Pre-GPS

Preparing for the journey 

A brief Pre-GPS confession

I will state right here at the beginning that I did not feel at all prepared for GPS. Like any SOTA IB student, I had approximately a million deadlines, performances and assignments due all the way up till the day just before we left for Sumatra. A month or so before GPS, I was unable to attend GPS planning sessions after school with the rest of the team because of rehearsals for the year 6 IPP, Roots in Recovery. I quite honestly felt very bad that I hadn't involved myself very much in the planning stages, because we're quite a small team so we really do need all the help we can get. 

I was also worried that, because of all the deadlines due right before GPS, I wouldn't get into "the GPS mood" in time, and all of us joked about how we would only realise we were away on GPS after the plane lands in Sumatra. I will admit that, up till the night before GPS, I was half-wishing that I could stay home, because my mind was occupied with all the work I had to do over the June holidays and I remember I kept on thinking that there was never enough, never enough time for work, never enough time to take a break. Looking back in retrospect, I find this all incredibly amusing and it is very interesting how the biggest lesson that I have learnt from my 16 days in Sumatra is the mentality of 'enough' and that there is always enough, a mentality that has changed my lifestyle and everyday choices ever since I returned from GPS. 

I've realised that throughout my life, I have noticed a certain pattern with me, which is that I feel that I am never ready (though it's improved over the years). Perhaps it's the fact that I was born prematurely, perhaps not. But my experiences during GPS, like the time I boarded the plane, and the times I improvised activities during the school programmes, have taught me to take chances and risks. Sometimes when you feel unprepared and hesitant about embarking on something, the best step forward may just be to jump right in and welcome new experiences and challenges, knowing that every experience can only make your life richer. 

"The core of man's spirit comes from man's experiences" 
~Into the Wild