Hello all. As the title suggests, today marks one month since my Inner Mongolia trip! So if I were to say that 30 days ago, I was at Beijing Huairou uhh I think gathering at Elijah's room playing taiti and having fun there. Sigh time really flies huh. Somehow one month flies really quickly. I guess cause the first two weeks were so awesome (AKA my trip) and the next week was awesome too (Korea trip) so time flies really quickly I guess.
But what else can I say? The trip was really awesome. I don't think I want to repeat and type what I feel about the trip as I've written about it in the past 3 posts I think. And so yeah... I guess the trip itself is beyond words. I can't really fully describe it! In words. And I don't think I wanna write a day per day basis cause first I'm too lazy to transfer, and secondly it's gonna take a long time.
I just feel really blessed and lucky to have been chosen for this trip. I mean there are 25 of us and there were 74 students who signed up for the interview. The chances are 1/3 right? It's not even 1/2, the chance is smaller. I remember how much my eyes widened when Jess told me that statement. And how I was feeling really worried for the next about... 10 days while waiting for the result. I was telling myself how slim the chance was, I mean 74 to 25! It's a 1:3 chance after all.
Then I remembered it was a Friday, I was eating with Lizzie and Minli when I saw Kai's post on my wall saying "Adhi, Candy, Jonathan we're going to Inner Mongolia!". At first I couldn't believe, cause I didn't see the email. Just to double check, I went to my email straight away through my phone and the first thing I saw was "CONGRATULATIONS Green Desert @ SP Fall Team" or something like that, from Jesslyn.
That day was to say one of the happiest day of this year I guess :P
It's kind of funny how everything started from a Facebook banner in DSD's wall. In fact it was on my news feed. When I see the word "Inner Mongolia" I was really intrigued by it. I mean it's not really every year that we get to go for an OCIP in such a unique place of Inner Mongolia. And after all, I've never been to an OCIP before. Hence I've been always on the look of OCIP trips organised by SP. So when I saw that banner, I just signed up straight away and sent Jesslyn the email.
Then from banner to pre-trip meetings, pre-trip activity at Ubin, then finally the trip itself. I remember how excited I was on the Sunday night before the trip. Our flight was early, at 9.30 and we have to meet at 7 in Changi. I ended up sleeping for only 2 hours. I remember I slept at about 3.30 and woke up at 5.30. And I was kind of wide awake on the plane to Beijing - that's how excited I was.
Then the trip itself happened, and I was having the best two weeks of my life. I've never been involved in such a big environment project before. Apart from the usual clean-ups and collection of recyclable materials. Our effort may seem kind of "little". People may laugh at us when we tell them we're going there to plant trees. But actually we're all making quite a huge impact on the environment, as we try to combat the sand storms that Beijing is having here and there.
We turn desert green. How cool is that! :)
Kind of a pity that I wasn't really aware of the environmental issues around me before the trip. Well I do know some, and I do carry out the usual 3R habits at home, like recycling paper and reusing stuff. But after the trip, I'm kind of more aware of my surrounding. For example during the Korea trip, I was looking at how the people there carry out the recycling activities. I was happy to see recycling bins everywhere there :)
Well so to put it this way, I'm aware of the environmental issues we have before the trip, and now I'm more aware of them. So it's good right :D
But ultimately, even though we go there for an environmental project, at the same time we're all going through a journey of self-discovery. We're finding who our true self is, and well we learn more things about life as well. There's so much things we can learn from nature, so much. And as we plant our 1133 trees, we too, took back so many things these trees have taught us.
And not forgetting the friendship that we have forged together. For two weeks we went through everything together. Having breakfast together, having lunch together in the field, having dinner together in the hotel (or out with our friends). We worked together at the field. When we have problems, we work together and fix it. Basically we're really bonded with one another.
I guess that's the reason why I feel so emotionally attached to this group of people very much. Take it Duolun Grand Hotel as our "house". That's where we all took a break after a hard day's work. It feels like we're living in the same place for two weeks, under the same roof. So I guess the fact that we're living in the same place together make us bond together as well. Even stronger.
That's a reason why I feel the trip is an awesome one. We're all so bonded! So I like :)
Duolun - the beautiful town we spent for about 10 days. The friendly locals, the walks I had around the town and the food. Such a great place to be at. I'll definitely miss its slow-paced and simplistic way of life. When I got back, I feel everything is so rushed and oh well. So different. I think we all can learn from the people there. Living a simple way of life, living a "balanced" life, don't rush things.
And similar to any other overseas trip, be it just travelling, or exchange trip and OCIP trip, the thing I like about them is the fact that I'll really forget about life. Just forget everything. And be focussed on what I'm doing in that country itself - have fun and well in this case plant trees. Honestly speaking, being there makes me forget so many things. Makes me to just NOT THINK about life. And it really felt good, really do.
That's why when I returned to Singapore, the withdrawal symptom was so great. and this can be caused by two things I guess - one because I was having so much fun in Inner Mongolia and/or two I don't wanna return to reality. It's pretty rare in life, that we actually TOTALLY forget about life and just be focussed on another thing only. And when we do, I guess that's when we really feel blessed in life.
Okay I guess I've digressed quite a lot from the trip itself.
But anyway yes, the trip was one amazing journey I'll never forget. And if given the chance, I really want to relive the moments all over again. But knowing we're all human, and that we don't have the ability to return back to a certain time, I guess the only way I can relive the moments is to look at my photos once again. Right? And to read my journal all over again I suppose. Words and photos are really the best friends of a sentimental person like me.
Yan Chang Zhang told me before we left to return here and bring my grandchildren/children along, and tell them that we planted these trees in 2011. When he told me that, I felt really happy and touched. And at the same time, I feel determined to return there in the future. Oh I forgot, the watering uncle also told me something along that line too. We've only met, and he told me that. Such hospitality aye? :)
Alright I guess that's all for this post. To end it of, enjoy this video montage I created two nights ago haha. It's a video montage of the photos I took in Inner Mongolia when we were there. Hope you enjoyed it. Song used is Sacral Nirvana by Oliver Shanti and Friends. A song I always listen to when I was there on the bus, or in the hotel at night. So the song really suits the video I guess. It's like experiencing what I see, what I hear there. Well not a 100% exact but just, enjoy! :)
Cheers to a great team, a great trip, a great town, great sights, great locals, AMAZING journey :)
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