Reflection

Wong Kai Thung
SIB 150056

     The decision of taking Social Engagement has been made when I was told that we must take this university course in the second semester and the course coordinator this time is Dr.Selvi which is a lecturer that I’ve known during last semester for taking Basic Electronics. By that time, I have totally no idea what was this course about and never actually gave it a thought until my roommate told me she was going to an old folk’s home for this course. At the moment, I’ve acknowledged that this course was about doing social works and I was intrigued immediately as I’ve had a dream of teaching the unfortunate students in the outskirts of the other countries during my high school and it faded with time. During the first meeting with Dr. Selvi, we were exposed to the activities that we could carry out in this course then we were divided into groups for further discussions.

     During the preparation stage, we will need to attend workshops and meetings to make decisions, distribute duties and practices cheers. Preparation was never easy and the hardest decision to make is where to go, what to do and when to go? The location and time was actually changed for a few times to fulfil the availability of every party. The final decision was to conduct a leadership camp in MRSM Pendang, Kedah during the beginning of our mid semester break. The very first expression of mine when the idea of heading to Kedah was voice out is “Yes, I get to travel!!!”. Definitely, I like to travel far, especially with friends and Kedah was a place I’ve never been except when passing through it when travelling to Penang. In this stage, I’ve seen the hard work of the members especially the higher committee that prepared the paperwork, planning the activities, arranging transports, communicating with the authorities, handling financial and preparing the props. Dr. Selvi has also gave us the best guidance in completing task and helped us immediately when we faced obstacles. I am truly thankful for all the contribution given. Everything we’ve achieved today will not be completed without the cooperation from everyone.

     The night before D-day, we’ve arrived at Pendang and expected to stay inside MRSM’s hostel or hall. Surprisingly, the counsellor and coordinator of the school settled us down in a well-furnished homestay that was fully air-conditioned, equipped with refrigerator and furniture. Behind our house was a vast paddy field with breath-taking scenery. The hospitality of the counsellor and coordinator from the school is really heart-warming. After settled down, we held a meeting to ensure that tomorrow’s flow will be smooth.

     During the event, I was teamed-up with Qyla as the facilitator of Group 1, Serkap (Third-place winner for the camp hahaha).  In these two days, we conducted various beneficial and interesting activities especially related to Physics for the students.  The overwhelming responses and friendliness of the students had touched us deeply. They totally shown their appreciation and gratitude towards us throughout the event. The students are incredibly smart and independent that they are able to complete task rapidly. I’ve learned so much from the students there as well as my fellow course mates that worked so hard together to accomplish this event especially our emcees and program planner, Boon. Being a facilitator for the first time, I’ve gained more confidence and realized my limitations in speaking the Malay language although I used to score well in my Malay language exams. Listening so many different slangs of the Malay language from the students was also my very first experience as the students came from all over the country. This has brought me difficulties in communicating but intrigued me as well. But thanks to my lovely partner Qyla, I was able to overcome these problems despite my poor communication skill. I’m also glad that some of the students told me that they’ve never really interacted with a Chinese in their entire life which made me a very special person in their life. Besides that, a strong bond of friendship has grown between me and my course mates as our relationship has gotten closer. I still remember during the night after the event ended, many of us walked together from our homestay wanted to buy some mineral water from the town nearby. However, we stopped half way and ended up having supper and chit-chatting at one of food stall for an hour or two. This scene of multiracial friends sitting together over a long table enjoying their night after their hard work and celebrating their friendships together is one of the most memorable moment for me throughout this event.

     Indeed, this trip to Kedah is very rewarding in terms of experience. But the most precious gain is definitely friendship. After the event, it is obvious that we have gotten so much closer and have more interactions in our daily life now. Besides that, I’ve also learn to be understanding, tolerating and forgiving. During discussions, arguments have been made but we all know that it is all for the sake of better outcome and hence, we consider every opinion peacefully with and open heart. Meanwhile, my communication skills and leadership has also improved. By inspiring the student, I’ve felt inspired myself too. Now that I’ve understand the feeling of “the one who helped will be more happy than the one who is being helped”. Throughout this event, I feel that I’ve gained so much more compared to what I’ve given. In the near future, I would like to try out some other social works and activity in order to “give back to the society” and learn more from other people. And maybe, its time for me to pick up that dream again where I have left off.

Thankyou everyone who has made this camp a success including Dr.Selvi and Dr.Goh who were willing to spare their time travelling all the way to Kedah.

Sincerely, Kai Thung.

Serkap <3