group members had umbrellas and we were spared from being drenched. We had a brain storming discussion and were glad that the session was really fruitful. I could feel team spirit as everyone contributed their ideas. This group is a wonderful one as everyone is enthusiastic. I am impressed with my friends’ creativity and their sincere cooperation.

On Thursday and Friday, I attended the annual Red Cross camp. It was my first time –being one of the organisers for the camp – guiding my juniors through many exciting experiences. We had planned many team-building games and activities for the juniors. To our delight, they thoroughly enjoyed them. We also had our first outdoor cooking experience. It was exciting as I had not done any outdoor cooking before. As I type this, I can still remember the overcooked instant noodles with egg. The soup was very starchy. It resembled pasta carbonara! On the last night of the camp, we had our campfire with the NPCC (another uniformed group that camped with us). During the campfire, there was joy and sadness. On one hand, there were many entertaining performances, all wonderful and hilarious. On the other hand, two Cadet Inspectors (CIs) from the NPCC were leaving, which saddened the NPCC members. To send them off, they presented a few gifts to the CIs, together with their well wishes.

Despite that emotional moment, we still had so much fun that we lost track of time. When the campfire was being put out, I reflected on the events of the past two days.

These memories ended the first week of my holidays. I had an enriching week, as I had learnt many memorable lessons. Through the camp, I learnt more about teamwork, as well as the trust that we should have among our peers. It also gave me first hand experience in handling a big group of people. I look forward to the next camp!

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