By Masayoe Nabilah
DMC 01
“CAMP? On the first day of holiday? No!” I exclaimed in distress as I heard Ms Trudy explain about CASS bootcamp. I shook my head several times, unwilling to believe what I had just heard. 9 December would be our first day of the term break. I had already lined up a few plans for myself in mind. I planned to watch movies, swim, cycle and shop. I had also allocated some time to complete my bountiful projects and assignments. A 3-day camp would most definitely spoil my plans to spend my first few days of the break renting some DVDs to watch together with my sister. I slumped my head on the table in disappointment and heaved a huge sigh of defeat.
“Towel, check. Sleeping bag, check.” I ticked off the items on the itinerary, letting out a huge yawn at the same time. It was already 11.15 at night, way past my bedtime. My bed looked inviting, but I could not go to sleep yet because I had not packed a bag for the bootcamp. Despite knowing that the camp was scheduled for the next day, I still put off packing my bag to the last minute. How could I gear myself to be excited for something that sounded so mundane?
Sweat trickled down my forehead and back as I trudged my way towards the bunkrooms together with the rest of DMC 01. My eyes roamed around the dim surrounding. Dragonflies flew around with no destination in mind. I shuddered at the thought of insects in the bunkrooms crawling all over me while I was asleep. A few minutes later, we finally reached our bunkrooms. DMC 01 girls were assigned one whole room to ourselves while the boys had to share among several classes. The girls had already started to explore the room excitedly while I hung back, reluctant to go in. Finally, I mustered enough courage to take a hesitant step forward into the room. I scrutinized the vacant room. There were two platforms on both sides of the room for us to sleep on and a path in the middle that looked like a runway.
“Hey, this is actually pretty nice and clean,” I remarked aloud. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. A smile slowly bloomed on my face. I realized that that was the first time I had smiled ever since the start of the camp.
“Hi, I’m Nabilah.” I introduced myself to my group members. I smiled tentatively as everyone else waved at me, making me feel welcomed to the group. I was assigned to Group 1, which consisted of Syakir my classmate, and four girls whom I had not spoken to before. It took me awhile to remember all their names. However, during the bonding games facilitated by the trainers from The Absorbent Mind, I got a chance to know my teammates in greater depth. Despite our differing personalities, we got along quite well. The objectives of the games that we played were to break the ice through introductions and sharing of interesting information about ourselves. In addition to the games, each team had to think of a holiday-themed group name. After much deliberation, my team decided on The Moon as our group name. We wanted a group name that was out-of-the-box and extraordinary. The moon was a place that was out-of-reach but still possible to achieve. We hoped that through our group name, everyone else would realize that anything is possible if they just believe.
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| One of the group's mascot. |
I laughed gaily as I viewed the end product of my team’s mascot. Shermaine, one of my teammates, had her waist wrapped around in white paper with yellow stars and crescent moons stuck on them. An astronaut headgear decorated with colorful bandanna sat on her head. Our task was to design a mascot or anything that symbolized our group name. Without further ado, my team collected the materials provided and started brainstorming for ideas. During the discussion, we thought that an astronaut would best represent our holiday destination. We chose Shermaine as our mascot and started designing.
10.30pm arrived way too fast. Before I knew it, bedtime had creeped up on us, marking the end of the first day of bootcamp. After a quick shower, I settled down in my sleeping bag to get ready for a good night’s sleep. I heard the strumming of guitar and the chattering of my friends outside my bunkroom. I was tempted to join them in their late-night chats and snacks, but my eyes had started to get droopy. I lay my head down on my small pillow, closed my eyes, and slept with a smile on my face.
The smell of fried noodles and Milo wafted into my nostrils.
“Hmm… fried noodles for breakfast,” I thought to myself. After a hearty breakfast, all DMC students had to gather and sit down in front of a big screen. Mr Tan, one of the DMC lecturers, started to talk to us about Bukit Brown, a cemetery that was planned to be demolished to make way for a new road and estate. Despite the talk being long and uninteresting, I listened carefully as I knew that there was sure to be an assignment given to us that was related to the subject of the talk. True enough, right after the talk by Mr Tan, another lecturer introduced the assignment and explained the instructions. Each group had to take either a modernist or conservationist stand and make an argument on why we should or should not demolish Bukit Brown, stating clearly the reasons and the ways of implementing our campaigns.
My heart fell when I heard about the assignment. It seemed difficult. I thought camp was all about fun and games. However, I tried to look at the positive side of the situation. At least, through the group discussion, I would get another chance to get to know my teammates better.
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| Guest speaker from Starcom Media Vest speaking to us about IMC |
“That was a really good idea,” I remarked. “I would never have thought of building a memorial park in respect of those who were buried at Bukit Brown,” I added, nodding my head in approval at my teammates’ idea. My team was assigned to take the modernist stand, representing the URA and supporting the URA’s decision to build a new road across Bukit Brown. Three hours had passed and we were still discussing heatedly. Before that, we were broken up into three groups to attend three different workshops by outside speakers. Syakir and I chose to attend the Social Media in Integrated Communication Campaigns conducted by Ms Lee Kai Xin, the Director of Wild Interactive. The workshop was insightful, as Ms Lee shared with us her experience in the area of Digital Media and gave us some tips on how to use Social Media to market our campaigns for the Bukit Brown assignment. I learnt many useful things, such as how to research about the target audience before setting up a social media platform to reach out to them and that Social Media is not the answer to everything. These beneficial tips would definitely come in handy for the Bukit Brown assignment as well as in the future. Upon the start of the discussion with my team, I explained to them what I had learnt during the workshop. We took turns sharing what we had gained from our respective workshops.
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| Singapore Quarry! Finally! |
After a long and tiring discussion, all the DMC students set out on a trek to Singapore Quarry. To spice up the trek, the facilitators from The Absorbent Mind turned it into a Treasure Hunt cum CSI. Each team had to look out for clues that were hidden along the trek trail. There were altogether 16 clues. Once each team reached the destination, the members would have to piece the puzzle together to find out who the murderer was, where the murder took place, what the murder weapon was, when the murder happened, and the motive of the murderer. My team and another team formed one big group and together, we went on this Treasure Hunt. Finding the clues was not as easy as expected. The clues, which were actually rolled up pieces of paper, were strategically hidden under leaves, or against branches, which made it difficult for us to spot them. Along the way, we stopped to play a bonding game that infused an element of teamwork and communication. The objective of the game was to hit a ball 50 times without the ball hitting the floor. In addition, each member could not hit the ball more than once consecutively. Through this game, I learnt that strategic planning and effective communication are crucial. Without competent communicators, my team would never have succeeded in getting the ball to avoid hitting the floor.
A soft breeze caressed my hair. The still waters calmed my senses. I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the serenity of the quarry overwhelm me.
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| One of the clues |
“Come on, let’s solve this puzzle!” I heard my teammate shout. I snapped out of my reverie, opened my eyes and made my way to my group. Together, we unrolled the pieces of paper and tried to make sense of the full story. After a few minutes of debate, agreements and also disagreements, we finally came to the conclusion. We checked our answer with the facilitator and alas, we were right! All our answers were correct. We let out a delighted whoop and made our way back to the campsite, where we had our dinner.
After dinner, we continued with another round of discussion on Bukit Brown until the clock struck 10.30pm. Once again, we wrapped up our second day of bootcamp. This time, I joined my friends outside my bunkroom after a quick shower. Despite my exhaustion, I wanted to spend some time with them after nearly two days of being separated, as we were not in the same team. Half an hour passed and I started to nod off. I excused myself and settled down in my sleeping bad for another round of much needed rest.
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| Played some games in the morning |
I kick started the third day of camp with eggs and noodles. I heaped up a generous amount on my plate because I knew that I needed more energy for that day. Although it was the last day of bootcamp, I had something very important to prepare for – the pitching of the Bukit Brown campaign. The night before, I had volunteered to be one of the presenters during the pitch. I knew that I was relatively good at presenting to others, but I had never spoken to such a large group before. I kept clenching my fists in anxiety as I imagined myself fumbling and stammering in front of everyone. It would be absolutely humiliating! I tried to calm down by taking deep breaths and singing in my head. Despite my apprehension, I understood that the opportunity for me to speak in front of a large audience was valuable. Through the experience, my confidence level would definitely be boosted.
I shifted my weight from one foot to another. I closed my eyes and let every thought in my mind slip away. I had to concentrate fully on the task without letting anything get in my way. I took in a deep breath, held it for a few moments then released.
“And now, presenting to you, team 1!” the host announced. It was time.
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| GROUP 1! THAT'S ME! |
The presentation went on smoothly. I did not fumble or stammer as I had expected myself to do. I smiled in satisfaction, proud that I had exceeded my expectations. The presentations from the other teams were really good and impressive, considering that we only had about a day and a half to complete our discussion and preparation for the pitch. All the presenters spoke fluently and confidently. Some of the ideas that were suggested were excellent. After every presentation, I applauded enthusiastically to congratulate my course mates on their hard work and tremendous effort.
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| Mr Mario and a student performing |
“And I set fire… to the rain… “. I swayed to the melodious voice of Nazurah, one of the DMC students. I could not believe my ears! I never knew my course mates could belt out a tune that well. The bootcamp talent show had revealed some amazing hidden talents. Some of them could sing, while some others could groove to a beat. How I wish I had volunteered to participate in the talent show. I believe that it would be a good platform for me to showcase my talent and improve my self-esteem. I might be quiet most of the times, but I can sing.
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| One of the top 3 winning groups |
I bit my bottom lip, a sure sign of impatience. I bore my eyes into the host, hoping that he would announce my team name. Unfortunately, he did not. Team 2 won the competition of the best pitch. I stole a glance at my teammates, who seemed as equally disappointed as I was. My shoulders slumped heavily. I had wanted to win so badly. My team had put in a great amount of effort into the preparation of the pitch. However, I tried not to dwell too much on the loss. I decided that I would do better next time and contribute more ideas to my team. I had to look forward and not remain in the past. Being angry and disappointed due to the loss would not bring me ahead in the game. Determination and perseverance are the keys to victory.
I looked back at the campsite with a heavy heart. Bootcamp had come to an end. I had started the camp with a narrow mindset and a negative attitude. I left the camp brimming with positivity and a change in attitude. I never expected that something I dreaded would turn out to be quite fulfilling and enjoyable. Now I know that I should give everything a chance to unfold itself and present its goodies.
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