There are tons of experiences that you go through in your life that stand out. Those experiences are ones that shape you and ones that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Just last week, I had one of those experiences. My school organises an event called Classroom Without Walls, or CWW. It’s an entire week of non-academic activities, staying overnight in different places, and making connections and growing friendships with various individuals.
This year in 7th grade, we went to Telunas, an island in Indonesia, and it was fantastic! We participated in tons of activities, and I’m going to tell you all about them. One of the first activities we did was a mangrove hike, where we learned about their goal of planting mangroves and the purpose of them. It made me realise how innovative it was. They were using nature to help protect the island from sinking. I found it to be an exciting way to do that.
The next activity we did was raft building. We had to build a raft from just bamboo sticks and rope, by tying the sticks with the rope, sturdy enough to hold 10 people. It was a really difficult and daunting task because I ended up getting cut about 5 times and the raft kept on falling apart, but doing that was a great lesson in persistence and perseverance. However, one of my favourite activities was deck jumping. We got to jump from a deck around 15 feet above sea level into the ocean, and it was super fun! I got to jump with my friends, and I really enjoyed it.
Still, that wasn’t my favourite activity. On the last day of the trip, we went to a village and visited a local elementary school there. We learned some Indonesian phrases, made some crafts out of banana leafs and made some Indonesian traditional food. The thing that I enjoyed the most though, was getting to meet the children.
My friends and I met three girls: Carissa, Aniya and Zahra, and they were incredibly sweet. We used some of the Indonesian phrases that we learnt before to communicate with them, and Carissa gave me a bracelet. I thought that was really nice of her, and my friend and I gave her and her friends a pack of Oreos. We also ended up taking a Polaroid with them and gave them the photo to keep. All of us tried to understand some Indonesian phrases, and they also tried to understand some English phrases. When talking to them on our way back to the boats, I was able to build connections with them, and I learnt that Carissa sang and played the guitar like me. It made me really happy and also proud that I was able to form a connection with someone who I met for 20 minutes and who doesn’t speak the same language as me.
After that village visit, I also felt really grateful. The school was decent, with desks, chairs and fans etc. However, it is nothing compared to SAS. It did make me feel a little bit sad to see all of these sweet, deserving children studying in a school which is quite average and still having huge smiles on their faces. It made me feel especially grateful for my life, as I am fortunate enough to live in a place like Singapore and I go to an amazing school.
I found this really beautiful quote, which says "Gratitude is the lens through which we recognize our fortune, reminding us that while we may not control our circumstances, we can choose to appreciate the gifts we have. In a world where many struggle for basic needs, each moment of comfort, love, and opportunity becomes a beacon of hope. Acknowledging our privileges allows us to empathize with others and inspires us to share our abundance, turning our gratitude into action and making a difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate." I think this is one of my favourite quotes ever because it’s so beautifully written and important. It’s also completely and utterly true. I believe that being grateful for everything you have is truly an important aspect of life, and I hope that all of you keep on being grateful and feel fortunate for everything you have.
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