Our incredible OBS journey

Written by: Hannah Sofea Rustam Effendy, Annalyn Lee Nian En, Lee Wen Le, Gaile & Leila Koh Jit Man (3E2)

Our Outward Bound Experience was tough yet meaningful and memorable. Everyone’s experience at Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) differed, but everyone shared similar emotions of joy, exhaustion, excitement and sadness throughout the few days. Before we went for it, everyone dreaded it and hated the idea of sleeping in tents, trekking long distances with heavy backpacks and not having our phones for days. However, our minds changed after the 5D4N programme.

On the first day, we were all split up between different campsites. Some went to East Coast Park, some stayed in Punggol but the majority took a ferry to Pulau Ubin. When we reached our respective locations, we were further split into our separate watches (groups). We met our instructors and got to know each other — there were students from Kuo Chuan Presbyterian, Tanjong Katong Secondary School and Dunman Secondary School, with us.

We were made to step out of our comfort zones and do certain things some of us have never even thought of doing before. The activities at the different OBS campsites also varied. Everyone did different activities, from kayaking, rafting, sailing, rock climbing and more! The most mentally and physically challenging part of the course was trekking, one of the main highlights of OBS. Our map reading skills were also put to the test, and each of us had to carry a huge, heavy backpack for the duration of our journey from campsite to campsite.

Another challenge for us was sleeping in tents outdoors. It was stuffy and the ground hurt our backs. It also made us feel quite insecure as the tents were pitched out in the open forest and insects could crawl in if we didn’t close the door of the tent properly. The first night was the hardest, having to share a small tent with 3-4 people made it difficult to sleep, but many people were so tired from the first day that they went out like a light. This then became the norm, as the activities got more and more strenuous each day. The majority of us could say that we slept soundly through the night!

Our backpacks contained our rations for the 5 days as well as our cooking equipment which was what made it so heavy. We had to prepare and cook most of our meals by ourselves and clean up afterwards. It may not be the highlight of OBS for everyone but it was definitely one of the many things that bonded us with our watchmates, especially when we were always helping each other out and proactively carrying out tasks. It was really quite amazing to see everyone playing a part in all processes, be it chopping up vegetables or starting fires.

A highlight of OBS for us was actually the journalling sessions that we had each night — reflecting on what we did, what improvements we could make and our thoughts on the whole experience. I could see my watch slowly opening up more during such sessions as the 5 days passed by and on the final day, it was a bittersweet moment between our watchmates as we all shared heartfelt messages with each other before our last goodbye.

Although the experience was hard and gruelling at times, we truly and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We learnt many useful skills at OBS that we could apply in our lives and we are truly thankful for this experience. It has helped us learn to step out of our comfort zones, make new friends and have the courage to try out new things. I think it’s safe to say that if we had the chance to go back, we would not think twice!