Saints NPCC

Name: Eugene Chay
Sec 2 Squad
Adventure Training Camp's Reflection

It was 31st October’2008, our units sec2and3 squad went for a tiring but enjoyable camp at Pulau Ubin. It was such a memorable camp that I remembered almost every single detail of the camp.

Our squad took a bus to changi ferry terminal and then a ferry to Pulau Ubin. The ride on the ferry was fantastic as I could see great ocean scenery. Although our ferry looked the oldest, we got there first! HAHA!

After all our sec2 squad members had reached Pulau Ubin, we begin our long and tiring walk to the NPCC camp site. We were more tired then the other school’s squad as we had to carry firewood and our heavy bag load. We were exhausted by the time we reach the camp site!

We were relieved upon reaching the camp site, thinking we would be given time to rest and take a break, but we were WRONG! We were then ordered into groups and were mixed with the other schools. Then, we were ordered to collect our rations for the next few days of camp.

Following that, we were to pitch our tent. I had no idea how to! I was in tent 1 and our tent site was the worst! We had loose sand, hard grounds and easily snapping strings! We had such a tough time that many sec3s came to help. We were also the last group to pitch our tent. I was starving as I didn’t have lunch and so I rejoiced when it was dinner time. We cooked the food ourselves and it was easy, using the experiences I had at home and other camps. After that, we had icebreaker games. The aim was to know all our group members. I did n I too had fun. Soon, the games came to an end and we were allowed to bathe n sleep.

The most tiring day of my life was the second day of camp. We woke to a rainy day! We assembled and had PT, I did 5BX for the first time, and breakfast. For the rest of the day, we had several activities lined up for us. We had our land expedition first, it was tiring as we had to walk for very long but all was worthwhile as I see some amazing scenery that I thought could only be seen on the internet. Overall, it was fun!

Next, we had kayaking! YAY! That was the most anticipated activity before the camp start. We learned how to paddle to move our kayak left, right, front and back. We then had a chance to put all this to use when we were given a two-man kayak to kayak out to sea. It was tougher than I thought as me and my partner applied strength on both sides differently resulting in our boat always turning left. We were also nearly capsized when another kayak collided with ours.

After that, we had a low rope challenge activity and it was fun! Then, we had to navigate a maze in an area so dark that I can’t even see my fingers even if it was placed in front of my eyes. I had to trust the guy in front of me to guide me so he didn’t walk very fast. We had loads of fun when doing that.

Then, I had the best campfire of my life. We sang along to the campfire coordinators and the IC’s were all making the camp interesting by being very enthusiastic. Good things will always come to an end and so after that we gathered in a group to discuss about our performances at the campfire. We had a good time just sitting there and chatting. It was sleeping time after that.

The third and final day was quite dull, there was not much activity other than to do PT and clearing of campsite. When it was time to say good-bye, I felt both happy and sad. I felt happy as it was time to go home but sad because I had to depart with the good friends I made there. We then had the same tough and tiring walk back to the jetty, and again we took a jetty back to Singapore. I quickly took a final look at Pulau Ubin and the scenery as I know these scenery are hard to find in Singapore.

When I was on the bus, I saw something that only happen once in my lifetime, it was CI Lian Huai sleeping! It was quite funny looking at the way he sleep.

I learnt a lot from this camp and the main thing I learned is that trust is very important. It allows us to have confidence in our groups hence, resulting in tasks being done faster and easier. Although its tough, I do want the next years camp to come as fast as possible.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

ATC Reflection by Xuan Wen Sec 2 10:48 PM

Adventure Training Camp
Ek Xuan Wen (Sec 2 AIC)

On 17 October 2008, our school’s secondary 2 and 3 squad including me went to the NPCC Pulau Ubin camp. It was a vigorous yet fun camp. Up to now, I can still remember the details of what happened during the camp.

Our squad took a bus to Changi ferry terminal and from there we took a ferry to our destination. It was my first time in a ferry and it was not as thrilling as I expected. Upon reaching Pulau Ubin, we had to walk a very long distance to the NPCC camp. It was very tiring as our squad needed to carry firewood and our bulky backpack. When we finally reached the campsite, we were not even given time to rest. All of us were divided into groups with other schools. Following that, we were given a briefing and then all of us had to pitch our tent. Pitching the tent was difficult and we had to rely on the seniors’ help. After pitching the tent, it was already dinner time. We had to cook our own food. As I had done this before in other NPCC camps, I knew what to do. We had icebreaking games at night and then it was time to sleep.

The second day was the toughest day of the camp. We had PT and breakfast in the morning. In the afternoon, there were three activities lined up for all of us. They were kayaking, land expedition and low ropes. These three activities took up the whole afternoon. I think the most fun activity was the low ropes. In the beginning, we had to find our way out of a maze which was so dark that we cannot see each other. Then, we played a low ropes obstacle course. For the land expedition, it was not fun at all. It was very tiring but I got a chance to see a hornet’s nest. The last activity is kayaking. It was quite fun but as it was my first time; I had some difficulties in controlling it. At night, we had a campfire. The NCOs sang a lot of songs and all the groups had to do a skit. Overall, I enjoyed the campfire.

On the last day of the camp, there were not many activities to do. All we did was just clearing the campsite. Then, we had to walk back to the jetty and take the ferry back to Singapore.
Overall, this camp is tough but it teaches me a lot of things. I enjoyed this camp and I looked forward to it next year.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

ATC Gallery 8:15 AM