Excursion - Telunas Indonesia

Before that, who is the "me" I have become this year:

I think the ME leaving CIS TK Singapore compared to the one that came two years ago is a much more risk-taking, confident (balanced & socializing). I joined more teams and activities like student council, ACSIS badminton team, MUN. Also, compared to last year, I did big projects more individually instead of often asking to see if I am on track. Those projects include the science waves investigation video, science solar cooker lab, I&S religion research project.

Onto Excursion:

This excursion has one of those moments where my eyes opened up and my view of the world widened.

Firstly, I was enjoying the moments themselves during excursion. Even simple moments that weren't very thrilling. I experienced days away from busy life with electronics, days with almost everything, to days without much. Together with my friends, in houses on stilts, with great sunrises and sunsets. In the islands where the view of the ocean extends so far. I saw myself compared to nature. I felt like a tiny piece of salt, easily and quickly dissolving into a big cup of water with other dissolved salts. That feeling was provided by the surroundings of nature and being away from busy life.

Secondly, I experienced many new, exciting, interesting things. I have never jumped off a jetty into the ocean; I have never mixed cement; I have never stayed in houses, simply built, on a quiet island; I have never swum in a lake, not that I remember of; I have never spent time to observe the sea or sunset. Some of those in which I learnt.

Thirdly, I saw the simple lives of the villagers, experienced the heat and the bugs. I knew before, but I experienced and was reminded how in many places people don't have as much as we do. I was in their shoes, but even that was only for two three days. However, I observed that they can be just as satisfied. I realized that perhaps how lucky we are and how we should treasure what we have, and also share it by donations or voluntary work.

My Peak Moment at Excursion

My Peak Moment at Excursion - Elephant Nature Park

     The peak moment at excursion is when we went to the elephant nature park. It changed the way I think about some animals. Before, I knew that animals are being abused and hunted down, but I didn't really pay attention that I was contributing to the problem. I went to zoos and watched shows and I enjoyed it. Maybe I know they are trained, but I maybe thought: "The training made the elephants so intelligent and let us enjoyed!" Now, after I have went to the elephant nature park, watched the documents and heard the stories. About how elephants are poked by sharp stick and hit by hooks; About how they don't get enough food from their owners from only feeding on the streets... Now that I see how glad the elephants are to be free in the park, I finally paid attention to that I was actually contributing to the solution, stoping them to get their freedom that they wanted - I was going to the zoos and paying for the zoos for souvenirs, and for going in; I was watching elephant and dolphin and different animal shows and I enjoyed it.

     Now, after that, my relatives came to visit us and to take a tour around Singapore. We went to the Singapore Zoo. I saw the amazing animals, but they were not in their homes. Although they get regular food and Singapore Zoo wasn't that bad to put animals in cages, they might not like the limited space and the limited amount of same species they are living with. Then we went to watch the Elephant Show. The elephants are trained to bow and to answer and to follow all kinds of different instructions. They are also asked to pull logs. I still don't think pulling logs are really difficult for them, but the trainings are should be tough. They are trained to do what they aren't born to do. They are trained to follow instructions of the manhoods and to do different actions and postures at specific moments. Those are not what they naturally do.

     I really learnt something during the peak moment in excursion.