Camp OutReach 2008

Day 1 (14 June 08):
On June 14th 2008, Camp OutReach Karimun Island commenced. The organizing committee comprising of 14 members met up with the Hearing Impaired (HI) beneficiaries and the NTU volunteers at 6.45pm at Harbourfront MRT Station. Among the participants, many of them were familiar faces who have been loyal supporters of COR. After a brief moment of introduction, a head count and some chit-chat, the entire group proceeded towards Harbourfront Ferry Terminal for the boarding of our ‘Penguin’ ferry towards Karimun Island.

After a one-and-a-half hour ferry ride, COR ‘08 arrived at Tanjong Balai Ferry Terminal. The participants were divided into 4 groups and were packed into 3 wooden buses, which could sit up to 18 or 19 people each. Sitting on the bus and looking out of it, the environment of Karimun resembled a ‘80s Singapore, where time seemed to have stop for them. There was an absence of tall buildings, traffic lights, lamp posts and cars.

After placing our luggage in our comfy hotel rooms, we proceeded with the first game of the camp: Human Treasure Hunt. We had a better understanding of our friends in this game through questions, such as “who snoozes in his sleep?”, “who can fingerspell a-to-z in 8 seconds?”, “who knows the meaning of helicase?” as well as “who can sign Tyrannosaurus”? Everybody had an entertaining time thanks to those who ‘volunteered’ to demonstrate their hidden talents (e.g. “Burp continuously”) and through this, we developed a deeper knowledge of each others’ backgrounds.

Lunch was at Dedi’s Kitchen which was a 15 minutes bus journey from our hotel, Padi Mas. For this year’s camp, all of our meals were home-cooked food provided by Mrs Dedi, whose family had been residents of Karimun Island for many generations. Dining on local cuisines and having our meals in a local eatery was a rewarding experience for many participants who had a feel of how the islanders lived their lives.

We began our educational visits after lunch. Our first destination was a salted fish village, where we saw the houses of the fishermen and how they made salted seafood. We spent the rest of our afternoon at a local orphanage where we had a game of captain ball with the children. Participants were given the opportunity of a cultural exchange where they could ask questions about the lives of the children. At the same time, the children were very curious with regards to what we did and the Singaporean way of living. It was an interesting experience interacting with the children, even though only a handful of us knew Malay and we had to do a 3 way translation – English to signing, and then to Malay.

We headed back to the hotel after the visits for more games - Human Checkers and Bomberman, both of which were simple games that most students have played before. However, for the HI beneficiaries, playing such “Freshmen Orientation Camp (FOC)” styled games proved to be a new experience for them. As the games were refreshing to the beneficiaries, many of them enjoyed it tremendously.

In the evening, the 4 groups of the camp began the designing process of their team flags. After which, it was free and easy time for the participants to relax in the hotel, watch TV, play card games, chit-chat with each other or visit the supermarket situated opposite of the hotel.

Day 2 (15 June 08):
We moved off to our campsite at Palawan beach and set up our tents upon arrival. Physically and mentally challenging programs, such as Sea Crossing and Raft Building, were played to bond everyone. Participants relied on one another’s help and encouragement in overcoming the various difficulties encountered during the beach activities. The most rewarding experience the participants had was the chance to test out their newly-built rafts in the water. Even though many rafts could only withstand the waves for a short trip out into the sea, all the participants enjoyed this moment nonetheless.

Upon returning to the camp-site for lunch, we noticed that many of the tents morphed from its original shape of a ‘dome’ to a ‘cone’. Being first-time campers for some participants, they did not pitch their tents properly; as a result the tents lost stability due to the sea breeze. Hopefully after this camp, the participants’ experience in tent-pitching would have improved.

After lunch, the participants were exposed to what many Singaporean males were familiar to: Standard Obstacles Course (SOC). Initially, many of them were scared of the height and challenges and found it tiring. Nevertheless, they commented that it was a unique experience to be able to go through a similar exercise that many young males had to go through in the army. Dinner was cooked outdoors using 2 packets of instant noodles, 2 sausages and an egg each. Cooking of food using solid fuels was new to our beneficiaries, which certainly added flavours to an otherwise monotonous dinner.

Campfire has always been a tradition of the camp. The participants were treated to some hilarious performances like “shooting peanut with nostrils” and “clipping peanuts onto faces”. Also, kudos to Yi Quan (winner), Gladys, Freddie, Alex and Alan who brought laughter to the campers. The following program was the mysterious night walk through a nearby forest. Each pair, consisting of a beneficiary and a volunteer was given only a candle and three matchsticks. Their task was to complete the forest trail by themselves and keep their candle lighted throughout the entire journey. This exercise was meant to foster trust between each pair of participants. Throughout the camp, 1 beneficiary was partnered with at least 1 volunteer. This buddy system enabled information to be conveyed easily and also ensured the safety of beneficiaries. After the night walk, not only was the trust between each beneficiary and volunteer tested, it was also strengthened.

The lifestyles and living conditions of Karimun Island were very different from that of what we enjoyed back home. We had to visit the toilets using our torch lights as a guide. There was no flushing system or running water and we bathed by scooping water from basins and slept with the occasional visits from large insects. This experience taught many of us to appreciate the things that we had been taking for granted, and also reminded us of what we have that the islanders don’t.

Day 3 (16 June 08):
The most trying activity had to be the trek up Mt. Jantan, where participants were led by local guides on a half-day trail, some of which required the participants to climb on all fours. Along the trail, we had to be on a look-out for dangers such as potholes, slippery rocks, thorns of vegetation and ant nests. One group of participants was almost hit by a fallen tree! However, it was also during this period that participants really depended and took care of one another to ensure that everyone completed the trek safely and at the same time, enjoyed it. We marveled at the various type of vegetation we encountered during the trek such as gigantic bird nest ferns and pitcher plants. Upon reaching the summit of Mt. Jantan, the participants were treated to a splendid view of the surroundings. Many of us took out our cameras to capture this special moment with our friends.

As challenging as it was to trek up the mountain, the trek down was equally challenging. Due to a light drizzle and the steep slope, we sled down a portion of mountain path instead. The trekking of Mt. Jantan was more difficult than expected, resulting in the cancellation of a visit to the water bottling plant. Nevertheless, many participants commented that even though the trekking was exhausting, they felt a sense of accomplishment in terms of physical and mental limits.

Later in the day, our participants took part in the Candle Fight game after dinner at the hotel courtyard. It was heartening to know that our beneficiaries actually enjoyed such a simple game, as they never had the chance to experience such games. We felt really touched upon the knowledge that they found the games memorable and enjoyable.

Day 4 (17 June 08):
Day 4 was another fun and action-packed day. Our location was Pongkar beach which, unlike Palawan beach, was very clean and tidy. There were no houses along the shores and best of all, the whole stretch of white sandy beach belonged solely to Camp OutReach that morning.

The assistant group leaders (AGLs) carried out the 4 station games of “100s No NGs”, “Pipe Casket”, “Earthworm Jim” and “Mission Impossible 1 & 2”. It was exciting to see the participants pit their wits to accomplish the various tasks in 100 seconds, like skipping and signing out Camp OutReach’s motto: Friendship sets no boundaries; Language sets no barriers at the same time, and passing straws using only their upper lips. The participants demonstrated their flexibility in Earthworm Jim as they had to manipulate the ball movement using only their backs in the water. We saw the 4 groups display their united camp spirit through games like Mission Impossible and Pipe Casket, where teamwork proved to be an absolute criterion for the success of the games. We ended our beach game with a final game of beach tele-match. The 4 individual groups were to race side by side against each other, where they had to overcome game obstacles such as water bombs catching, ping pong ball blowing, maths equations and puzzle solving. After a day of games at the beach, the bonds between the beneficiaries and the volunteers were strengthened. Everybody enjoyed themselves, even the organizing committee, as there were a lot of pranks (water bomb fights) pulled by everyone with each other.

After a wash-up and lunch by the beach, we headed towards a nearby fishing village, where we got to enjoy some cooling “sweet ice bags”. Our next stop was PT Karimun granite quarry. At the quarry, we were introduced to some of the local legends by our local guides, such as mysterious writings on the wall and the footprint left behind by a mythical hero. As the backdrop of both visiting grounds was very beautiful, we didn’t hesitate to take more pictures with our friends. Our final stop before dinner was to a farm where shifting cultivation was practiced.

After dinner, camp participants visited a local night market or Pasar Malam. Compared to the buzz of the Pasar Malam experienced in Singapore, Karimun’s Pasar Malam seemed a lot quieter and less happening. We saw many familiar items like Ramly burgers, ice kachang and durians. Nevertheless, we were game to try some of their local delights like chocolate and peanut pancakes.

Back at the hotel, we had a feedback session for everyone to share their feelings and to hear what they enjoyed about the camp and how future camps can be improved. We had friends like Freddie, Selena, Ronald, Pauline and Xinyi who came up and shared their camp experience. Many expressed their thanks to the organizing committee who put in immeasurable time and effort throughout the planning stage as well as during the camp. The beneficiaries also expressed their gratitude to all the wonderful volunteers whose support and commitment made the camp more enjoyable. It was heart-warming to hear some of the volunteers shared their first-time experience of interacting with a HI. The whole session ended with the organizing committee putting up a song-sign performance, “No Matter What” by Boyzone. When we saw the happiness on the faces of all of our participants, our initial apprehension was forgotten.

The last night in Karimun was not wasted on sleeping. Many gathered in groups to watch soccer, play cards, chit-chat and taking pictures.


Day 5 (18 June 08):
For the final day of the camp, we headed for Tanjong Balai for some shopping. Their town shopping area resembled Singapore wet markets - there were more shops selling necessities for locals than souvenirs for tourists. However, that did not stop many of the participants from buying bags and bags of local snacks home. We had a quick lunch and headed to visit the largest Buddhist temple on Karimun and a ship building yard.

When it was finally time to leave the island, many of us were reluctant and sad as it marked the end of COR ‘08. Throughout the 5 days, we had forged new friendships and acquired valuable knowledge that would enrich our lives. The beneficiaries had no doubt learnt to overcome some of their fears and had enhanced their survival and interpersonal skills. The 15th Camp OutReach had successfully come to an end. We are sure everybody will treasure the memories from the camp. It had indeed carried out its mission of forging friendships without boundaries and learning languages without any barriers. This can be seen from the lasting friendships formed between the members within the group as well as with everyone else in the camp. We look forward to the next Camp OutReach in the coming year 2009.