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With my team members and student leader
JOURNEY TO THE WEST
JOURNEY TO THE WEST
Welcome to the Experiential Teambuilding Programme (ETB) page, a four-day course organised by Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) for a team of SUSS students like me to discover more about myself, work in teams efficiently, and embrace the community. Day two of the course brought my teammates and I around the west in an Amazing Race format titled “Journey to the West.”
Despite staying in the west side of Singapore for all my life, today made me realised that there are still places in the west that I have not visited. I personally did not know that the first ever National Service (NS) camp was in Taman Jurong. I feel that it is important for Singaporeans to remember our roots as our roots are our foundation and is the reason for our growth.
The main purpose of the Journey to the West Amazing Race is to develop a bond with my teammates. Although this Amazing Race is a competition, our team decided that the main goal is to enjoy the experience, which I certainly did. I think experience is the thing that matter most in every type of situation. It is very straight-forward to be the best. However, the process of becoming the best, should be as enriching as the result that comes from putting in the hard work.
As part of team building, I think it is important to come to the agreement and consensus as a team. The main challenge faced during the Amazing Race is the weather. It was just drizzling. However, it is possible to fall sick from just the light drizzling. Therefore, to overcome this challenge, my teammates and I decided to completely skip the segment of the Amazing Race at Jurong Lake Gardens as the place would mostly not be sheltered.
It would be crucial to go to every checkpoint to win the race. As mentioned earlier, the goal was not win but to enjoy ourselves. It is important that the team compromise and then come to a consensus that everyone in the team would agree with. As part of Bruce Tuckerman’s Team Development Model, it would suggest that my teammates and I would be in the “norming stage” where decisions can be made together as a team with little or no conflict.
Each teammate played different roles during the Amazing Race. Overall, the Amazing Race was a positive experience for my teammates and I as I believe everyone was willing to work together and complete the race together. Everyone has a positive attitude, and I was very glad to have been able to group with people that has a positive mindset.
Self-awareness is an important characteristic as it allows an individual to be objective and not letting his or her emotions get in the way of personal development. Self-awareness is something I used to be lacking in and it is still something that I am constantly working on. As my quiet self, stepping out of my comfort zone is something that is used to be difficult to do. However, as times goes by, the more I learn about myself and the more I understand myself, the less I care about how I am perceived. Being with my teammates and doing all sorts of the challenges together for the Amazing Race, reminded me that everyone has a role to play in the team and I am playing mine. Being in a team reminded me to accept myself for who I am and not worry about things I cannot control. At the end of the way, what matters most is how I perceive myself instead of how others perceive me.
At one of the checkpoints for the Amazing Race
Completing a task during the Amazing Race
Journey to the West taught me the importance of having consensus as a team and being self-aware. Instead of being self-conscious about others perception on myself, I concentrated on how I can play my role and contribute to the team. Others will think the way they want to think, that is something I can only control to a certain extent. I realised that being my authentic self is the most important throughout my journey not just in SUSS, but in life. Therefore, going forward, the focus would be working harmoniously together not just with a team, but with myself as well.
COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY
Day three of the Experiential Teambuilding Programme (ETB) brought us to the north side of Singapore to gain a further understanding about being in a community. First half of the day was dedicated to Wah Son Farm while for the second half, my teammates and I embarked on an exploration trail around Admiralty and Sembawang. This was an extremely fulfilling day as it helped my teammates and I gain insights about the importance of belonging and the significance of being a part of a community.
One of the famers at Wah Son Farm, Miss Ee Peng was the embodiment of Singapore University of Social Science (SUSS) core philosophy - Head, Heart and Habit. Miss Ee Peng was very knowledgeable in the type of plants and even claim that she know how to survive in times of a war about which plants are safe to be consumed raw and which plants are not, which represents the ‘Head’ portion of SUSS core philosophy. Furthermore, Miss Ee Peng was very passionate about the farming at Wah Son Farm, which showcase the ‘Heart’ portion. Lastly, Miss Ee Peng has very strong values. about farming. Wah Son Farm has a watering system that used no additional water, instead the condensation generated from the Air-Conditioner at the farm is collected and used for watering the plants. Miss Ee Peng was also dedicated to combustion of food-waste to help the plants, which reflect ‘Habit’ of the SUSS core philosophy. Overall, Wah Son farm was an enriching experience, and it was really fulfilling to able to meet Miss Ee Peng who is very passionate in the work she does at Wah Son Farm.
The exploration trail (Sembawang Hot Spring Park, Kampung Admiralty, Admiralty Park and Chong Pang City) showed my teammates and I the insights of the community at Admiralty and Sembawang. One place that stood out to me was Chong Pang City as I believe it is one of the few neighbourhood centres that has yet to be redeveloped. As growing up in Clementi, I had witness Clementi transform from a place with only shophouses to now a neighbourhood centre with many high-rise buildings and a few shopping malls. I personally feel that one key factor that brings a community together is nostalgia. Nostalgia reminds people of their roots and provide the motivation for growth. I believe that the bittersweet feeling from nostalgia brings meaning into life, which was what Chong Pang City reminded me of.
At Wah Son Farm for a community company visit
Helping out during our visit to Wah Son Farm
Community to me means a group of people that share the same values. Being at Wah Son Farm helped me understand the prominence of agriculture and the relation to the sustainability of the community. Being able to grow our own crops is a huge asset to our survival. For example, in times of war where there might be lack of food, or in case of a pandemic. Growing a local farm, understanding agriculture would have the potential to help us through tough times. The agriculture community in Singapore is not as prominent as other countries that has a lot of land. Wah Son Farm has very limited physical space to grow huge amount of crop. Furthermore, Wah Son Farm has considered vertical farming. The cost does not justify the reason to transform Wah Son Farm to use smart technology. However, Wah Son Farm has the expertise in Miss Ee Peng as she ensures that the crop that is growing at Wah Son Farm is beneficial to the society. Furthermore, Wah Son Farm has just started associating with school volunteers to help with its farming. Learning about the agriculture community from Wah Son Farm, helped me understand how agriculture thrives in Singapore.
The exploration trail helped me understand that various places within a community hold significance in people’s lives. For example, after visiting Admiralty Park, seeing many families bringing their children to the playground, shows me how the community can use places like Admiralty Park to mingle and bond. Furthermore, the children will grow up to appreciate Admiralty Park from all the fun times they had playing there. Chong Pang City also has its own stories about nostalgia and the people that grew up in that neighbourhood. Local shophouses play a comforting role in the people that grew up in Chong Pang City as it provides a sense of familiarity. During tough times in people lives, they could seek comfort from these places that help brought them joy in their community. Therefore, it is important to identify what a community can offer its people which in turn would help the people appreciate its community.
Day three of ETB taught me the importance of a community. A community helps people form a sense of belonging. A community helps people understand how to use its resources to benefit the people. Therefore, being a part of a community, find people with common interest and shared values will be beneficial for your personal growth. A community will be able to motivate you to want to give back to the society.
Team photo at our exploration trail
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