PROGRAMMES | LUMEN
17 mountain , battling the increasing difficulty as we scaled the heights of Shangri-La . We either went on a self-expedition or guided-expedition . Those who participated in the self-expedition scaled the mountains with heavy loads on their backs , determining their trekking path as a team , without any guidance from teachers and guides . The guided-expedition did not fall short of providing a challenge for the students as they trekked longer distances and higher altitudes . This physical component definitely shaped our character , as we learnt to be more independent and to overcome obstacles as a team .
We were also given the opportunity to experience Tibetan culture , participating in activities ranging from carpentry , pottery , dance , music to learning the local language . After two days of orientation to expose us to each cultural activity , we had to choose one to specialise in for the next three days . Among us , we managed to produce many different forms of pottery and woodwork , play a Tibetan instrument , perform a full dance routine as well as speak conversational Tibetan . Even though Singapore is a multi-cultural country , Shangri-La and Tibet have a wealth of cultural diversity that we learnt to appreciate .
Facing page : Ready to conquer the mountains This page ( top left ): Amidst the beautiful Tibetan sights This page ( top centre ): The human chain at work This page ( top right ): Harvesting Vietnamese rice This page ( bottom left ): Enjoying Tibetan cuisine with the locals
Reminiscing the eventful days spent at the village with a farewell party accompanied with dance , food and laughter was the ideal way to mark the end of the memorable ORP experience . Tears unexpectedly rolled down the strongest of students as we hugged our homestay families and bade our final goodbyes . We may have parted ways with these families , but the one thing that is for sure is that the families have definitely not departed from our memories .
Happiness cannot be found in material things but rather in the relationships that we have forged with the people around us . This is one of the many lessons that we have learnt and will cherish from the three weeks spent in Shangri-La . The once-ina-lifetime trip has left us with precious memories and experience which have shaped us and hopefully prepare us to venture beyond to make a difference .
Vietnam
When told that we would be working with an orphanage , Thuy An Centre that had children with special needs , we were mentally unprepared and did not know how to react . We were also told that we would not be interacting with these children . Upon arriving , we found out that almost all of the children had one form of disability . I personally felt that this was the most challenging part of our ORP , even though I came without much expectation , the children really left an impact on me . Their happiness made me question my perception of life in general and how I am living mine . I became attached to one child and I cried when I left the centre . Looking back on the first and final day of the ORP , I can really see how
all of us stepped up to the challenge and the entire experience captured the whole essence of ORP , the notion of growth . The time I spent at Thuy An Centre was the highlight of my ORP experience .
The other most challenging part of ORP was when we had to build a road for the school in Sapa . Initially , we thought we would be painting the school , but on the day itself we were told by the guides that we would be building a road . There was a rocky uneven path leading up to the school and there were several bamboo shafts protruding from the ground that demarcated the area we were to build the road on . As we waited for the arrival of the cement , we were joking about how badly we could mess up the road while laying wooden planks to cordon the area . The reality of the situation did not hit us until we saw ( heard , is more accurate ) a massive cement truck pull up at the base of the hill leading up to the school . This was not a pickup truck carrying a bit of cement but a proper industrial sized cement mixer , similar to the one that is found in a construction site in Singapore . The whole process of building a road : shovelling , forming a human chain , drawing water from a little drain that ran along the roadside ( one also has to ensure that the cement does not stick to parts of one ’ s body ), and filling up the gaps in the road that we had haphazardly marked out with wooden planks earlier has left an indelible impression on me . We had put in hours of back breaking work ; toiling from about 11 am all the way through to the late afternoon .
Constructing a road is one of the most tiring experiences I have had in my life . I can only imagine what it must be like doing it as a living , minus the extra 30 people . As we looked back on what we had completed , I was thrilled that we had left a permanent mark on Sapa . The sense of accomplishment was worth all the back-breaking work .