Oar vs Paddle
Friday, May 29, 2009 @ 7:35 pm.
Recount - Outward Bound Singapore Course, 25 - 29th May, Pulau Ubin Camp 1
Day 1
Went to school in the morning with my massive Nike bag only to find out that I hadn't brought my cap. Yun Hua, upon hearing, immediately told me that I was "quite dead" because apparently her senior had gotten stung by hornets on the head due to not having a cap.
So anyway, Watch 5 (3G people being Celine, Jerusha, Shannon and Xiu Qi) and Watch 6 (3G people being Carolyn, Claire, Yun Hua, and myself) got onto the same bus with Mr Seow lugging all our stuff. We were sitting, strangely enough, in this formation of eight seats in two rows where the Watch 6 people sat in the inside while the Watch 5 people sat on the outside. So, we just talked about being scared/not wanting to go/totally unrelated things.
After waiting for the ferry and the ferry ride itself (which doesn't really need to be talked about), we were dropped off at Camp 1 which, as I heard from another blog, LOOKS LIKE A RESORT. Then, we met our instructor, Faisal, and then dragged our stuff up a million stairs to the Multi-Purpose Hall (or was it before that?)
[at this point, the author hurries away to clear prolonged constipation at 19 45 and comes back at 19 54 and stones until about 20 09]
Anyway, after that we all sat down and reviewed medical information, surrendered our valuables and things like that. Then, we lugged our bags up on a long tour of the camp until we reached the dorms, which are really far too... far away, and we aren't even allowed to sleep in them. We only visit it because of the equipment store and a place to put our bags and hang the wet stuff. Then we were left to arrange our stuff and change into kayaking attire (or was this after?), leaving us also with the dilemma of choosing our own reporting time. Oh yeah, we also learnt that our Watch was named Munshi, after Munshi Abdullah, the guy that wrote the Malay Annals... I think. Watch 5, by the way, is Marshall. I don't know the numbers of the other watches
So after that we all went to the Instructors' Lodge to collect our rations after underestimating our reporting time. We get our food for the entire five days on the first day, along with a proposed menu that in the end, no one followed. The rations aren't bag. It's just normal food like canned sardines, buns and instant noodles. Faisal (Faiz for short, pronounced Fa-ees, or Far East, or Far East Plaza) decided to leave us
[goes to eat some of mother's homemade caramel popcorn she made due to sudden inspiration and comes back at 20 23]
alone again with choosing our own reporting time after unanimously choosing apple cream buns for lunch, so people were sent up to get fifteen plastic bages fron Anywhere while the rest of us separated the food into communal and individual, then into breakfast, lunch and dinner. So it was two people tossing Oreos and packets of Milo and Ovaltine into fifteen piles on the floor while the rest of us stacked cans of chicken curry and fish luncheon meat into big white cylinders. Once again, exceeded time by about fifteen minutes, which elicited nothing but a calm time-snowballs-so-at-the-end-of-the-day-you-will-feel-the-effects from Faisal, which at the beginning is rather disconcerting. The trust given to a bunch of students that have not been through the learning objectives of the course is, in some ways, staggering. I frankly expected more control, but maybe that's just Faisal's way of working.
After this, we went kayaking (life vests, long-sleeved shirt, track pants, and cap which I didn't bring). Faisal ended up telling us a different no-cap horror story from Yun Hua, as in the area on one's forehead where the hair parts will get tanned, then get burned, then swell up with blisters, and then burst into a bloody painful mess. (I later asked Christie, who would go home every night due to a history of sleepwalking, to bring an extra cap for me.) The lifejacket was too loose for me, so Faisal ominously reminded me to hold the jacket with crossed arms to make sure it stayed in its place when we did the capsize drill > <.
So, kayaking. Lugged the kayaks (yes, I will be using 'lugging' everywhere) and paddles over, then had a lesson in the various methods of paddling. Then, we all went into the water holding hands in a circle where we floated around prettily and then dunked ourselves in salt water. While we paired up to do the drills (my partner was Yun Hua), Bo Seng (another group, including En Qi) turned up with their instructor, Murali, so we all did them together. I hate capsizing. Luckily this is the only time we had to capsize during the entire OBS.
[realises -- OH MY GOSH, I'M NOT AT OBS ANY MORE!]
After that, T-X Rescue Drill, where one kayak would have to intentionally capsize while the other rescues it. Yun Hua either had no idea or didn't want to do the "stern rudder" thing where you push the paddle at the side where you want to turn, instead of pulling at the opposite side which is what the front person does. I didn't know if it was necessary either, but I didn't remind her or anything. So we took about ten seconds to turn and change course as Faisal led us out to sea to do the Drill, so we were the slowest kayak to get there.
Basically during a T-X Rescue, the person at the front does all the work while the person at the back sits at the back and holds all the paddles under the pretext of manoeuvring the kayak out of danger if needed. So, I was the person at the front of the rescue kayak because, according to I don't know who, I was lighter. However, I thought at the time, I wasn't as strong as Yun Hua was. So Yun Hua waited at the back while Carolyn, Claire and I struggled to lift their kayak onto our kayak, turn it upside down, tilt it both ways to get all the water out, put it in the water and get everyone out. Everyone finished in about five minutes; we went way past the seven minute time limit. Maybe around 13 minutes. I remember Carolyn trying to get Yun Hua to paddle the kayak this way and that to get it into a proper position, but she didn't. Carolyn was the only one to stay calm, at least. I knew it was all my fault. I wasn't strong enough.
So we put the kayaks back and dripped the long, winding way to the dorms where we showered. Honestly, it was the best part of the entire day.
Dinner after that. Faisal showed us how to pitch tents and set up solid fuel on bricks. Not only was I hopeless at kayaking, the same thing applies/applied to cooking. So I hung back, not because I was lazy, but because I knew I would burn the whole place down if I even breathed on the flames. The food was good, but this time we overestimated the reporting time and spent about an hour doing nothing. That time was spent, for me, sitting in the middle of the floor being desperately lonely and homesick as well as trying not to cry (Yun Hua suggested looking up at the ceiling, but I can't look up there for hours on end and as soon as I put my head down I blink and the excess tears come out anyway). Carolyn was trying, and would try throughout the OBS course, to look for Eleanor, whom we didn't find until Thursday, I think.
Pitched tents at a grass patch just outside the main compound. Carolyn, Claire, Yun Hua and I shared a tent. Then we went to the Multi Purpose Hall to have a reflection thing which was immediately interrupted by a fire drill, which then turned into a duty call for the groups cooking at our area to clean up the washing points, where there was an accumulation of rice. Four volunteers from each group.
Slept, or at least tried to. The tent was and is so stiflingly hot.
[pauses to apply Prickly Heat powder to itchy leg, ending at 21 05]
I dreamt that day that I ended up with a fever and went home early. Which, of course, was what I wanted the entire day. Woke up three times in the night.
Day 2
Woke up and unpitched the tent , then rushed off for morning PT with our tent without returning to the dorms because we took so long to do it. Then after that we spent fifteen minutes going to the toilet and waiting for the rest of Munshi and Faisal, and then fifteen minutes after that waiting for Nicole and Han Ying who were late. They had all returned to the dorm first. Anyway, so after that we went for a run (I thought this was weird but after that the other groups went for a run after we finished ours. Then some warmups. Then he told us a story, which I've forgotten. He always tells stories, and always about someone named Ali.
Then we went to get our harnesses and helmets etc.. MPH for reflections and journal writing (where I was super homesick and nearly cried again) and went to the climbing facilities outside. First, we did trust activities which involve falling backwards onto mattresses and/or people, which I've done countless times. So it was no biggie, except that the mattress was instead supported by all of us and it wasn't a mattress, it was a piece of material thing with rings at the edge to hold on to. I was second, and it wasn't particularly hard because apparently I fall rather straight (although Kat certainly falls as straight as a board, amazing) and there's of course the weight factor. But in the end, we all managed to do it with Faisal. I was quite happy, because it's the one activity that I could complete easily.
Belaying, for climbing. There's the assistant belayer, belayer, climber and deadweight. We alternated, though it was accepted quickly that I could never be a deadweight, and I ended up having trouble with every single task anyway. Yun Hua, due to having two extra people despite Yi Xuan joining Bo Seng to do their activity, was just standing around in the background, so we had to get her to come do deadweight and so on.
After that we were going to pitch our tents on a hill even farther out, but it started raining, so we left our already spread groundsheets on the grass and left our tents in Bo Seng's already pitched tents, and ran. Then lunch at the dorm, where it finally started to rain. Us 3G people (hey, it's the second day... I guess we hadn't mingled much) had a rather enjoyable talk while eating, in which we (Claire and I especially) came to the following conclusions, among many:
1. The last day is officially Thursday. Friday is a half day and all we do is clear up and leave, and therefore is not counted.
2. Do not count the current day in our mental countdown timers.
3. During the Land Expedition on Wednesday, we leave really early and trek really fast, and the same with Sea Ex on Thursday, to get everything over and done with.
After lunch it was still raining, so Faisal got everyone to start packing for Land Ex, which was headed by Store ICs and Campsite ICs. YH and I were Campsite ICs and basically the main job of the campsite IC was to BRING THE TARP besides all the packing which is spread among the appropriate ICs (Food, Store, Campsite again...) and people. Yun Hua and I shared a personals bag. I brought one Ziploc, and added a food rations bag later after learning we needed to put it in. Yun Hua had about five plastic bags due to her medication, powder, etc. (Girl Guides always pack first aid kits) I mostly spent the time freaking out because everyone went down to the MPH without putting the life jackets on the backpacks which Faisal had shown us how to do, even though Kat reasoned that we could do it with the tents the next day.
The external rock wall was wet so we used the internal rock wall. This was my favourite activity, because a) I didn't climb much, and b) I spent most of the time either being supporter (where one must support the climber's butt as long as it is in reach) or assistant belayer, which is pretty fun.
The reason why I didn't climb much was because there were three rock walls: two gently sloping ones and one overhanging cliff one that slopes in the direction of turning one upside down instead of the other way around. The really good people went to do the gentle ones to aim for 90 panels of wall/metres in 90 minutes, another decided goal by Munshi, and immediately were chalking up full ascents (10 panels), including Yun Hua. I went to support Claire who was doing the overhanging cliff one and she couldn't get past the third panel out of fifteen due to short limbs, according to her. Carolyn and Yi Xuan tried, and so did Nicole, and still no one got past three. In the end I decided to try the cliff one due to the worry that I wouldn't be able to get full ascent on the other one. So I got to the third panel and got stuck by the same loose rock that halted Carolyn's ascent.
When everyone exhausted the other rock walls, or rather were exhausted by them, Faisal got up and went to screw in the loose rock. After that, Kat, Nerine, Han Ying, etc. all got scores in the seven panel range. Yay!
After that, we got Faisal to do it, and he easily scaled the entire thing.
I was so happy to be of use to them.
In the end we got about 130 points, so we were lectured a little about complacency and so on.
Went to finish pitching the tents and get supplies etc. Then, dinner. Then, reflections. I was in a better mood, I don't know why. My sleep was somewhat better, read, SOMEWHAT better.
Oh yeah, briefing for Land Ex; night was spent packing more and Carolyn and Yi Xuan peering over a map of Pulau Ubin checking coordinates for checkpoints. No lifevest attachment. I slept in fear.
Day 3 - Land Ex. Leaders: Carolyn, Yi Xuan, Angela and Charlene
Land Expedition. After morning PT (where the groups doing Land and Sea Ex together on the same day), Munshi, Marshall, Bo Seng and Kurt Hahn a.k.a. Kurt were all christened Camp 1B or Camp 1Bravo), we went to pack again. FINALLY we got the life jackets attached, plus ponchos and groundsheets. FINALLY. Uh. Anyway. So in the end instead of leaving at 07 45, we left at 10 30 or so.
This is the part where I felt sneaky. I don't know if Faisal will read my blog but I might as well put it here: I knew where the final campsite was beforehand (the name of the region) because when I went with Han Ying and Nerine and Faisal to fill the jerry cans, I saw the name of the campsite: Ketam. I didn't know what that was. Just took note of it, because I knew we'd have to find it ourselves. Han Ying and Kat were marvelling about how enthu I was, because I seemed to be carrying the bag with no problem. Of course, since I was carrying just the meal equipment and tarp and poncho, I'm guessing it wasn't that light. Poor YH insisted on carrying all four of our waterbottles and she was apparently about to faint, according to her.
Checkpoint 1 was reached in about 45 minutes or so with Carolyn and YX navigating. Checkpoint 2, on the other hand, was reached in exactly one hour due to a wrong turn. Then, a prolonged search for a shelter for lunch. Faisal asked whether I would be eating more for lunch but I didn't. By then, Faisal had given us two letters of the campsite name: K and E. There was a big fat island called PULAU KETAM there, so I took the chance and guessed Ketam (Faisal ignored me). Other than that, there was this Keke (?!?!) campsite somewhere, so no one wanted to take the chance until we found the third letter. Besides, we were all really stressed after nearly failing an activity where failure would have resulted in one more checkpoint to find.
My "enthu" immediately faded when we got into the hot sun; I instead ended up having to rest every five minutes. I don't know why. I was fine in the forest! I guess it's because of no heat. We walked right past checkpoint 3, spent a while puzzling over whether to keep going forward or to go straight to Ketam, then we luckily walked BACK in the direction of the checkpoint and found it in plain sight on a tree beside our searching area. The last letter, of course, was a T. (Then everyone shouted "WELL OF COURSE IT'S KETAM!". So we went to Ketam, which luckily was only a few hundred meters from the checkpoint. We wouldn't have seen it (it's not named or anything; it's just a region) if Faisal hadn't stopped us due to a prick from his "angelic side".
So earliest group to reach the campsite: 10 30 to about 3 something. I feel sneaky. Did reflections, played a game, pitched tents, and it wasn't long until the other groups joined us. By now all of us in the tent were feeling pissed off since Yun Hua or someone did not bring one of the poles for the tent or the tent pegs, so we had to borrow an extra that Angela had brought and not use tent pegs. Yun Hua was bravely defending herself with "I forgot!" and "I don't know!" which frankly can never be convincing, but is often the only excuse. Especially since Claire had passed her the pole to pack in the morning, and well, "Miss Claire Remembers". (CAP reference)
Briefing for Sea Ex at 18 30: Travel by kayak the long way around from Ketam to Camp 1 around Pulau Ubin, around 16 km distance. The standing record according to Faisal at the time was around 5 hours, reaching at 11 30 am from an MGS team. So after choosing the leaders (Charlotte, "Zhang" Weiran, Kat and Abigail), we were told later to wake up at four (two thirty for Munshi due to patrol) and then we would leave at 06 30, when the tides would be just right.
FAISAL TOLD THE GUPPY STORY HERE. REMIND ME TO POST IT!!!
Urinated in a bush after holding it in since 10 30 in the morning. I was happy that I didn't urinate on my shoe or anything, because it's hard to see in the dark.
Day 4 - Sea Expedition
About an hour of sleep, then gave up in the heat and went to sit with Claire outside, who again had had a sleepless night. Carolyn and Yun Hua were somehow able to sleep. There were several people also outside, having given up on their sleep too. After that, though, a centipede crawled under our groundsheet being chased by the patrol so we went to wake Carolyn and Yun Hua up at around 1 30. No one dared/bothered to go back to sleep after that, so we sat around on ponchos and rocks, talking and packing a little. No one wanted to pack the tent yet because it was dark, there was a centipede threat and, though no one spoke of it, the tent bag was missing.
In the end, we had to unpitch the tent, which ended up in another heated argument as to whose fault it was that the bag was missing (Yun Hua putting up her defences, me staying out of it). In the end, after packing everything else, it was still missing so we just stuffed everything into the bag.
I got gastric cramps at around 3 am which dragged on to 6, so after a small breakfast and packing a little I just sat around and rocked about trying to deal with the pain (which was rather small compared to what I know of). By the time loading time rolled around I was still in pain and considering asking for exemption from kayaking.
Yun Hua and I went to search for an instructor, so while everyone was loading we found Anne from Kurt(?) who told me to stay there, then Murali who also told me to stay there, then Zippi who told me to drink water and eat Oreos and see if it went away within half an hour (it didn't but it was sort of abating slightly). Later, was joined by Kimberly and Izati who apparently were also feeling sick. Finally, Zippi came along to tell us to kayak anyway, which made me freak out a bit because I hadn't peed since the time I woke up, 12 30 am. I told Zippi that I really didn't want to endanger Yun Hua in case I got distracted. She laughed and said I wouldn't endanger her even if I sat in the kayak and did nothing, and she'd feed me medicine in the kayak if I needed it.
I was still worried, as Yun Hua had earlier forewarned me not to partner her as neither of us were physically fit according to her (I later "confirmed" this with a mini-wrestle where we were surprisingly evenly matched) and that she would get seasick. But due to seeking medical attention during loading, there was no time to switch with anyone else.
So we began to kayak. Immediately we were lagging behind, and kept on lagging behind. In a nutshell, this is why:
1. Kayaks collided into us and each time we were the ones would would eventually have to pull back and let them pass. So eventually the last boat would pass us.
2. Somehow the kayak kept swaying to one side so Yun Hua finally had to learn the stern rudder from both me and Claire and we just kept turning, though I had to yell out a strained "STERN RIGHT" or "LEFT" because she wouldn't remember before each turn.
3. Face it, I can't paddle too well.
4. Yun Hua was seasick and apparently her wrists hurt although mine did too, and thus she took breaks from paddling.
When I saw every single kayak move ahead by about twenty five metres to a hundred metres, and I couldn't catch up, I knew it was my fault. I wasn't putting in enough effort; I couldn't paddle, I couldn't coordinate with Yun Hua (who insisted on doing Shorter and Deeper pulls with my faster ones because apparently they would speed up the boat despite the leaders' shouts of COORDINATE!!!), I couldn't pull hard enough.
But I knew. Even if Yun Hua was sick, I couldn't let her down or let the group down by not finishing.
I am proud to say that I never took a break from paddling.
In regards to numbers 3 and 4, after lunch break, Yun Hua started throwing up. I hadn't noticed that she was that seasick (She insisted she was fine before) and that she was taking breaks from paddling. For a while it gave me a sense of security; maybe that was the reason I wasn't paddling well enough. Maybe it wasn't my fault. There were a few seasick people lagging along at the back with us. I felt rather pissed when the people ahead started yelling at us to hurry up. I yelled back that Yun Hua was sick and had to take breaks, so they just said "oh". I still felt bad anyway.
One quarter left before reaching, the instructors pulled us over to allow the seasick people to switch partners to let their partners have a break from paddling alone. Yun Hua asked me "we don't need to switch right?" and, fearing that neither of us would be able to manoeuvre out of the kayak and back, she confidently told the instructors not to switch.
The next part was pain. Yun Hua could barely paddle. The orange no longer worked on Yun Hua because she was so sick. She told me she would steer, but would not be able to managed paddling. So I kept going, but couldn't help making a noise every time I strained to pull the boat to the other side with a stern rudder. Yun Hua must be very frightened of me now.
We kept going. Yun Hua tried to paddle more. She took another break, so I kept going. After that, we kept going again. Then Yun Hua suddenly cried out and stopped paddling, so I kept going; she had injured her wrist. The instructors kept pulling up to tell her to paddle, and that seasick wasn't an excuse (we were told that beforehand). So we kept going. I think Yun Hua was paddling with one hand; it seemed like it from the corner of my eye. In the end I kind of couldn't stand it and told her to take a break. I didn't notice if she did.
Poor Kat and Han Ying, the sweepers at the back, had to keep behind us even though we were probably about fifty metres or maybe a hundred from everyone else. At this point it was just pure, pure, pain. They gave us a few pushes too, thanks guys. In the end, they too went to join the rest of the kayaks in front. They were all waiting for us... I felt so, so guilty. Even though Faizal had told us even when we were sick we had to immediately help once we came up on the jetty, when he sent four of us out Yun Hua went over to one side and watched while trying to pull off her life jacket despite yells from the instructors to help. I wonder how sick she was feeling at that time; according to her later she still felt seasick half an hour later due to a lack of an opportunity to rest. I didn't even bother with my life jacket. I just went to help.
[after helping]
Everyone stood in a circle and did reflections. I decided to thank Yun Hua, because even though she was seasick and injured her wrist and didn't paddle, she was ultimately my drive to keep going, because even if she was sick, I didn't want to let her down by not finishing. (At this point Faisal gave a thumbs up and said Awesome)
Amusingly, the instructors started summarising every reflection out of context and quite badly. I whispered to Carolyn "The beginning on Fahrenheit 451!". My favourite was Jelly's: "Cooked, but awesome."
JETTY JUMP! So fun. We were asked to say one thing we'd commit ourselves to after OBS. I said "Live with joy"; I think Angela said "DODO!!" [corrected, thanks Claudia!] ^^. There were jellyfish in the water, one appearing just as I got out. Thank God. I'm so fortunate.
Celebration Dinner. We had a competition to make a set of dishes. Claire is an amazing cook. We had three dishes: fried noodles, baked beans and... something, and Yi Xuan's lovely egg with luncheon meat and onion. In the end nobody won and the instructors didn't even eat it, so we rushed down the extra food and ran everywhere trying to clean up and eat in forty + fifteen minutes. I got minestrone all down my left leg trying to throw away a leaking rubbish bag. Thank God the dew cleaned the slippers in the end.
Slept by the Indiana, a climbing ship thing. Favourite campsite ever. Slept very well. Woke up at 5, half an hour early, because it was TOO COLD. THAT WAS SO RARE IT WAS AMAZING. That made my day.
Day 5
Cleaning etc. Not much to say. Had a few interesting conversations, but other than that, that was it. Just cleaning.
And talking.
And finally, going home.
Sorry this part is so short. I need to go.