Day 5 (8th Jan): Amazing race + St. Andrew’s centre

The amazing race that was planned exceeded my expectations. Before the amazing race started, I was feeling tired and had the mind to go into the race halfheartedly. Moreover, such activities tend to be more catered to outgoing and enthusiastic individuals which I am not. However, the rest of my group had a very high energy level and that infected me to be more keen on doing the activities. During the race, I managed to explore more parts of Chiang Mai on foot and it fed the wanderlust in me. Although my group did not manage to go to one of the checkpoints, I think we did a good job overall. The morning whizzed by surprisingly fast and we were starting the post-race activity. Everyone of us had to seat at a corner and draw out a map of the entire journey that the group take during the amazing race. Having poor memory skills and below average artistic abilities, the work of a map that I produced was mediocre at best. However, I enjoyed the process of this self-reflection whereby we jotted down our thoughts at different parts of the journey as well as what we felt were the strengths of our group mates. It was an activity that was highly introspective and I am very impressed at who thought of carrying out this activity. As of past experiences in camps, amazing races are usually concluded with general briefings about how everyone did a good job and a whole other meaningless content by the overall in-charge of the activity. This was a nice change and brought a lot more meaning into the activity itself. It is necessary to understand ourselves and how we relate to other more in order to become a person who is better than yesterday.

After that, it was time for the seniors’ feedback. I was prepared to receive the feedback with an open mind. The senior feedback was that I did not show much leadership qualities throughout the race. It was kind of disheartening to know that but I took it in my stride as it simply meant more room for improvement. Moreover, not everyone is a natural leader. Being open to criticism and not taking to heart is important to building a better you as you might be oblivious to your own flaws. Later on, the seniors and the professors all had their piece to say. It was very enlightening to hear them. I felt like it was a group therapy and leadership workshop all packaged into one.

I really like a quote mentioned by one of the professors. She said that it was something her father said. The quote was “the best work of art is the sculpture of your life.” Our life is a work in process. You have to make the best of everything that you experience. Everyone is constantly evolving and there is not one fixed style of leadership. There are different styles of leadership and I do believe that I will continue to shape shift into someone who was better than yesterday. I thought that it was good that this leadership component was included in the trip as it emphasized the importance of being confident and looking professional that would be essential during self-introductions which essentially mark the start of opportunities.

After lunch, my sub-group went for an interview with some pastors at St Andrew Centre which was located further out Chiang Mai. The interview was the best in my opinion. This may be because one of the pastor is a Singaporean so he was easier to understand and relate to. It was only after this interview did I realise that talking to non-Singaporeans felt different from us talking to Singaporeans. Between fellow country men, there is already some points of common understanding accompanied by a sense of familiarity.

From the interview, we learnt that smokers in Chiang Mai are more considerate than Singaporean smokers. Smokers in Chiang Mai are aware of the discomfort they cause others by smoking and have are socially considerate to avoid smoking in most public areas on their own accord. Apart from hearing their views on smoking, it was really cool to hear about the origins of St Andrew Centre and how much it has transformed since then. Hearing that St Andrew Centre used to be an abandoned resort that was filthy and dilapidated was unthinkable as I took in the beautiful and comfortable setting of a childcare centre around me. The transformation is laudable and it showed that so long as you set your mind on something, anything is possible. I could also see the beauty of this group of people who are so dedicated towards serving the community and improving the lives of others. This is us and the pastors after a fruitful interview session.

 

In all, I feel that my most important takeaway from this overseas trip was to think quicker on my feet – what questions to ask the interviewees, compress my thoughts and verbalize them without stumbling over my words. Confidence is something I would like to work on as well as there is indeed some truth behind the statement “Fake it to make it”. I tend to find myself lagging behind and being not present in the moment. My physical self is there but my mental state of mind is just hibernating in the background. I am often troubled by this tendency of mine and do hope that with a conscious effort to stay focused, I would be more present. I think “mindful” is the state I am trying my best to achieve. As Co-founder of Project Reason, Sam Harris, says, “It prepares you emotionally to go into a new experience with a positive attitude and you know you’re not hauling around baggage from the past. And that’s true. Actually having focus and having your mind in the present moment is a little bit of a superpower in situations that we’re all in from day to day.”

On a side note, I am always impressed by the seniors in the University Scholar Program (USP). They are always so committed, dedicated and giving. Considering that this trip does not count anything to their grades, them volunteering to help out for the trip amazes me because it is rather selfless of them to invest time and effort that has little in returns for them. The senior attached to my subgroup has been a really great help and I appreciate all that he has done for my subgroup.

Also, I feel that the learning curve is a lot steeper in group work because one is surrounded by others who all have different skills. There is the constant pressure to match up to them, at least for me. Although it could engender an inferiority complex, one of the best ways to learn is to learn from others.