So far this blog has been the place I vent my frustration, fear and hope as well as some heart-warming stories about my life as a teacher. One of the activities that I used to like so much as a student, but not that much as a teacher is CAMPING. Camping as a student is A LOT different from camping as a teacher. Both have their pros and cons. Students have to follow all the activities and must be punctual. As a result, students stink during camping and the tents get untidy and dirty as students rush in and out to change for the following activity. Students are not allowed to miss any activities and late-comers will be punished. They (teachers or camp organisers) test you mentally and physically doing all sort of activities to test various types of fear; fear of the dark/water/height and so and so forth, until you get so tired or so scared but after all that you’ll feel so happy you’ve conquered that fear! On the other hand as teachers, the story is somewhat different. As teachers, we only have to sit through or go through certain activities which we’re in charge of i.e. I like trekking so I can choose to follow my students for that activity but if I don’t feel like getting wet after my much needed quick splash of water to cleanse myself, I can work something out to pass that activity. Another great thing is we can bathe and shower without worrying about the whistle/siren/yelling from anyone. Now this is a great advantage, especially when the last bath you took was more than 24 hours ago! Oh, boy! I must’ve stunk so badly. Anyways, getting back on track, as teachers we are supposed to take care of students and this is where the hard parts begin. This is what we don’t like – but responsibilities must be shouldered. So, there’s nothing we can do about that.
This year I’ve been to 3 camping trips. The first was in April, Girl Guide’s state level annual camp in Jerantut. Four students from our school represented our district. That was the best camping trip ever as we did all the work and we really slept in tents. As one of the teachers who ‘accidentally’ joined the camping, I was really glad I joined. We cooked for our students and I helped out and learned a lot from the senior teachers. That was also my first time meeting Tengku Puan Pahang as she also attended the camping on the last day. I was literally in awe, mesmerized by her beauty. But before she got to our campsite we went to great lengths to ensure that she will be entertained well in such a ‘natural’ surrounding. We were quite creative as we used sarongs to create a so-called blinds to shield our guest from the scorching sun. She chatted with the students for a bit and we listened to her childhood stories. Another unforgettable moment was definitely when we were awarded numerous prizes for all the categories we won. We emerged as the best troop in the end! Go, Maran!
The second camping was an event organized by the school’s Counselling Unit. It’s a motivational camp for PMR and SPM students. It is divided to two batches; first for SPM students and second for PMR students. I went for the latter and I must say what I loved most about this camping trip is cave exploration. We explored Mount Senyum, a cave with its own legend; a ‘bunian’ village and how this mythical princess wedded a man from the nearby village. I’m beginning to love cave exploration and I truly felt close to nature when I went on this activity. Will definitely do this again!- Do check out my fb album titled Mount Senyum challenge for pics from this trip
The third camping was held last week. It was held at Taman Pertanian Kuantan. I must say that for this one I sat out for most of the activities bacause I was quite drained already from all the work in school and hostel. Being a warden - not a walk in the park, but this will need another posting on its own. Anyways, I got the opportunity to frighten my students during the night walk activity. Students were to walk along a trail led by a string and they were instructed to walk one-by-one all alone. We sat in the dark and as they passed us we witnessed so many different and mostly funny responses. They shivered, made odd sounds which indicated their fear, a few cried, some were strong and we can't help ourselves from laughing at them. HAHAHAHAHA!!!! But would I do it? Not in a million years...I hate the dark!
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