Freakout Camp - Outbac Broga

Ladies kayaking, what does this say?

This might be a philosophical reflection on stoicism, or so we would like you to think

    Seneca, a Roman philosopher, once said that difficulties strengthen the mind as labour does the body. And we, the students of TCSH, were strengthened all right. Rock climbing, kayaking, flying fox, leap of faith, rafting, archery - you name it, we did it.  We were bruised, scratched and exhausted for two long days in our leadership camp in Outbac Broga, an action-packed camp at Kampung Sri Broga on the border of Negeri Sembilan and Selangor, held on the 7th and 8th of March 2014. The camp was organised by the ECA (extra-curricular activities) advisor, Ms. Dachaini Karuppiah and the Student Council of TCSH. The participants included newly elected board of directors of the various clubs and societies at TCSH,members of the Student Council, Editorial Board team members and some students from the International Baccalaureate program.  Meanwhile, a total of 8 teacher advisors including TCSH’s Principal, Ms. Lauren Wilson, also participated in the camp.  

Camp planners

    At 8.30 in the morning on Thursday, four busses filled with highly enthusiastic students and adults left TCSH and headed towards Outbac Broga. Upon arrival at the campsite, we were briefed by Ms. Dachaini and sent off to our respective dormitories to unpack. At 2 pm on the same day, we gathered at the basketball court, where we were divided into our groups and immediately sent to different stations to begin the day’s activities. Our group's first station was raft-building - arguably the most stressful activity of the entire experience. During this activity, we were asked to arrange bamboo sticks in a cross-hatch formation with four empty barrels as flotation devices, then knot it securely with coarse, scratchy ropes. This was followed by the challenge of rowing it across the camp's lake. Would our raft sink? Would the knots come apart? Would our wooden frame crack and break? These thoughts ran through our heads as we slowly lowered the raft over the murky green water and climbed onto it one by one. With sheer manpower and coordination we managed to make it across the lake and back, reaching the shore with soaked shoes and triumphant hearts.

Worker bees working

Fancier than your average cruise

    "Punctured Drum" was our next big, action-packed activity. Here, group members were required to collect water in buckets from the lake and pass it to other members who were blindfolded. The blindfolded members had to stumble around and find their way to one single large drum (with the instruction of the water-collectors) into which they would empty their buckets. Around the drums were other group members who had to make sure the water did not seep out from the large holes in the drum, of which they were allowed to cover using only their bodies. The group with the highest water level at the end of 10 minutes would win. It was great fun to see people bumping into each other, screaming their lungs out and spilling water all over the place (especially on their own members) when they missed the drum. 

    Next came "the Horse", an obstacle course that involved members taking turns to complete a five-way course. The objective of this activity was to finish the fastest as a group. Even though it was hectic, it was probably one of the most enjoyable activities because everyone came together to accomplish a single goal. Everyone motivated each other to keep trying after they had fallen halfway. Supportive team members also offered words of encouragement to fallen team members if the latter was too scared to overcome a certain obstacle. Clearly, this was what leadership camp was all about - heartwarming support and exemplary leadership. 

Another proof of teamwork during "The Plank":

Looping hoops

       After that, we winded down with a less strenuous activity - the flying fox. The wind roared in our ears as we whizzed over the lake, enjoying the view of the entire camp from above. Then, we attempted the "Leap of Faith," that entailed climbing a tall tree and jumping as far as possible to clutch a suspended handlebar. Some had no trouble doing it, while others had a more difficult time overcoming their fear of heights. As the name implied, courage and faith were the key elements of this challenge.

Challenge the great flying squirrel

 

Do you see the uncanny resemblance

Challenge the great flying--

--wait, what.

    After such a tiring day, all of us were glad to finally sit down and enjoy a scrumptious BBQ dinner. After all the hard work, we were treated to a delectable meal which included noodles, sausages, prawns and glazed chicken. We huddled over a small BBQ grill and chatted with each other about the day as our loaded skewers were being cooked. After dinner, we were called to the basketball court for campfire. It was a beautiful, towering bonfire but we were more in awe of the dazzling performances by the camp’s instructors. The multi-skilled instructors nimbly wielded their torches, breathed plumes of fire, and even unleashed their own “fireworks" as part of the show. We were on the edge of our seats, asking for more and more but like all good things, the performances came to an end and we were soon instructed to go to bed. 

    The second day started off way too early at 5 in the morning. We were scheduled for an early morning hike for a peek of the sunrise at Broga Hill. We set off for the base of the hill at 5.30am and reached the first peak around 7. The hike was a great way to get our hearts pumping and feet moving. By the time we reached the first peak, all we wanted to do was to sit and relax. However, the sunrise was absolutely beautiful and we felt that all the effort we have made to climb the hill was really worth it. The sky transforming from grey clouds into luminous shades of orange and pink was definitely a sight to behold. There were so many people up there, including other large groups of hikers. Everyone was busy taking pictures and some even brought their blankets and slept on large boulders underneath the sun!  

The break of dawn

    After basking in the sunlight and enjoying the lovely view, we began to make our way down the hill, stopping only when we were near the base to refresh with some iced drinks and coconut water. Then, we walked back to the campsite for a very Malaysian breakfast consisting of nasi lemak and hot Milo. Soon after that, it was announced that activities or stations that had not been completed yesterday would be completed today. Those groups that had completed all the stations were allowed to carry out the ‘free and easy’ activities such as kayaking, archery, cycling and so on. Kayaking would have been a really fun and easy skill to pick up if this particular guy had not kayaked around trying to overturn everyone’s boats. After an exhausting day, we gathered at the basketball court at 4 pm and were given a debriefing by Ms. Lauren. A few students were acknowledged for the leadership skills and courage that they showed during the camp. A group photo session was the final thing on the agenda. Finally, we climbed onboard to return home at 5.30pm.
 

Not quite beach volleyball

"Free and Easy" indeed

    Even though we were enervated to the bone, we were immediately zealous to brag about our accomplishments to our family and friends upon our return. Overall, the camp turned out to be a good one due to the spirit and determination of all 170 participants. In life, there needs to be some force to bring out the other side of us that is afraid to face challenges, and that is exactly what we got from the camp. The leadership camp in Broga Hill was definitely a huge success because of one important lesson: we can face anything if we are courageous enough. Thank you TCSH for teaching us just that!


Written by Jamie Liew, Jaspreet Kaur & Kirtana Jayagandan
Editorial Board Writing Department.