Needs before my own
By Chin Yang
Jun 08, Jun 10
I did not want to go for Y Camp at first. To clarify, I had signed up for the camp, but found myself swamped under preparations for my Common Tests and my Art coursework. 4 days may not seem like a long duration, but when you only have 14 days left to finish a month’s worth of work it is eternity and back again.
Jun 08, Jun 10
I did not want to go for Y Camp at first. To clarify, I had signed up for the camp, but found myself swamped under preparations for my Common Tests and my Art coursework. 4 days may not seem like a long duration, but when you only have 14 days left to finish a month’s worth of work it is eternity and back again.
Having been a Scout for 9 years of my life, camps were nothing new to me. Yet this camp was different. The staples of camp life were all there – sleeping in a sleeping bag, adventure activities, sitting in a circle and eating your meals – but the presence of my buddy added a whole new dimension to each activity. Suddenly I was thrown into a situation where I had to place someone else's needs constantly above my own. My buddy was a wheel-chair bound, and that made taking care of him even more challenging. I had to look out and care for someone at a level which I had never needed to before – it was consuming, tiring and one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.
Helping to bath him, change his clothes, taking care of his toiletry needs – these were all acts that a week before I might have found disturbing but which, to my surprise, I found myself calmly performing during the camp itself. The potential to step up and do good is already in everyone, what Y Camp did for me was place me in a situation where I had to step up - and so I did. And I believe so will anyone who is given such a role and responsibilities.
Two years later I signed up for Y Camp again the moment my army schedule got flexible enough for me to do so. Watching the buddies stream into the camp site was a quick trip down memory lane - I saw many faces I recognized, and many I didn't. And then I saw my buddy, my first one, being wheeled in by some other volunteer. Going up to him I didn't expect to be recognized, or for him to even remember my name. After all, he barely said it twice during the previous camp. And yet as I leaned forward towards him and said hi, he said it. A little mangled, mostly mispronounced, but he said my name out, loud and clear and with a smile. That moment made my week.
My Y Camp experience has been refreshing, fun and an unforgettable experience. I’ve learnt new things about myself, made many dear friends and gained memories that put a smile on my face and lift my spirits every time they pass my mind.
