OBS!!!
With a rapid upward propulsion that sent us airborne from a watercraft of modest size and ended in a sudden disturbance to the otherwise quiescent free surface of the predominant water body surrounding us, I began my second Outward Bound adventure.
My first encounter with the organization had begun splendidly and ended brilliantly in
2006, and I left the campsite with buoyant spirits and fond memories steeped in oversentimentality. The physical effects of the camp turned out to be much more memorable and lasting than my emotional high though - for the next year, I battled prurigo nodularis, a chronic skin condition that had erupted as a reaction to the sandfly bites that I had unknowingly sustained at Ubin.
It took me a full year, futile visits to the National Skin Centre and a mixture of antibiotics, steroids and injections to tame the outbreak and restore my skin to semi-normalcy. The costs of the medication totaled a few hundred dollars, and the insecurity and fears that I had battled during that period had haunted me ever since.
I was thus very reluctant to participate in OBS this time and had seriously considered applying for leave from outfield, which would mean OOC-ing and losing my chance at becoming an officer. That was the extent of my fear of being bitten and seeing a reoccurrence of my skin disease.
But at the same time, I remembered going through field camp and SIT test in BMT and seeing God provide for me as I was one of the few who came out with no bites at all despite being the one to sustain the most bites normally. Hence, I stepped out in faith and headed off to Ubin!
Many surprises awaited those who had expected an easy time - We were thrown off the boat and challenged to swim to shore from 100m out right at the start of the journey, and had a session of speed climbing in the afternoon. I enjoyed the session as I was able to challenge myself to climb the wall blindfolded and tied to a buddy and complete the challenge.
It was at night though that my real test began. After applying repellent on my face and hands and wearing a long sleeved shirt, pants and a pair of socks, I went to sleep hoping for a bite-free night. At 3am, I awoke to find 3 bites on my face.
At that moment, I was really down and reluctant to continue with the course. If my repellent couldn’t suffice against mosquitoes after a mere 3 hours, how could I avoid sandfly bites when camping outfield? I returned to sleep with a heavy heart.
From the moment I woke up on Thursday, I struggled with the idea of throwing the towel in and threw myself into activities like raft building to avoid thinking about it. My group made things much easier - the easy camaraderie we shared encouraged me to press on, knowing that they would have my back should anything untoward occur.
It was then that I realized that I had to put my trust in God, for by allowing me to get bitten by mosquitoes, He was telling me that I could only do so much. When push came to shove, I had to rely on Him to keep me safe from the bites. With an expectant though fearful heart, I thus surrendered and set off on the trek to the site.
The path was fraught with difficulties, but my group rose to the occasion each time, be it meeting the killer pace between checkpoints or finding the map grid references in obscure locations. I kept an eye on the time throughout, and quickly changed into a long sleeved shirt once the clock hit 6 as I wanted to be safely covered up before night fell.
With a last surge of energy, we reached the campsite at 1830 as the 2nd group despite setting out last, a testament to our ability and perseverance that impressed our instructor and earned us a good camping spot. There, I put on my first layer of repellent and donned my blue protective gloves. Despite a few stares and some puzzled questions, I was determined to do my best to cover up and let God do the rest. We cooked a delicious meal, had a quick powder bath and debrief and got ready to sleep. Then, I applied my second layer of repellent all over my shirt, pants and socks before falling asleep.
Waking up at 3 for guard duty, I immediately removed a glove and checked my body for bites. When I found none, I just sat there and started praying to God because I was so thankful and grateful for His providence and care for me. My inordinate fears had finally been proven wrong, and I was healthy and free from prurigo nodularis! Thank God! The resultant ‘turnout’ and trek back was a joyous one for me, and my group ended up reaching the OBS HQ as the 1st group despite setting off last! We had one-upped our previous performance and demonstrated the power of teamwork once more.
Despite later discovering that I had sustained a second-degree burn due to acid from the repellent and heat and friction from my heavy bagpack, I remained glad for the experience and enjoyed the half island kayak session before leaving Ubin for good.
Reflecting on the experience, I am glad that I mustered the courage to venture forth into familiar, yet unknown territory. Striding into the lion’s den armed with faith, friends and repellent really saw me step out of my comfort zone and face a fear that had gripped me for more than 3 years, and overcoming it through God’s grace and my friend’s support has definitely allowed me to grow as a person. Outward Bound was a journey I had to make in order to come to terms with myself over the Secondary 3 experience and to move on, and I am now confident that if such challenges arise in the future, I will be able to overcome them with a newfound confidence and excel despite the circumstances.
My first encounter with the organization had begun splendidly and ended brilliantly in
2006, and I left the campsite with buoyant spirits and fond memories steeped in oversentimentality. The physical effects of the camp turned out to be much more memorable and lasting than my emotional high though - for the next year, I battled prurigo nodularis, a chronic skin condition that had erupted as a reaction to the sandfly bites that I had unknowingly sustained at Ubin.
It took me a full year, futile visits to the National Skin Centre and a mixture of antibiotics, steroids and injections to tame the outbreak and restore my skin to semi-normalcy. The costs of the medication totaled a few hundred dollars, and the insecurity and fears that I had battled during that period had haunted me ever since.
I was thus very reluctant to participate in OBS this time and had seriously considered applying for leave from outfield, which would mean OOC-ing and losing my chance at becoming an officer. That was the extent of my fear of being bitten and seeing a reoccurrence of my skin disease.
But at the same time, I remembered going through field camp and SIT test in BMT and seeing God provide for me as I was one of the few who came out with no bites at all despite being the one to sustain the most bites normally. Hence, I stepped out in faith and headed off to Ubin!
Many surprises awaited those who had expected an easy time - We were thrown off the boat and challenged to swim to shore from 100m out right at the start of the journey, and had a session of speed climbing in the afternoon. I enjoyed the session as I was able to challenge myself to climb the wall blindfolded and tied to a buddy and complete the challenge.
It was at night though that my real test began. After applying repellent on my face and hands and wearing a long sleeved shirt, pants and a pair of socks, I went to sleep hoping for a bite-free night. At 3am, I awoke to find 3 bites on my face.
At that moment, I was really down and reluctant to continue with the course. If my repellent couldn’t suffice against mosquitoes after a mere 3 hours, how could I avoid sandfly bites when camping outfield? I returned to sleep with a heavy heart.
From the moment I woke up on Thursday, I struggled with the idea of throwing the towel in and threw myself into activities like raft building to avoid thinking about it. My group made things much easier - the easy camaraderie we shared encouraged me to press on, knowing that they would have my back should anything untoward occur.
It was then that I realized that I had to put my trust in God, for by allowing me to get bitten by mosquitoes, He was telling me that I could only do so much. When push came to shove, I had to rely on Him to keep me safe from the bites. With an expectant though fearful heart, I thus surrendered and set off on the trek to the site.
The path was fraught with difficulties, but my group rose to the occasion each time, be it meeting the killer pace between checkpoints or finding the map grid references in obscure locations. I kept an eye on the time throughout, and quickly changed into a long sleeved shirt once the clock hit 6 as I wanted to be safely covered up before night fell.
With a last surge of energy, we reached the campsite at 1830 as the 2nd group despite setting out last, a testament to our ability and perseverance that impressed our instructor and earned us a good camping spot. There, I put on my first layer of repellent and donned my blue protective gloves. Despite a few stares and some puzzled questions, I was determined to do my best to cover up and let God do the rest. We cooked a delicious meal, had a quick powder bath and debrief and got ready to sleep. Then, I applied my second layer of repellent all over my shirt, pants and socks before falling asleep.
Waking up at 3 for guard duty, I immediately removed a glove and checked my body for bites. When I found none, I just sat there and started praying to God because I was so thankful and grateful for His providence and care for me. My inordinate fears had finally been proven wrong, and I was healthy and free from prurigo nodularis! Thank God! The resultant ‘turnout’ and trek back was a joyous one for me, and my group ended up reaching the OBS HQ as the 1st group despite setting off last! We had one-upped our previous performance and demonstrated the power of teamwork once more.
Despite later discovering that I had sustained a second-degree burn due to acid from the repellent and heat and friction from my heavy bagpack, I remained glad for the experience and enjoyed the half island kayak session before leaving Ubin for good.
Reflecting on the experience, I am glad that I mustered the courage to venture forth into familiar, yet unknown territory. Striding into the lion’s den armed with faith, friends and repellent really saw me step out of my comfort zone and face a fear that had gripped me for more than 3 years, and overcoming it through God’s grace and my friend’s support has definitely allowed me to grow as a person. Outward Bound was a journey I had to make in order to come to terms with myself over the Secondary 3 experience and to move on, and I am now confident that if such challenges arise in the future, I will be able to overcome them with a newfound confidence and excel despite the circumstances.