Adrift

Tonight I watched a video by photographer Simon Christen called 'Adrift' (which won a Vimeo Staff Pick nomination). To quote Christen, "Adrift is a love letter to the fog of the San Francisco Bay Area to capture the magical interaction between the soft mist, the ridges of California and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge". 

I read this description after I watched the video, and it's interesting how I have a different take on what the video means to me. I definitely see that magical quality of the mist, no doubt, because it is just so beautiful (and beautifully shot too). 
My interpretation of the video is different though. 

When I watched it, I was captivated by all that mist in all its vastness, and how the strong current of that sea of mist completely washed over everything -  all the buildings and giant monuments and infrastructures. It was as if it was nature's way of silently subtly making its presence known. Nature is always going to be there, flowing on by, every morning to every night (as seen in the video which starts at dawn and ends at dusk). I know we humans always talk about saving the planet because our Earth is "dying", because of global warming, over-industrialisation, and so on, which are undoubtedly valid points. But I think that the earth is not "dying" but that the earth as we know it is changing. Nature always reinvents and rejuvenates by itself. 

Over a month ago, I was in Sumatra, Indonesia, doing reforestation work with the Sei Betung, Restoration team in Besitang. While explaining the process of reforestation to us,  Rio - who is heading the team there, said that while our reforestation work is good because it speeds up the process of rejuvenation of the (degraded) forest, the forest actually has the capacity to undergo this process of revival and rejuvenation by itself.  

So when I saw this video, I saw it as a subtle statement that nature was making - and that its power lay in its flexibility and ability to adapt to change. 

Another thing that I thought about after watching this video was the whole idea of documentation of moments. In this case, it would be the time lapse visual documentation, and to give another example, it would also include all the sound recordings of songs and conversations that I took during my trip to Sumatra. I remember after I reviewed all my recordings, after listening to each track repeatedly, I realised that each time I listened, I was listening to something new. I was pretty struck by the whole idea that during the moment when I was there recording, I was not aware of what exactly the person behind me said, or of the lyrics of the song in the background, and was only made aware of such things after reviewing the recordings. And similarly, this video constructs these visual images of what we cannot see with our own eyes, but of visual images that are completely real and happening right now, as we travel across that Golden Gate bridge, or sit in our office cubicles overlooking the San Francisco Bay. And doesn't that make life so much more interesting, knowing that there are phenomena right in front of you that is waiting to be discovered, experienced and shared? 

My friend also shared a link with me on the discovery of rivers under the sea, and it stirred in me the same feeling that I felt when watching Christen's 'Adrift'. Reading about or watching phenomena like these two reminds me that there is so much more to the world that what I choose to have exist in my life. There is so much that I haven't seen, and there may perhaps be so many beautiful and exhilarating places and experiences such as these that I may never know of during the course of my life. 
And while that sounds slightly sad and depressing, it really feels very humbling, just knowing that these amazing spaces in the natural world exist and that I am living in the same world as it. It's humbling because it makes me realise how incredibly small I am in the big scheme of things, and small here not meaning insignificant, but just small. 


Links: 
Video: https://vimeo.com/simonchristen/adrift

Undersea rivers:

http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2012/07/11/is-river-sea/)

Singing the Post-GPS Blues

Turning your experience into something

Where to go from here 

My world has changed and so have I

I've learnt to choose and even learnt to say goodbye

The path ahead's so hard to see

It winds and bends, but where it ends depends on only me

But where do I go from here? 

So many voices ringing in my ear

Which is the voice that I was meant to hear?
How will I know?
Where do I go from here? 

We've mentioned countless times during GPS sharing sessions how it's definitely very easy to feel motivated and inspired during and right after GPS, but that the key then lies in maintaining that feeling of motivation and in applying all the lessons learnt to life back home. I remember how when I came back, I really missed Sumatra and the people we worked with including working with our GPS team, because it's honestly a great team with a good spirit. During one of the facilitation sessions at Cabin 2, the question was posed to us, on how we would feel if the trip was extended for one more month or even longer at Cabin 2. A lot of us were quick to reply that we really wouldn't really mind at all, and I admit that that was my initial reaction as well. But when thinking about it, 16 days feels sufficient right now. As much as I love Sumatra and its people and forests, Singapore is my home - and though there were times after GPS when I really felt that I felt so alien in the city in Singapore, I still regard Singapore as my home, because quite honestly, growing up in Singapore has given me the opportunities to do what I do, like SOTA, and has given me opportunities for participating in international exchange programmes and service learning projects like GPS. 

Going to Sumatra for GPS has made me really realise the little things that we often take for granted in Singapore (safe, accessible, clean-or cleaned, depending on how you look at it), and it has also made me realise that there are many things that Singapore needs to learn from the Sumatrans that we met. So back to the question on whether I would have stayed longer, I would say no, because now after 16 days in Sumatra, I want to go home to Singapore to bring all the knowledge and wisdom I have learnt back to Singapore, and to share my experiences here, to give back to Singapore. 

GPS has changed me in so many different ways, and the best thing is that it has changed me in so many, small, ways. There were no sudden realisations or moments where lighting struck or when I suddenly saw the light. Changes crept in subtly, through the interactions with the locals, and activities like planting trees and weeding. What I like about GPS Sumatra in particular was that there was a lot of time to reflect and spend time to think by myself. It's really true that an experience, no matter how good or meaningful, does not go any further than being an experience, unless there is reflection involved. 

To sum it up in a sort of list, GPS has impacted me in these ways: 

~The mentality of Enough. 
Taking only what you need, being a conscious consumer, and treasuring what you have, and treasuring the moments that I have. The course of nature is always unexpected and that reminds me to live in the moment and live every day like it is my first. 

~Turning pescetarian 
I've decided to give up eating meat, not so much because of the reason many animal-lovers have, but because I understand the importance of being a conscious consumer and I also don't seem to like red meat or chicken much anymore. Also, during our whole stay at Cabin 2, we were pescetarian (with the exception of rendang on one of the days:), and not eating red meat makes me feel more energised. 

~My interest for the natural environment and sharing it with others
In term 1, Becky, Qing and I formed the CAS group, The Green Beans, though its been quite a dormant group for a while. After GPS, I've really been inspired by all the people we met to really make The Green Beans work, because my personal interest for our cause (to explore and document Singapore's local green spaces). My motivation to make this group work is also inspired by GEMUPABEL (Generasi Muda Pecinta Alam Besitang & Leuser) which is an environmental group for young people that Ari, Ramses and Agus are involved in in Sumatra. Knowing that there are other young people who are interested in immersing themselves in nature, makes me motivated to encourage young people in Singapore to do the same, and connect with nature and the environment, through exploring and preserving the green spaces that we have in Singapore, before it's too late - not too late for the environment because I believe that the earth can take care of itself, but before it's too late by the time us human beings realise how much we need to be in nature. 

GPS has impacted me in so many ways, most of them which I'm probably not even conscious of. It's opened my eyes to new perspectives of the world, I've acquired new knowledge and skills and learnt more about myself and my life back in Singapore, and most important of all, I really enjoyed my GPS experience, with the good company. I would definitely go back to do more reforestation work, reunite with the people we met during GPS, and also explore new places and meet new people. We may be far away from all our friends there, but I believe that they, and everything that each of them has taught us, will always stay in my heart(: 

Click on this link to hear our song: 
Goodbye (Cancelled) - Original

Goodbye (cancelled) 

Original song by Becky and Me 

Inspired by GPS 

So the Macaranga says bye to the Medang Kapur

Like us, we say our goodbyes

Nature takes its course but this won't be for long

Cuz we'll be back again. 

A-ooooooo o-oooo

Sungkai don't cry we'll see you again

So please don't take this too hard

Cuz we'll be together forever in our hearts

So save your goodbyes, 

Till next time, we'll meet again

A-ooooooo o-ooooo

Pulai I'll miss you this isn't just a phase

You give me peace in my craze

The world is one big crazy maze

But don't worry we'll see you again

This isn't the end of our days

A-oooooooo o-ooooo

To remember this experience by, I've also compiled a sound montage of the progression of our 16 days, with songs, laughter, conversation and sounds. 

Check it out at this link: 

GPS Listening Back

Music and Language

One of the highlights of GPS

Being not just a music student but a music junkie, I love listening to all sorts of music, especially music from other cultures, both modern and traditional. What really struck a chord in my heart during this GPS was the musical interaction between us and the locals. The Indonesians that we met are an incredibly musical bunch (perhaps it really is an islander characteristic, to whip out a guitar or ukulele and start singing - and with spontaneous harmony). In a sense I feel that the people we met in Indonesia like Febo, Ramses, Mala, the UPG patrol rangers at Aras Napal, even the van driver who blasted music through the van speakers, are more musical than a lot of music students in Singapore who, from my own observations, have the technical skills and theoretically knowledge, but when asked to jam on the spot, give you an uncomfortable face and genuinely look confused. It was very inspirational, how natural it is (and how natural it should be) to hold spontaneous jamming sessions, with a guitarlele, a harmonica, voices, a fanta aluminium can and Clorets mints as a substitute for maracas, and an empty water dispenser bottle as makeshift bongos. 

Apart from the spontaneity of music making during GPS, I loved the very act of making music together, because I have always believed that when you make music with someone, the type of relationship you form is of a very different nature than when you hold a conversation. I especially loved how there was an exchange of music going on, switching between the English songs and Indonesian songs (both modern and traditional). Learning another culture's music is also a good way to learn a little bit more about their culture and their language, like the traditional songs of Apuse, The Pisang and Kueh song as well as its Banjarese version 'Ampar Ampar Pisang', and the Bataknese Sik Sik Sibatumannikam. And is there is any bahasa our group learned, it would be the 4 lines of the chorus of "Ya Sudahlah", which was our Indonesian theme song throughout GPS. 

While talking to Ari during our stay at Cabin 2, we saw Rio running, being chased by someone else - both of them in the late 20s and acting like 10 year olds. Ari then brought up how important it is not to be so serious even when you're doing hard work like a reforestation project, and that letting your inner child to play is very important. We talked a lot about music and trees and how perhaps one of the reasons why the trees at Cabin 2 grow so well is because of the music always surrounding  and the "hati kita yang senang" (our happy hearts) when we plant, as Ari suggested. Going slightly off point here a bit, we were also talking about how many people especially in the city think that trees are like stones or statues. Ari believes that trees can hear and communicate, and he says that when he sees his tree, 

"The trees tell me, I need more water Ari, you must understand, 

because this is real life"

What I also liked about the musical journey in GPS was being able to talk to the locals about music and their experiences with it. Febo talked about how when he was young, he used to have a bad temper and get angry easily, but after picking up the guitar, playing music would calm him down and help him relax. Just as how being in nature has therapeutic and heal qualities, so does music. When I found out that Ramses is in a band (Terabetya) as the lead vocalist and keyboardist, I talked to him about songwriting and his experiences with music. He stressed a lot about how the best music is always when it comes from the heart, because that is when it is the most genuine. With regards to songwriting, he talked about how songwriting, like all music composition, is a great way to express how you feel, turning your experiences (good or bad) into art. 

It was really great to have conversations about music like this with them because its a topic that all cultures can share and resonate with, no matter how different your cultures are, and ultimately, I really have malay class to thank, because without knowing the language, it would be difficult to speak to some of the locals beyond "ini pohon atau rumput?" (is this a tree or weed?). I remember starting from last year, I was questioning whether what I learnt in Malay class would ever really be applied and I found out during OSL and GPS that it was. Though I definitely have to brush up on my Bahasa, especially my conversational skills, I'm glad I have the technical and more formal vocabulary already instilled in my brain from class, because of the interviews that I had to do, like the interviews for team restorasi and at the palm oil plantation. I now have something to really look forward to and motivate me during malay class, which is the motivation to learn better malay so I can communicate my ideas better to our friends in Sumatra when we decide to come back. Language, like music,is a medium for ideas and expression and really shouldn't be something to get so stressed up about, because the end goal for me isn't my IB malay paper anymore, but it's about the practical use of the language, and so GPS has made me see the practical use of a lot of the subjects that I learn, like music and malay and even a bit of biology and anthropology, and my learning of these classes came alive during GPS, because like anthropology for example, they taught me how to approach GPS, when interacting with different cultures. Perhaps why GPS felt so meaningful to me was partly because of this fact, that I could finally understand how I was connected to what I learn in school, which was quite comforting as a student, to know that I won't simply forget everything I learn after IB is over:)

Facilitation

Just a quick note

And what kind of tree I would plant

On the 9th night of our trip, we shared our 'life journey' stories with each other. It was really nice to hear from everyone and to have that open atmosphere and space where everyone is encouraged to share and talk about themselves. It amazed me how much I really didn't know about a lot of the people in my group, and knowing more about their families and backgrounds really brought us a lot closer as a group, knowing the challenges that a lot of people have had to face, which made everyone a lot more admirable in my eyes. 

With regards to facilitation, I think this activity/sharing session showed me the importance of providing that space of free, open sharing and unconditional listening, for each person to have their say of their opinion without judgement, questions or interruptions from others. This session created a very safe space and made everyone feel important. I really resonated with what Wei Ping said about how she likes Dr Who because it has taught her that every individual is important because everyone is different and has a different role to play, and a different perspective to offer. 

Relating this back to my role as chairperson of the Leadership Studies Committee and as president of LA, if there's one thing that I would like to continue from GPS is the whole space of sharing and valuing everyone as important, in the various roles that they play in the LA. Earlier on during GPS, one of the reflection questions was: 

What kind of tree would you want to plant?

I know this is not literal, and by 'tree', the question really is asking for what kind of values you'd want to plant, but I would actually like to grow a Mangrove tree. All trees in all sorts of habitats are symbolic; the roots represent the base and the foundation, and show the importance of being well grounded because this forms your basis, and the whole idea of a planting a tree represents growth and development, forming flowers and fruit, branching out and connecting with other people, like how trees attract animals and insects to it, so they can survive too. 

What I like about Mangrove trees in particular is that they have the quality of being able to adapt to their environment, and how they are so unique as compared to other trees (as seen from their tall roots), while still maintaining the basic structure of a tree (the fundamental principles). I think it's such an important skill, to know how to adapt in various environments, because it shows an understanding of each different environment and the role that you play in it. The same can be said about music, which is important to me as a music student. As a vocal student, it's important to be able to be versatile in singing different genres and repertoire, and to understand how to perform each type of music in a manner that is stylistically appropriate. In terms of leadership, the skill of adapting is also important. During the school programmes during GPS, there were many times where we had to improvise new activities to adapt to a new situation (when the children did not have plastic bottles to use eg.) I'm sure this type of experience will not be my last, especially if I'm in the LA, because of planning for activities like FireworksAction and GotongRoyong, where there are bound to be surprises and unexpected events. So if there is one main thing that I've learnt from GPS, it would be spontaneity. During GPS, spontaneity came in different forms; when someone took the initiative to collect and clear the plates after meals, when one of us decided to strike up a conversation with someone from the team restorasi that we have never spoken to before, or when someone would break out into song and Febo, despite not knowing the song, would quickly figure out the chords and jam along. 

Very often we regard unexpected happenings as a pain, because well, we obviously weren't expecting it, and it wasn't in our plan of how things should be going. But I've learnt from nature that there are no straight lines in life and that our lives are not linear paths. There are twists and turns in nature, and there are dead ends and at the same time, there are also endless possibilities and numerous paths to take. Nothing is for sure in life, and you cannot predict what will happen all the time. But one thing that you can be sure about is yourself, or rather, how you deal with unexpected changes. And that's why learning how to adapt (while still remaining grounded by your roots) is so important. 

"Enough"

Living in the moment

"The moment we are content, we have enough. Not the other way around"

Around 5 years ago, I bought a book from Borders called "Enough" (by John Naish). To put it simply, I never read it. I don't know why I even bought it, but after GPS, after having been impacted by the mentality of 'enough', the first thing I did was to dig Naish's book up, and now 5 years later, everything in the book suddenly makes perfect sense to me. 

In his book, Naish explores various aspects of 'Enough'. With regard to food, he talks about mealtimes, and the issue of how so many people today gulp down their meals in 10minutes, sometimes eating on the go, because there is never enough time to eat a proper meal and enjoy it properly. This is sadly definitely evident in Singapore. The number of families I have observed sitting at tables during mealtime where all of them are on their smartphones or using other gadgets really saddens and quite honestly disgusts me too. The many times I have seen my friends decide to eat at a fast food chain because they are hungry and it is a quick fix (even though it isn't cheap) and there is not enough time also saddens me. I find this to be a big issue, because it has come to a point where we don't care what we put in our bellies, as long as our bellies are filled. We cannot wait, instant gratification must be granted. I was talking to Ari about this one day, and how a lot of people, especially those living in the city, have no clue where their food comes from, how it is produced, what's inside their food and whether the food they are eating is really food at all. During GPS, have learnt the importance of savouring the food I eat, and savouring the company as well. Instead of eating while sitting in front of a computer, the food tastes much better if you are in the moment are focus on the food you are eating. 

Another aspect of Enough that Naish talked about was the issue of 'not enough stuff', again the issue of consumerism that I brought up in the previous post. I've learnt that it really isn't necessary to buy so much stuff. In our lives, it is a very common problem where, is something is broken or torn, that we automatically resort to buying a new product, which isn't necessary.This mentality doesn't encourage a sense of creativity and independence - if something is broken, why don't we try to think of ways to fix it? 

"Our creative bent has largely been subsumed by consumer society"

(pg 104)

I've learnt the value of making the most and making do with what you already have, and to treasure and be grateful for it. During GPS, during our stay at Cabin 2, it was really going back to the basics, a roof over our heads, a bathroom and a toilet, and food prepared for us by the ibu-ibu, which is all we actually need. I couldn't have asked for better company, what with our very musical GPS group and our musical Sumatran friends, or for better conversations, during our open GPS sharings and our interactions with Team Restorasi. I've learnt and experienced for myself what is truly valuable, and that it can only be recognised as being valuable when you are aware and living in the moment. 

"Look to this day 

For it is life, the very life of life

For yesterday is already a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision

But today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of contentment,

and every tomorrow a vision of hope" 

(Sanskrit Poem)

Jason Mraz, "Living in the Moment" 

Perceptions of Palm Oil

Day 8 Visit to Palm Oil Factory

Before GPS, I admit that I was definitely biased, and was 100% for the environmental cause and was pretty much 100% against palm oil. Because wasn't it palm oil monoculture plantations that were the reason for the clearing of most of Indonesia's forests and its loss of biodiversity? Wasn't it palm oil that had caused the many communities in Indonesia to experience droughts, causing them to buy drinking water at exorbitant prices? And isn't it palm oil that finds its way into almost everything we unconsciously consume, from the food we eat to our cosmetic products. 

When speaking to Rio one day when we were trekking out, he told me that he doesn't hate palm oil. Palm oil undoubtedly has its economic benefits, being the biggest industry that contributes to Indonesia's economy, as is also the source of livelihood for many Indonesians. What Rio and Ari stated was that the main problem lies with the issue of illegal and legal palm oil plantations. Illegal palm oil plantations are of an even bigger concern because they encroach onto the the forest, or in the case of where we are, onto the Gunung Leuser National Park (this encroachment due to the blurred boundaries of where the national park lies). Rio and Ari both believe that there must be a good balance between the land used for palm oil plantations and the preservation of Indonesia's rich rainforests. 

(I came across this video of sustainable palm oil practice in Riau, where palm oil plantations are still used, but are not expanded, thus preserving what is already left of the forests)

During our visit to the palm oil factory, we got to see the process of making crude palm oil (extracted from the palm fruit) and kernel oil (extracted from the palm seed) out of the palm oil fruits that were brought in. I could go on about this system, from the process of selection, separating of branch and fruit, pressing for oil, clarification and so on. 

But the point that I want to make about my experience here (and throughout GPS) is not so much about the process or cost of producing palm oil (the cost here not just being economic), but more of what we have to do with palm oil. 

On a trip like this, it is always very easy to instantly look at the community (like the palm oil factory and palm oil plantation farmers) from an external perspective, questioning why they do what they do and its ethics, and the working conditions at the factory (where most factory workers were not wearing much protective gear) and so on. However, what we have to realise is that, just as we are part of the whole ecosystem (as i raised in a previous post), we play a part in the palm oil industry, because we are huge consumers of it, whether we are aware of it or not, and whatever choices we make will affect the web of which we live in. 

During facilitation that night, a lot of us were grappling with how we can help. The suggestion in our minds before GPS was to boycott palm oil and go for better alternatives. During GPS, we realised that simply boycotting palm oil is not a sustainable solution to the problem, since it is the source of livelihood for many farmers. But going a bit beyond that, I was interested in going deeper to where the fundamental issue really lies with all this. Palm oil is a biofuel (though even then, there is some dispute about whether it really is) - an alternative fuel. But what happens when palm oil doesn't work for us? Would that result in the search for a new alternative fuel? I think the issue does not lie in the search for the best fuel or the most environmentally friendly fuel, but really boils down to the issue of consumerism. 

The main reason why there are illegal palm oil plantations and the encroachment of palm oil onto the forests, is really simply because there is an extremely high demand for it, for more palm oil, which comes from us consumers, all over the world. This doesn't apply to palm oil alone, but for every product that we consume. If we want more of something, more of that something will be made: supply and demand (the only economics I know:)

So what do we do from here? 

This experience has actually taught me to be a more aware and conscious consumer, because I think that fundamentally, that's what the palm oil issue is about. After GPS, we can do our part by spreading the word, and educating more people on the issue of palm oil and its encroachment onto Indonesia's forests. But I do know that for a lot of people, the next question is, so what? So what if the orangutans are dying out, and if rainforests in other country are being destroyed, what does it have to do with me? And this is a legitimate question, because, as I've raised in a previous post, it is not enough to learn facts, numbers and statistics unless there is a connection between what you are leaning and yourself. (How am i connected to what I am learning?). Perhaps, because Singapore is such a concrete jungle, where most Singaporeans spend their time in the city areas, it may be especially hard to care for another country's rainforests, because there is this disconnect from nature for a lot of Singaporeans. 

What I think needs to happen is for all of us to be more conscious about what we decide to consume. Do we consume excessively or do we only take what we need? Reducing the amount that we consume, and making conscious, informed decisions of what we consume and choose to endorse will go a long way, I believe. It's a simple act that everyone can do. What I've learnt from the various people that I've met during GPS is the mentality of 'Enough'. A lot of the time, living in the city, there are always exclamations of there not being enough, not enough food, not enough money, not enough time, not enough happiness. Be a more gracious consumer, if you don't really need it, then don't take it. The mentality of 'Enough' is one of the biggest impacts that GPS Sumatra has had on me, and I have carried it all the way back to Singapore and for these past 3 weeks after Sumatra, it's still had an impact on me, influencing the decisions I make, which I will share in the next post:)

Resilience

Night 7 Reflection Question: 

What does Resilience mean to you? 

[This was one of the reflection questions posed during one of the facilitation sessions at Cabin 2]

The first image that instantly enters my mind when I see the word resilience is an image of a warrior-like man, like the type you will find in Sparta or Troy, where there is a lot of fighting and a strong determination to win or die trying. My initial impression of the term 'resilience' is that it connotes an act that is very much physical and external of the self. In this initial impression, resilience is almost equated to resistance - fighting against succumbing, if things don't go your way, which very much creates a lot of tension.

After breaking through my first impression, I realised that based on my experience and especially my experience in Cabin 2, resilience took on the form of love, and the human spirit. Through this experience of working and interacting with people like Ari, Rio, Darma, Febo, Ramses, Ayee, Eddie, Bang Wagiman, Satrya, Kemek, the ibu-ibu and everyone else, what I saw was an undying love and passion for a cause, in one way or another, and not necessarily the Reforestation cause. 

The term 'resilience' normally implies an obstacle or challenge that has perhaps dropped onto your normal, daily path. There are many obstacles that the Team Restorasi has come across in their experience, like misunderstanding of their work by the local villagers, or lack of governmental support, which are understandably, very frustrating challenges, but challenges which they have overcome by their love and strong belief in their cause. I see their love and passion as being resilient, and also as a group effort. What I've learnt from the Team Restorasi is that while an individual's efforts alone are important, it is more important to work as a group. You are never alone, especially in work like reforestation, where you are connected to a bigger scheme of things. 

What I've learnt from Ari is that, when it comes to reforestation, it's also not just about working as a group (of humans) but also with the entire ecosystem in the forest. He stresses on the importance of letting the forest renew itself naturally, where reforestation is merely an aid to help it regenerate faster, after its degradation from deforestation. To encourage the forest to renew more naturally, the Team Restorasi makes use of the birds and other animals to help disperse seeds around the forest (which is also an important role of the orangutan in the forest!). So, Resilience seems to me to also be evident in the collective act of collaboration (between people and between 

people and their environment), to achieve a common goal (to restore the forest). 

I remember asking a lot of the people from the team whether they feel that the work they do may feel boring at times, because the restoration process appears to get very routine and mundane, with a lot of waiting and challenges. Rio said that, well yes sometimes, but everything can get boring if you let it, and so it's up to you to make it more interesting for yourself. And everyone there said that they're doing what they do at Cabin 2 because of an end-goal in mind, to restore the forests because they know that they are connected to the forest and do not see themselves as separate entities from the forest. So again, resilience is shown because there is a greater goal in mind that you are aiming towards. 

During this sharing session, I resonated a lot with what Weiqi shared - how resilience is a process: 

"If the forest gets better, you feel it too. 

Because you and the cause are one"

So again, it's this whole idea on interconnectedness, and realising that you exist in an ecosystem and not an egosystem. 

(image from www.ecohustler.co.uk)

The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to earth. 
All things are connected, like the blood that unites us all. 
Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it
Whatever he does to the web he does to himself. 
~Chief Seattle, 1854

And from this, I've also learnt that resilience is about humility. Acknowledging that you are not alone in your challenges and whatever situation you are in, and that there are others around you to help you through it, because the cheesy truth of the matter is that we are really all in this together. 

Lessons from the kids

School Programmes (Halaban and Aras Napal)

Where the learning was a 2-way thing 

I still remember my feelings towards conducting an environmental lesson for Sumatran primary school children last year during OSL and my mixed feelings towards it. Not really because we had to conduct the class in Bahasa (though that did add to the nervousness last year) but rather because I was uncomfortable with the act of trying, in my capacity as a foreigner, to teach the local children about their own forest. But now, I don't have that feeling anymore in the sense that I understand that what we're doing is really not so much of teaching and telling the local kids how they should protect their forests (because I still believe that I have no right to impose my views on them), but it's more of sharing what we've learnt with the team restorasi (restoration team). GPS has helped to clear up the aim of these school programmes for me, which I was quite uncertain about last year. So our role during these school visits is essentially to act as a medium to transfer the local knowledge that we learnt from the team restorasi in Besitang as well as the lessons learnt about the Leuser ecosystem from the rangers at Aras Napal, to the local children. 

The important thing to understand during service learning trips is that it is never about you, the foreigner, as an individual. It's really about how you can fit into the local system to provide a service that works best for the local people. As an anthropology student, I've learnt that it's important to learn how to see the world through the locals' eyes. 

When we interacted with the local children at their schools, it has never failed to amaze me how enthusiastic they are about learning and acquiring new skills and knowledge. This goes especially for the school at Aras Napal, where there are only 50 students spanning the whole 6 cohorts - this decrease in students due to a flood that hit the vicinity a couple of years ago. As a result, the school (as compared to others like at the Halaban village), is very basic and only contains only the bare necessities. Each class has a blackboard, a teacher's desk and a couple of chairs and tables. The staff room contains an assortment of loose items and some books, furnished with a 2 to 3 tables and chairs, including a little gong hanging from the wall that acts as the school bell when hit. And outside, there is a field for the children to play. 

After the school programme at Aras Napal, while we were staying back to paint the school tables and chairs, one of the 10-year old girls from my class came up to me, and before long, her younger sister and 6 other boys (7-11years old) joined and we talked. Most of them want to be doctors or teachers and don't want to pursue the farming career of their parents. What always amazes me is their hunger to learn. One of the girls (of a name that unfortunately slips my mind) answered that, no she does not like having only 3 people in her cohort/class despite having more 1-1 time with the teacher, because with more people in class, she can hear more opinions and perspectives and that will help her learning better. When asked if she would like to have have longer school hours, she did not hesitate to reply, yes, because there's so much more to learn. 

It's funny and also sad how there are children like her on one hand, who appear to not have enough education and want more, and then there are children of the same age (that i interact with in the Singapore Lyric Opera Children's Choir) who complain of having too much school. 

Video from our OSL trip 2012 to SD Gotong Royong (Gotong Royong Primary School)

Teaching the kids Taman Yang Paling Indah (local song Ari taught us last year)

Taman yang paling indah (the most beautiful garden)

Hanya taman kami (is our garden)

Tempat bermain (Where there is playing)

berteman banyak (there are lots of friends)

Itulah taman (that is the garden)

taman paling indah (the most beautiful garden)

Philosophy of education

Lessons from Ari and Febo 

On the second day, we trekked to the primary rainforest to collect seedlings for replanting in the nursery back at Cabin 2. I recall how the main problem our team had last year was differentiating between weeds and trees. This year we've definitely improved though there were still many instances when we would hesitate pondering whether the plant in front of us was a weed or a tree and whether we should pluck it out or leave it be. 

This activity was very much a learning by doing activity. Ari kept on assuring us that if we  didn't know whether it was a weed or a plant, instead of asking for help every single time, we were free to collect the plant first. Only once we had collected (what we thought to be) seedlings, Ari sat down with us in the forest to slowly go through what was right (a tree) and what was not (weed). I remember him saying; 

"If you have a question, 'how do you know, if this is weeds or trees, or baby trees?'

This is hard, but this is best question for us, 

because the answer is just experience" 

I really like that whole system of trust and nurturing in learning, in this kind of environmental, experiential education. By letting us try to distinguish the weeds and trees on our own, and creating a space that not only allows but encourages mistakes, it makes the process of learning so much more enjoyable, and it made me feel like I wanted to do the activity again to improve. (as compared to a system of teaching and learning that is of a top-down approach, where mistakes are frowned upon). 

During facilitation of that night, there were quite a few interesting points shared by the others in the team, about how they felt about the activity. Weiqi talked about how there is much more knowledge gained by experience, and I think it is not only more knowledge, but also a deeper degree of knowledge gained, when lessons are learnt through first-hand experience, instead of being dictated. 

Ultimately, this lesson can be brought back to the school-setting. For a long time, I have always been a bit hesitant at answering and raising my opinion in class, in fear that I'm wrong or that I'll be laughed at for my answer. But, like i mentioned in an earlier post, sometimes when you are unsure of something, the best way forward is to just jump into that something. It is never really about the final answer or the final product, the learning  is always at its deepest during the process. Keren and Vanessa both talked about how you can always choose to make the most out of your experience, and that you shouldn't let anything stop you from learning as much as you can. They mentioned how petty discomforts like leeches must be put aside if you want to enjoy the whole experience of being in the primary forest, which as we pointed out, was so much cooler and more peaceful than the open grassland outside, without the calm of the forest. 

Of course it has to be understood that in school or in life, not all teachers and mentors will be as nurturing and easygoing as Ari, and they may not provide you with that space of encouraging mistakes and may in fact be the complete opposite, which could be very disheartening. What i shared with the team was that perhaps then, if this nurturing space is not given to us, then we take the responsibility to create it within us, such that, no matter what the teaching philosophy of the teacher we have is (top down, mistakes frowned upon), that we always have a choice to encourage ourselves to learn the way we want, thanking each mistake for giving us more experience. 

When talking to Febo, I found out that he gives outdoor guitar lessons to kids for free in Medan, but that his style of teaching is not like delivering technical lessons from a textbook. Rather, he teaches the kids whatever songs that they want to learn, making the learning process more fun and engaging. 

So often in school, we are taught the importance of thinking logically, of methodological problem solving and while this is definitely important for all subjects not just maths or science, there is always a disconnect between the subject matter being learnt and the student. The link of "how am i connected to what I'm learning?" is never really emphasised. And I admit, as a student, I'm still trying to find that link and connect the dots which I feel is important because once that can be achieved, the process of learning may no longer be seen as a chore that simply has nothing to do with my own development. 

That's what I love about environmental education through activities like what we did at Cabin 2. By experiencing how it feels to carry out restoration activities (as opposed to reading up about the process of restoration and the cause and effect of deforestation), I understand that I am connected to what I learn. That there is a symbiotic relationship between the forest and myself, and now that that link has been formed, perhaps that's why the way I live my life after GPS has been slightly different, as I've become more conscious of my actions and how it will affect others. 

The Logical Song (Supertramp)

When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful, 
a miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily, 
oh joyfully, oh playfully watching me. 
But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible, 
logical, oh responsible, practical. 
And then they showed me a world where I could be so dependable, 
oh clinical, oh intellectual, cynical. 

There are times when all the world's asleep, 
the questions run too deep
for such a simple man. 
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned, 
I know it sounds absurd, 
but please tell me who I am. 
[...]

Through Tinted Windows

"Poem of the Night" (Day 1)

Inspired by the tinted windows of the car we drove in to Cabin 2

Through the tinted windows of glass

I feel an unnecessary barrier

between the world outside and me.

I can see all the drivers on the road,

the begging children on the street, 

but they cannot see me. 

I feel like I have no right to have access to their world.

But on a brighter note, 

the tinted windows of glass were shattered

when one of us struck up conversation,

when the other called us "family", 

when you taught us your songs

and we taught you ours. 

When, 

in the middle of the Sumatran forest, 

in the middle of the night, 

all that mattered

was that we were making music together, 

combining our worlds

so that when you made music and 

looked into our eyes, 

you reached into our soul, 

without saying anything at all, 

And the tinted windows of our eyes, 

like melting ice, 

disappeared, 

leaving behind only 

comfort 

and warmth. 

Seeing and Feeling with Sound

Sonically capturing the Sumatran Soundscape 

When going on trips, most people bring back photographs to remember their experience by. For me, I'm growing more and more interested in capturing the sonic aspect of my experiences, an aspect which is often forgotten. We often forget how big and important a role sound plays in our life. Here I speak of sound as referring to really anything you can hear, from the raw sounds - of the thick and dense marketplace and the sparse almost silent suspension from all the waiting during bird watching, to actual conversations - be it candid witty comments, jokes and puns or information and interviews of people like Ari, Rio and Darma, to actual music from the endless group jamming sessions with Ramses and Febo as we exchanged and learnt each other's music. 

It's very intriguing to me how through sound, you can see. Sometimes you don't always need photographs to remember. Now, when I replay my archive of sounds, through just listening, I can remember what that sound looked like. 

This year, I came prepared. I remember how upset I felt after OSL, after hearing the recordings of music sung by the locals at Cabin 2 through my low-fi nokia handphone. Using the school's edirol sound recorder proved to be very useful, not only in capturing singing but speech as well. More than often, it is what someone says to us, perhaps a certain sentence or phrase or saying, that makes us think and changes us a little bit inside. Indeed, there were so many insightful and meaningful conversations held with the various people we met during this trip, and while I didn't record all conversations (because quite frankly, that would pretty much be an invasion of privacy if I were to whip out the edirol to record every word down), what this experience did teach me was how I really shouldn't take any moment for granted. I retrieved this passage from my journal which I wrote on the 7th night at Cabin 2:

"What i have learnt from this GPS, if there is one (out of the many) points learnt, is that I should always remember to treasure each moment. Treasure each moment and absorb it all, as if it were all edirol-standard and photo-worthy. You never know when you will have this moment again so treasure it - not as if it were your last - I hate that expression (of how you should live like it is your last day on earth). I think you should live each moment as if it were your first. You have not experienced this moment in this way before, in this circumstance, with these people and it is a first time for everything." 

And adding on, I think that if you were to treat each moment as if it were your first time (no matter how many thousand times you have done it), doesn't it make it so much more exciting? :)

At the same time, despite having recorded over 300 sounds, this experience has also taught me to listen. I was having a conversation with Becky on a similar topic, about how  if you were to come across a beautiful picturesque scene, sometimes the first thing you should do may not necessarily be to whip out your camera and snap away. Instead, you might want to consider stopping to look, admire and take in that scene with your own eyes, not through the lens of a piece of machinery. 

While documenting a moment is important and very much treasured especially when one feels nostalgic, it is also equally, in fact, more important to live that moment. With reference to sound recordings, there are many times when I slap my forehead and mutter on about 'how stupid it was of me to miss the opportunity to record that moment'. But when I think about it, what is more important is that I have lived that sound and I can remember how it made me feel. And this is really one of the most important lessons that I have learnt during GPS; the importance of living in the moment and being fully aware in the present. 

And I also feel that I can link all this back to my work back at school - the whole mentality and misconception that "it's okay not to give my all in class because I can always copy from the board and read the notes at home, and make sense of all of this later". Perhaps the reason why I kept on thinking that i never had enough time to do work before GPS was really simply due to this misconception, that I can read the notes at home instead (similar to the act of listening to conversations recorded without actually listening to the speakers when I'm actually with them). 

So, as strange as it seems, the practice of recording all these sounds has actually highlighted the importance of being in the moment, sharpening my ears to pick up sounds that, though initially almost regarded as "background noise" and "just talking", start to sound like experiences full of emotion. 

Link to hear just a couple of songs recorded, including my 20minute sound montage summarising the GPS experience: 

https://soundcloud.com/groups/gps-sumatra-2013

Pre-GPS

"Poem of the Night" 

Written the night before leaving for Sumatra

It is funny and wonderful, 

this feeling of excitement and exhilaration,

when I think of the hard wooden-planked floor

of where I shall sleep for 12 nights to come

But they are far from hard or cold.

They represent the spirit of Balik Kampung,

of Gotong Royong, 

of Mari Kita Jaga Bersama, Jaga Orangutan Sumatra.

I will wake up from the soft comfort

of my bed at home in 5 hours and 35 minutes.

I will take a cab to the airport which is overpriced, 

at some ungodly hour,

carrying goodness knows what on my back,

And I am exhilarated:)

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 

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.