Echo,I know some of you guys are already missing Coals and your group-mates. I understand how y’all feel but please don’t cry over this. You should smile because it happened, this really applies to the situation now. The past is over and done with, you cannot gain anything from crying over it. Think about it. Whatever you guys have gained from this entire experience, be it friendship, honesty, patience, a more out-going personality, courage to overcome your fears, understanding and love for one another, sense of urgency, leadership skills, memories, all these are what I want you guys to always remember.
I just want to comment on some people and the few incidents that happened during camp that I really remember:
Shalom and Zhi Hui,
I’m very proud of you guys for accepting my request to do Abseiling blindfolded. I was really happy, because it was new for you but you still had the courage! Through that experience, I hope that you have learnt to have more confidence in yourself and how to depend on the other senses as well. With the loss of sight, maybe you guys can share with the rest of Echo how it felt before you abseiled and after accomplishing it :)
Zhi Hui,
About the showering incident, I was honestly very disappointed at first when you didn’t own up when I was asking around. I’m really sorry I had to ask the question so many times, and maybe made you feel embarrassed. When one of the instructors told me to forget it and just let you off, I’m sorry I didn’t stop asking but I really hope you understand that it was because I believe in you, I wanted to give you a chance to own up yourself and the instructors not to have such an impression of you. When you came forward, I understand it took a lot of courage, but I’m really happy you did :)
Geraldine,
Despite having the fear of heights, you managed to do High Elements. I remember there was one time when you were high up and you were crying and Echo 1, the instructors, and teachers were cheering you on. Do you realise now, how important giving support to your friends is? Do you realise that when they are succumbing to their fears, how a simple “I know you can do it” has the amazing power of pushing them forward? This is why the instructors keep encouraging y’all to cheer for your group mates. Without having the support from down below, I believe none would be able to overcome their fear alone. The main point is that I’m really happy and proud of you for being able to overcome your fear. I hope you have learnt to have more faith in yourself, to believe that inside you there is a much stronger person and you are able to achieve many great things in life. I want you to know that I have faith in you, your instructors do. Courage is resistance to fear and not absence of fear :)
Sing Yi,
I was a little surprised when you cried even before you went up because you saw others and you got scared. Honestly, I was quite amused. In the end, you did it very well and when I asked you whether it was that bad, you said, “Okay luh.” I hope from this, you grew to be more confident of yourself. I’m proud of you that even after your flight back, you still came for camp on the second day. Some people would just quit if they found out that they couldn’t make it on the first day. I’m really glad you didn’t and thank you for coming because I know Echo won’t be the same without you :)
Priscilla,
From the start, you were very quiet. I think putting you as the main character in the skit helped nurturing you into what you are now. I don’t know if you’ve realised, but there certainly is a change in you. That is what I see from my point of view. I’m proud of you and I hope you will learn to speak out more and be more confident. I know you can do it :)
I remember the day when we had our games/bonding session in the student lounge and actually the level of discipline was quite low that day because I was the only instructor but lets’ just keep it a secret :) I really had a great time with the few of you guys even though the ball was passed back and forth to me. The staring game was exceptionally fun and that session really brought me smiles. I dare say that it was through that session I felt even closer to Echo, that I understood you guys not from a stern instructor’s point of view but as a friend. Although we cannot cross the line between instructors and friends, I felt that the session was good because it’s better to understand y’all from a friend’s point of view because as an instructor, we might get a wrong opinion. From that session, I learnt about the strengths from every single one of you. I hope you guys had as much fun as I did. “When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.? The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.” All 10 of you, I’m sure that not all knew each other from the beginning. Look at yourselves after Coals, how much you have grown as a team, how much love you feel for each other now. Even if you do say that Coals brought you nothing and that it was a total waste of your two months, I want you to think again. (Hopefully, none of you think this way.) These 9 friends that you’ve got to know, aren’t they the best you can ever have? They were there for you, when you cried, when things didn’t go smoothly and you felt like giving up, when you were clueless, when you were stressed out, when you felt time wasn’t enough. They were your friend, your Echo mate, accepting you for who you are and not who you want to be. You should be thankful for such wonderful group mates and the beautiful friendships you’ve made.
Those who want to be OAIs, please do not be discouraged if you do not get through. You don’t have to hold a position in order to be a leader. Some of you will be leaders in your respective CCA groups. I want you guys to give your best and apply what Coals has taught you, prove to us that you’re a good leader in your own way. I really hope that this Coals experience has moulded each and every one of you into a better leader, and most importantly a better person.
Echo, as a whole, I want you to know that as your instructors, we really are very proud of you. Y’all have really made a huge improvement from Day 1. Now you guys are taking the initiative, showing more respect to us, working well as a team and proving your ability to lead. As your instructor, I really hope that I’ve made a positive impact on your life and taught you lessons that you will never get to learn in school. You guys really made an impact on my life, there are many lessons I’ve learnt from just being there with y’all these 2 months. I hope that you guys have really enjoyed being a part of Coals, and a part of each other’s life.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you Echo for just being you. You guys are a huge part in my life and like what we said the other time, Echo ’08 will always be in our hearts and nobody will ever replace you. Whenever you are feeling discouraged, just munch on an apple! In whatever you do, never give up and be too afraid to try. You may be disheartened when you fail, but you will be nothing if you don’t even try. Give your very best in everything you do, I have absolute faith in you. Thank you for making me smile and laugh during this entire process. You guys are my sunshines :)
I love Echo ’08, now and forever.
With much love,
Instructor Alicia
