Sinking of the Thai-tanic – Post trip reflections

I fell sick. Unbelievably sick. The doctor told me that I had a high fever temperature of 39.5 degrees, with a chance of dengue fever. I was shocked. I hadn’t fallen so sick in a very long time. Even in my army days, I didn’t experience this level of sickness nor did I ever felt this unwell before. How did a Chiang Mai Trip cause all this?!

At first, I even thought that I could brush it off, and that it would be nothing after a while.  After all, I told myself, I’ve faced worse. It reached to a point where I just couldn’t sleep anymore. I felt there was a burning inferno going on in my brain, and I knew that this was really getting serious.

The “unsinkable” Titantic sank after hitting an iceberg. Likewise, my body, which I thought was infallible and able to pull through the sickness, completely shut down. (Well, I can’t really compare myself to the Titantic, but the pun was too good to pass it up.)

It’s these times when I remember that I’m really not invincible, that I’m not a well-oiled machine that can continue run non-stop. When I heard from the doctor that I might get dengue, I suffered a mild form of an anxiety attack. After all, dengue was potentially fatal, and it has happened to a few people. Fortunately, the blood test for dengue came out negative, and I was told to rest at home.

During this period of sickness, I told the moment to reflect on the whole Chiang Mai trip. As cliché as it sounds, health is really wealth. After all, no matter how big your dreams are, without a healthy mind or a healthy body, nothing can be realized if you are not feeling well enough.

That’s why I realized I’m proud to be doing on a project on Healthcare, which I realized has greater ramifications than what I initially expected. Health is something so precious and valuable, yet very easily overlooked. We often think, “Nah, it’s not going to happen to me, we’re still young!”

But life is short. And sometimes it ends before we know it. While we bury ourselves in social activities that give us joy and entertainment, we sometimes forget that it actually sacrifices part of our health.

This trip also allows me to discover the beauty of film and storytelling. It’s really something magical to capture what we can see, feel and hear into a camera roll, where we can replay it at our own leisure. It is something that I’m really keen on practicing and working on, and I really hope this trip will serve like a springboard for future projects. Travel vlogging, especially, is something that I hope to work on in the near future.

I feel extremely fortunate to see my incredibly talented USP peers in action, who are really some of the most special people I have met. My sub group “gelled” especially well, and we were able to come out with ideas that I thought was really creative and effective. I’m sure they will go places in life, and I really enjoyed working and getting to know them.

Looking back, I’m really appreciative of all the help we got, from our profs, seniors, Mohn and even the travel guides. I feel really blessed to be in such a group that has others who are really invested in our project and so willing to aid us if we run into trouble or require assistance.

I’ve learnt that people in Thailand are extremely friendly and respectful, and their willingness to lend a helping hand continues to astound me. Their hospitality is top-notch, and it has reached a point where I would feel guilty or shameful if I felt that I did not respond accordingly.

Moving forward, I believe that this trip has taught me a valuable lesson – Life is too short to waste it. And after hearing the many stories that people have experienced in others of the world, I feel that I need to step out of my comfort zone more, to gain new perspectives and to see for myself how the real world works.