Assalamu'alaikum
warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh~
Ramadhan's
over. Raya's over :) The semester has started and we are already in
the third week, I believe. But I don't have to go to University and
attend classes. Why? Because, it is already my third year in uni.
Therefore, it is my discovery year. And during discovery year, as a
UBD student, I have to do a semester of internship and a semester of
SEP. I will talk about SEP next semester hahaha.
So
anyway, today is already my forth day of internship!! Yay!! :D I was
supposed to go to Indonesia for internship but something happened so
I had to stay back in Brunei and do my internship here instead. But
so far so good :) Everyone here is so kind and I really am having a
good time here. I am put in English publishing unit in one of the
government office :) Yesterday, I had to translate a full Malay
article into English. It was fun!
Oh
anyway!
In
this post, I decided to share about my experience in participating in
one of the courses offered by Outward Bound Brunei Darussalam (OBBD)
on 8th June until 10th June 2015. It was a
three days course. Have no idea what OBBD is? Google it. Haha. This
was actually not my first time. I have attended a five days course
there twice when I was in PKBN in the year 2012. So I knew what to
expect. This time I was sent under cadet :)
At
first, I didn't expect to be chosen for the three days course, but
then I was suddenly added into this chat group on Whatsapp and was
told that I am one of the chosen cadets that would be going. I didn't
know what to feel when the news reached me.
Don't
misunderstand! OBBD's courses are fun! I really love all the
activities, even though they are tough and challenging, they are fun
and is always a great experience.
My
first OBBD five days course was with my PKBN mates. It was incredibly
fun! I got to experience Kayak-ing for the first time in my life! I
almost drown though when we did 'water confidence' in the river. LOL.
Because I can't swim. Luckily, our JL helped. We also did a lot of
other activities! Like, low rope challenge, high rope challenge,
multitask challenges and more. All was to strengthen our bond :)
Oh,
I still remember, that five days course was what made me feel a
little bit more confidence in myself. And also, that was actually the
very first time, we actually did stuffs together with the boys in our
platoon and that was the moment I got to really know Adik and Kimmy
and my Kayak partner, Khairul!
Our
platoon's team name at that time was Damang Sari. Ohmy, I'm feeling
nostalgic right now. LOL. It was a great memory! But at the same
time, there are bitter memories as well. During the last night, we
did something that made our platoon's JL mad. We didn't do it on
purpose, seriously! We were just too excited that night and started
cheering by ourselves, loud and didn't realize that we were actually
misbehaving. Tsk tsk. And during that very last night too, the girls
were punished almost a hundred time knuckle push-ups. And yes, it was
because of our own stupidity. We didn't behave as we should have
been. My knuckles were in so much pain when we finally got to rest
that night.
The
second five days course was about a month later, also during my PKBN
period. The second time was a lot tougher than the previous one.
Trust me, the challenges were too much for me to handle but
alhamdulillah, I managed to survive till the end and I didn't give
up. It was all thanks to Adik and Kimmy who were always by my side
and giving me infinity supports. This time around, we got to
challenge ourselves in rock climbing, abseiling, solo night, 7 hours
jungle trekking, staying overnight in the jungle and more.
I'm
really afraid of height!! I'm serious! So rock climbing and abseiling were very frightening to me, I almost cried. LOL! But somehow, I
managed to do it with all the supports from my platoon. It was really
one of the biggest achievements in my life so far. I faced my fear of
height! Hoho!
I
love solo night the most! In this activity, each of us were placed in
certain part of the jungle... ALONE and spent the night ALONE,
without torchlight or anything else. We were only supply with tent
sheets, a piece of bread, a dry bag, 3 pieces of full scape papers, a
pen and... I forgot LOL. I was left on my own around noon that day
and right away I started building my tent. Yup, we had to build our
own tent. IT WAS SO FREAKING HARD! I had no idea how to do it haha.
It took me about 2 hours to build a very small messy looking tent and
soon after that it started raining. Before the sun went down, I
decided to start writing a letter for my future self as what was
instructed to us earlier. Haha yeah, that was what the papers and the
pen were for. I wrote a full three pages letter!
The
toughest activity that time was the 7 hours jungle trekking. It was
not just a normal hiking thing, because this time, we had to carry an
almost 10 kg weight bargain. I may be over reacting, it may not even
reach 10 kg but that was how it felt. It was... It was... indescribable. The first day was fine. It took us 4 hours, I think,
to reach the campsite where we would be staying over the night. I
didn't feel tired at all. Yep, the bargain I carried on my back was
really heavy but I still was having a lot of fun because beside me,
there was Kimmy and Adik :)
That
night we slept overnight at the campsite. Arriving there, I was
feeling a bit unwell so when others were setting up tents, I rested
for a bit. Kimmy and Adik noticed and they came to me asking if I was
alright :) Adik even offered some dried grapes. That night,
even though it was dark, humid and cold with mosquitoes everywhere, I
spent the time with Kimmy and Adik until it was very late. We talked
about stuffs and even shared a bowl of instant noodles. I really wish
Adik was my real little brother. Oh, for your information, Adik means
little brother :) I was the only one who called him Adik. His real
name is Umar. Both of us made a pack that if anyone asks about our
relationship, we will tell them that we are brother and sister. LOL.
Almost everyone believed that we are really brother and sister. They
even said that we almost look alike.
I
miss Adik and Kimmy so much.
That
was all about my first and second OBBD experience. There are still a
lot more to share but it would take me a week or two for me to finish
writing everything.
My
latest OBBD experience was just this year with the cadets as what I
have mentioned in one of the earliest paragraph. All the memories are
still freshly embedded in my mind, heart and soul. LOL!
On
the 8th June 2015, all of us cadets left for Temburong by
using speedboat :) It wasn't my first time riding on a speedboat but
it was still as fun as my first time and I really enjoyed watching
the reaction of some of my skots who rode it the first time. It took
about an hour to reach the jetty in Temburong. Oh! I remembered
posting a post about my trip to temburong with my Geography
classmates, right? Hahah XD
We
arrived at Batang Duri camp just before noon and immediately we were
divided into groups that have been agreed on few days ago. I was in
group 1 which later was known as team Nakhoda Ragam. In my group,
there was Amoy, Ainul, Amal, Wajdi and Saifullah from my uni, while
the others were from another high institutions. It was our first time
getting to know the others. Thank Allah, everyone so friendly and we
got really close with each other in a very short time.
On
the first day, we had a short introduction session with the trainer
that were assigned to us and ice breaking session with all the
members in group. We played some games too :) It was difficult to
actually remember everyone's name but because we played the games in
which we had to call out their names, I managed to memorize all their
name in only fifteen minutes or so.
After
having lunch, we tried flying fox! During my PKBN time, the flying
fox was under maintenance, so we didn't get to try the flying fox at
that time. But this time, I was finally getting on the flying fox for
the first time in my life.
I
HAVE FEAR OF HEIGHT! So was desperately trying to excuse myself from
getting on the flying fox but I was still forced to go. I was one of
the very last people to hike up the stairs. Seriously, my heart beat
kept on accelerating. Everyone was telling me that it was fun and
there was nothing to be scared of but I was still nervous and believe
me, I was shaking all over. There was a point there where I said to
myself, "I SHOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE!"
When
it was finally my turn, nervously, I watched quietly as one of the
trainers put on the safety on me. When it was time, I braced myself,
bit my lips, closed my eyes, I thought to myself It's now or never
and... JUMPED! I JUMPED
and it was freaking SCARY!! I was screaming! Yes! Hahaha! I screamed
so much my throat hurt. But after half way, I stopped screaming when
I saw the view. It was beautiful. Looking at the river from above was
really an experience that I will never forget. I was too busy
enjoying the view that I forgot how scared I was.
Arrived
at the end point, I could barely walk.. Nevertheless, it was a great
experience and I never regret getting on the flying fox. I'm glad
that I decided to give it a try :)
But,
once is enough. Thank you.
Once
everyone was done, we all gathered at Team Nakhoda Ragam's site (?)
and shared some of our thought on our experience in Flying Fox :) I
got to share my thought and added, "It was fun but it will my
first and last" and they laughed.
I
kind of forgot what we did on the first day.... Ah! Water confidence!
We went to the river! :D Just like what we did during PKBN. We got
into the river, hands in hands, created a circle and made ourselves
float on the the water. It was relaxing. It reminds me of Kimmy. Lol!
Out of nowhere! Hahah XD
Then
our trainer, Haji Mahmud, told us to do a solo floating and we had to
swim ourselves to the side of the river. And yeah, the thing is... I
can't swim. I tried my best to move my legs and arms, but the river
only brought me away from the river bank. So yeah, before I went away
swept by the river, they had to catch me and pull me up into a boat.
Thanks. Hahaha!
That
night on the first day, we played some games and then we were told to
create a logo for our team. I'm pretty bad at drawing. So I only
contributed few ideas and opinions. While the others were busy with
the logo, Saifullah and I were called by our trainer.
Oh!
I forgot to mention this! Both Saifullah and I were assigned as Store
Q. So basically, we were responsible in taking care of the the stuffs
that were borrowed to us and our team. Well, I volunteered myself
hahaha because I have had enough of being the useless one in groups
that I have been before.
I
thought being a store Q was easier than being the leader of the team
but nahhh. That night we went to sleep later than the other groups
because there was a lot to do in preparing for the next day's
activity.
Then
it was time to get ready for 7km jungle trekking. Yeah, it was the
same one like what we did during PKBN ) And yes, we had to carry a
10kg bargain bag too – I know 10 kg is a bit exaggerating!. The
only different is that this time I was with different people. No
Kimmy, no Adik to be there for me so I was quite nervous. Before we
moved on, we decided that every each of us should have a partner so
that we could support and take care of each other. I was partnered
with Amal :) She is awesome! She supported me all the way!
In
the line, I was the third from the back and Amal was infront of me.
At behind me were Saifullah and Wajdi. Since we only had four guys in
our group, we decided that two of them should be at very front of the
line to lead the way and reading the map, while the other should stay
at the back to take care of everyone, to make sure that everything
was fine and that no one fell behind.
I
thought it would be like PKBN all over again; where everyone kept
pressuring each other to move fast, the guys at the back saying bad
words and calling the navigators name when they made the wrong turn
that we got lost in the way, the girls falling asleep at the resting
point, everyone made a face that clearly showed that they couldn't
wait to get to the next resting point once we started to move again.
I thought it was going to be like that. But...
No.
Even
though we just knew others for a short period of time, we tolerated
each other pretty well. Everyone supported each other and when the
guys at the front made a wrong turn, the others didn't get mad! I was
surprised. There was one of us who never really hike before and she
was really slow and scared about stepping on rocks. We couldn't blame
her because it really was slippery and it was her first time too.
Everyone supported her :) We didn't mind going slow as long as
everyone was okay :)
We
did stop at certain point to get some rest but it was never over 5
minutes long – except when we stopped for lunch. And at those rest
points, even though everyone tired, they kept talking to each other
and motivating the others :) No one mentioned about giving up. After
2-5 minutes, when the leader said it was time to continue the
journey, no one complained or even requesting to rest more. It was
amazing. These people are so damn amazing :)
At
lunch time, we stopped at one of the checkpoints, and sat in a group.
Sharing two cans of tuna and some breads we happily enjoyed our
lunch. I was sitting with Saifullah. Watching him eating his bread, I
suddenly thought of something. The trainer told us that the next day
we would be going back to Batang Duri camp by Kayak and from my
experience, I know that we need a partner in Kayak. There were only
four guys in the team... Only four girls would have guys as their
partners while the others would have to pair with other girls. I
thought hard and finally came up with a decision. I decided that
Saifullah would be my partner.
It
was not like I didn't trust the girls. It was just that if anything
happen while we are kayak-ing; our kayak got turned over and we fall,
for example... They wouldn't be able to pull me up because of my
weight and we would end up falling again. I know I was thinking too
much and actually, that kind of incident wouldn't happen if we stay
alert but I couldn't help but to worry. I can't swim. Umm. And I am
afraid of deep water. Yes I know I know. I have a lot of fears. So
this was why I needed someone I could depend on if anything
happened... that I figured that someone would be Saifullah. Plus, he
was the only guy in the group who seems strong enough to handle me.
So,
while the others were busy with the own bread, I approached Saifullah
and said, "Hey, do you know that for Kayak activity tomorrow, we
need to have a partner..." I didn't directly said that I wanted
him as my partner but somehow, he got it right away.
He
said, "Are you trying to hint that you want me as your partner?"
(Are you proposing me? Yeah, something like that?)
Okay. I didn't expect him to be that clever. Since he already knew,
so I told him lah that I wanted him to be my partner. He didn't give
me the answer right away but he did say that he would think about it.
We
arrived at the camp site about 5 hours later and started setting up
the tents. The four guys shared the same tent while the girls divided
ourselves into three groups. I shared the tent with Amal, Amoy and
Ainul. It was raining heavily right after we were done with the
tents. But the supposed to be our kitchen was still roof-less. So
under the rain, soaking wet, we helped the guys to finish setting up
the kitchen's roof. I was really amazed with how the guys were
working so hard together. Even though it was raining so heavy, they
still put a lot of effort to it. Done with the kitchen's shelter,
they had to go down to river and pump filter some water too. I'm not
saying that the guys in my PKBN platoon didn't work as hard though...
They too worked so hard but it's just that I was too busy having
migraine to watch them.
The
rain was still pouring despite the fact that the sun was already
setting down. But when our trainer called us to get down to the
river, we had no choice but to go. However, fortunate for us, the
rain wasn't as heavy when we reached the river. There, our trainer
taught us some basic in Kayak-ing, such as the correct way to paddle,
how to control the kayak, and what do we do if we fall off the kayak
and if our kayak capsized or... umm... anything like that lah. We
were also taught about water rafting.
Then,
it was time when we were supposed to get a partner and practice the
with the kayak. I looked at Saifullah but he didn't catch my eyes as
he was talking to the other guys. Everyone got to their partner so I
was a bit anxious. But then, while I was helping to carry one of the
kayak down the river, someone suddenly smacked – literally – my
back. It was Saifullah and he said, "Your partner is me"
I
couldn't describe how relieved I was when he said that. I thought he
didn't remember! So with Saifullah, I got into the river and grabbed
a paddle stick. When it was finally our turn we both got onto our
kayak and practiced the paddling thingy. Our trainer then warned as
that he was going to turn over the kayak purposely and we had to do
what he taught us earlier. I did this before with my PKBN kayak
partner, Khairul, but still, I was freaking nervous. Anxiously, I
waited for the kayak to be turned over and closed my eyes.
SPLASH!!
We
both fell off the kayak and into the river. The area wasn't that deep
but I still found it hard to reach the gound. The life jacket didn't
make things easier too. It took time for me to actually properly
stand in the water. Saifullah didn't help me. Urgh. That dude! I
still remember when Khairul was my partner. He held on to me and
helped me to stand. I miss him.
Now
we had to turn the kayak again and then get ourselves up again. I
helped Saifullah to get up first by grabbing onto his hand and once
he safely settled down on it, he pulled me up. I'm so glad that I
chose Saifullah. He manage to pull me like it was nothing. But then,
he just dropped me in the kayak, like I was a large tuna that he had
just caught.
Once
everything was set and the rain had stopped, the girls were in charge
of cooking and preparing some food for dinner that night. I can't
really cook so I didn't really do anything. I prepare the utensils
instead and getting stuffs they needed from our tent. I'm not sure
what the other guys were doing because I didn't really pay attention
to them but Saifullah was trying his best to make some fire. He
managed to get some fire but it died down too soon because the leaves
and grasses were wet due to the rain earlier. However, the good thing
about Saifullah is that he never gave up and kept trying his best to
give us fire, to give us some warmth.
Dinner
was ready. We all gathered at the kitchen site (Please forgive me for
my lame vocabulary) and sat in a circle. We shared everything!! We
didn't really care anymore. Haha XD Saifullah joined us a bit late
because he was busy with his fire. We were having so much fun
together. Finished dinner, we stayed there for some coffee and hot
chocolate :) Made jokes, laughing together, sharing some thought and
experience. It was a fun night! We laughed over tiny things, being
silly and... we just had so fun together.
That
night, we went to sleep pretty late. It started to rain again around
midnight but though the weather was like that, inside the tent, it
was still pretty hot. I didn't really have a pleasant sleep that
night. I kept waking up through the night and I could hear the guys
talking among themselves outside.
The
next morning, we woke up early to clear the site and getting ready to
leave. We clear the kitchen site after we were done with our
breakfast. Thank Allah we prepared the food for breakfast before we
went to sleep last night. Nothing special though, we only had baked
potato and some tuna XD
Then
we all proceeded to the river carrying all of our stuffs which later
we placed on a long boat. The person in charge would take all the
stuffs to Batang Duri. The our trainer told us that some of us would
have to go on the raft for the first half before changing to kayak in
the second half. Saifullah decided that we would go on the raft
first. I didn't really mind though.
When
everything was ready, we started our journey back to Batang Duri. The
raft ride was fine though I didn't really enjoy it. Then it was
finally time to change to Kayak. I was so excited! Because my kayak
experience with Khairul was one of the most enjoyable moments in my
life so far. I really wish it would be the same this time but...
Saifullah
and I got a problematic kayak. It didn't have enough air in it and
the pump was not within our reach but Saifullah decided to just go
with it. I wanted to disagree but Saifullah insisted. Ishh.
At
first, nothing really happened and it was fine. Just that I found out
that Saifullah and I are very incompatible! Clearly, it wasn't my
first time kayak-ing (it was my third time for God's sake!) so of
course I know how it works. I tried to explain it to him but he
brushed me away. He didn't listen to what I was saying and forced me
follow his methods. Those methods worked though but it wasn't how
kayak-ing was supposed to be done! In the end, because I didn't want
to argue more, I let him had his way.
Then!
Another unfortunate event happened to us. Our kayak got stuck on
rocks in the middle of the river where the river water was flowing at
a very high velocity. We tried to call for help but everyone else was
already so far ahead, leaving us alone behind. Saifullah came up with
a rush idea. He got off the kayak and told me to do the same which I
did. It was difficult because of the fast flowing river and it was
quite dangerous too. Then together we pulled the kayak back into the
river and before it got swept away by the river, both of us quickly
jumped on it! Yes! Can you imagine that? Lucky for us, after that
everything was fine... and we were the last one to arrive...
In
conclusion, to me, this was the worst kayak experience ever! It
wasn't fun at all! I miss my PKBN kayak partner... and all the fun we
had together. It was really different this time. To enjoy kayak-ing,
you need to have a partner who is compatible to you.
Khairul
and I were kind of different in personality but once we got into our
kayak, we were very compatible with each other. Khairul is a fun
person and I enjoyed our moment together. I have tried sea kayaking
before, also in PKBN and my partner was Khairul again. For me, sea
kayaking is harder than river kayaking because in sea kayaking we
need to go against the waves. It was exhausting! But that time,
because my partner was Khairul, I managed to survive the 12 km sea
kayaking! (Wait, was it 12km? 10Km? I forgot but it was pretty far,
ya know). When I felt like giving up, he kept shouting encouraging
words from behind me... He kept my spirit up by saying stuffs like,
"Good job! That's how you do it!" or "You're really
good at this! Just a little bit more! Hang in there!" or "Don't
give up!" ... And we ended up to be one of the first few groups
who arrived at the destination in a short time.
Yeah...
He's awesome.
I'm
not comparing Saifullah and Khairul! No! Saifullah has his own strong
points, for example... he is able to think under pressure and he
always know what to do during an emergency and... oh
yeah, he doesn't give up. Remember the fire he made in the jungle? It
died down so soon but Saifullah didn't give up! And that night,
thanks to him, because of the warmth he gave us, we didn't feel cold.
It's just that, we are not compatible with each other as kayak
partner.
Arrived
at Batang Duri camp, we gathered all of our stuffs and proceeded to
have shower and changed into some new fresh clean clothes. After
making sure that all of the stuffs borrowed to us by OBBD were all
put back safely in the store, Saifullah and I returned the storeroom
key to our trainer. Thus, that was the end of our job as the store Q.
We
finally left Batang Duri that afternoon and headed back home...
That
was how my third OBBD experience was! Umm, I explained it in a very
simple way though... Actually there might be some stuffs that I
missed out... I 'm pretty sure there is a lot of it. But nevermind.
So,
that is all for this post! Here is team Nakhoda Ragam group photo :) and yeah... some photos.
 |
| TEAM NAKHODA RAGAM; (Stands left to right: Azrina, Salma, Shikin, OUR TRAINER, Saifullah, Faizzul, ME, Jirah, Aminah) (Sits left to right: Amal, Amoy, Mirah, Ainul, Wajdi, Najib) |
 |
| With Khairul; My kayak partner during PKBN |
 |
| Adik, ME, Kimmy and Khairul |
Bye!
Oh
yeah, please ignore all the spelling or grammar errors. I am too lazy
to reread everything all over again to check the mistakes.
