Here comes the new semester! To make a fresh start before we are loaded with tasks, assignments, quizzes, and exams, we thought: why not gather and spend the weekend together by playing games and having a nature walk? On 21st January 2017, we had a very enjoyable Earthlink Bonding Day. Ice-breaking games, such as heads up and broken telephone, helped us to bond better! Once we were comfortable with each other we went around the campus to play many creative games crafted by the Camp committee such as coin flip, ping pong bounce, tripwire, bomber friend, and balloon fight.
Of course, we didn’t forget to play our part for the environment. Like always, we brought our own containers to enjoy the delicious halal vegetarian catered lunch and recycled the Tetra Pak from the drinks packaging. With our stomachs full and satisfied, we were ready for a nature walk at Bukit Batok Nature Park, a park that was built upon an abandoned quarry site. When we arrived, we were astonished by the splendor of nature that were surrounding us. There are so many kinds of flora and fauna that can be found at the park, especially avians. According to a plaque in the park, there are ten unique types of birds that inhabit the park. Neat!
It was quite unfortunate that the rain fell not long after we arrived, so we had to seek shelter. While we shelter ourselves from the rain, a group of white-crested laughingthrush birds came nearby. We took the opportunity to take pictures and to admire its unique “laugh”. That was also a great opportunity for us to get a good photo of them and enter Earthlink’s very own photo competition, EcoClick (click here for more information)! After the rain subsided, we continued our walk. During our walk, we encountered many intriguing plants such as tiger orchids, durian trees (watch out for the falling ones!), and elephant ferns. Thanks to our Nature Guiding committee, we could recognize the plants and animals that we found.
We made our way to the photogenic abandoned quarry site and took splendid group photos with the quarry site behind us. We were soaked and exhausted as we board the bus trip back to NTU. However, we still enjoyed the nature walk as we took many interesting photos and, most importantly, we had a good time while learning more about nature. It was a weekend well spent together with Earthlink, and we hope to spend more quality time with the members and NTU community on the upcoming events this semester! Stay tuned!
