About GPS (Sumatra)

Brief summary of GPS Sumatra

As part of IB's compulsory component, Creativity, Action and Service, I along with 12 other year 5 students and 2 teachers travelled to North Sumatra, Indonesia, as part of our school's Global PerspectiveS (GPS) service learning trip. Unlike the other GPS groups that travelled to different countries in Asia, GPS Sumatra is the only team that has an environmental focus, working with the Orangutan Information Center in Sumatra (http://orangutancentre.org/). This GPS trip was a follow up on our previous trip last November, to the same reforestation site in Besitang, located in the Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser (Gunung Leuser National Park). 

The area of the reforestation site where we worked at, which was once a palm oil site, is home to a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna, including a wide variety of birds  as well as elephants and orangutans, just to name a few. (More information about the restoration team here: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/04/30/sei-betung-the-spirit-restoration-action.html)

Brief outline of trip: 

1. The bulk of our GPS trip (12 nights) was spent at this site, continuing the restoration process that we learnt for the first time last year, as well as our own new projects that we brought along. 

Restoration process: 

1. Collection of seedlings from primary rainforest 
2. Filling of polybags with soil, trimming seedlings, preparing seedlings for nursery
3. Weeding around the area 
4. Planting of grown seedlings from nursery 
5. Ongoing maintenance of nursery (weeding, watering etc) 
6. Composting (mixing saw dust, elephant dung and soil)

New Projects and Activities

• Tree tagging (identification)
• Using signage that we made in Singapore out of recycled aluminium cans
• Conducting school programme at the Halaban village school (10-12yrs,SD)
• On the importance of the forest and orangutans (through activities and outdoor games)
• Green bean activity using recycled plastic bottles which they painted on
• Visit to local weekly Halaban market 

2. The following 2 nights were spent at Aras Napal Elephant Sanctuary where we: 

• Learnt more about their elephant patrol system and Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser from the rangers
• Conducted a similar school programme with a local school in the village
• Rode bareback on elephants and washed them 
• River activities (chilling and fishing:)

3: The last night was spent as Sam's chalet at the well known eco-tourism spot, Bukit Lawang, where we got to cross the river to the Gunung Leuser National Park to its feeding platform in time to see a female orangutan with her baby!

Embarking on a trip like GPS is both an outward and inward journey. On one layer, it's very much a physical journey- the physical act of getting on a plane to another country, hiking into the forest, planting and weeding and so on. But of course all physical experiences, especially one of this nature (no pun intended:) encourage the process of introspection and self-discovery- The journey inside of the self. And this is really the most valuable aspect of any journey. 

For my IB CAS reflections to be submitted for this GPS trip, I've decided to write it as a blog instead of reflection entries. I somehow have less of a resistance towards writing reflections through a blog than I do through reflection entries on managebac because I actually enjoy the process off blogging. Also, a blog feels like a good way to organise my many thoughts from this trip and entries are easy to locate. Most importantly, blogs manage to carry a more personal touch, which is perfect for conveying my experience during GPS, which has been very much a very touching, heartfelt personal journey. 

On My Way by Phil Collins (Brother Bear)

Tell everybody I'm on my way
New friends and new places to see
With blue skies ahead yes I'm on my way
And there's nowhere else that I'd rather be

Tell everybody I'm on my way 
And I'm loving every step I take
With the sun beating down yes I'm on my way
And I can't keep this smile off my face

'Cause there's nothing like seeing each other again
No matter what the distance between 
And the stories that we tell will make you smile
Oh it really lifts my heart

So tell 'em all I'm on my way
New friends and new places to see
And to sleep under the stars, who could ask for more
With the moon keeping watch over me

Not the snow, not the rain, can change my mind
The sun will come out, wait and see
And the feeling of the wind in your face can lift your heart
Oh there's nowhere I would rather be.