10h KL Company Camp 2013

Company Camp : Personal Thoughts and Reflections Written by Corporal Joshua Ying of 10th Kuala Lumpur Company 12h August 2013 Company Camp 2013 was a great experience for me. I was part of the camp committee, making the camp even more special for me. I was never involved in organizing a camp before, and after all I experienced during the preparation for the camp, I must say that Company Camp really was a great first camp to plan. I felt it was a good first time to make mistakes and learn from them. My main role was to assist the game master, Sergeant Benjamin, in the planning of the games. He was outstation for a long time, so I had to communicate with him and be the ‘middle-man’. I spent many late nights working on typing documents and thinking about solutions during that period. That said, it was a real joy to see that the members were really enthusiastic about the games and were enjoying themselves. The long hours of staying up were worth it in the end.   The camp itself, other than the fun and games, was I would say a huge success. The campsite – the Malaysia Bible Seminary – was spacious and well equipped, the dorms were clean and well designed, and the air was fresh and unpolluted. It was a different and unique campsite from those we usually use, as it had wonderful sports facilities and even a swimming pool! The food was also sufficient and reasonable. The fact that they did not have any water activities like rafting, which most campsites have, turned surprisingly to our advantage. Since we could not take up the time by holding water activities, our game master came up with a whole new approach to the games, making full use of the large field and the halls. We played station games with a twist and a storyline, and had a big Hunger Games style water-gun fight with four different stages of gameplay. Bonding, taking care and togetherness with Junior members. Aside from the luxuries of the campsite, I sensed that the spirit of the camp was truly present. ‘Muck In’ was the theme for the camp. It means to ‘share tasks or accommodation without expecting a privileged position’, or simply, ‘working together’. Throughout the camp, evidence of the spirit of ‘mucking in’ was clear. Older members, also known as ‘kor kors’ or ‘jie jies’, were very caring towards the younger juniors. They did not separate themselves from the juniors because they were older; instead they carried them, played with them, chatted with them and walked with them. It was heart-warming to see the unity during camp, and I think that is what most of the campers benefited from. My favourite part about the camp was when we played the game ‘Inception’. It was my first time being a station master, and I enjoyed watching how the players responded to the game station. I will definitely look forward to the next Company Camp!

 

 

 

10th KL Company Camp 2013 Report 

During the school holidays in August, a group of 10th KL members prepared for what is considered the most anticipated camp of 2013 - Company Camp.

Fall in was soon completed, to the campers delight. All of them were split into four groups: Ruby, Sapphire, Topaz and Emerald. It wasn’t too long till the buses arrived to transport all to the campsite at the Malaysian Bible Seminary. The commute took 45 minutes, seemingly shortened by the fun everyone had during the trip by simply talking to their new teammates. The arrival to the campsite was quick, and so was the check in. Campers were all briefed about certain important rules before being led to their dorms to settle in. It was only half an hour later that the fun actually started with some icebreakers. A friendly game of signature collecting kicked off the fun, as members got to talk to people they would otherwise have ignored. Then was the “dragon tail tag game”, where each team was joined into separate lines. A shirt hung from the back of each “dragon” served as a tail. Each dragon had a head which tried to pull the tail off another dragon without breaking up. Virtual chaos ensued. Teams forged alliances, backstabbed, “died” by letting go of the person in front to scratch and curled up like a millipede.

  

After everyone had calmed down, each team were set to work on drawing their custom team flags. Multi-coloured works of art soon emerged, as all the teams worked within themselves to create their own modern masterpiece. After the flags were set aside to dry, everyone headed outside to burn some calories the old fashioned way - sports. The two hours allotted for sports soon proved insufficient, as everyone played themselves away in competitive games of badminton, basketball and football. Most Juniors, however, spent their time soaking themselves with the lifeguards in the pool. Once satisfied, the Juniors returned to the dorms to prepare for a well earned shower, it instead turned the dorms into their own swimming pools.

 

Dinner was soon served, as soon as everyone assembled at the dining area to fill their bottomless stomachs. Food was piled onto plates, cups filled with the cooling cordial, as all enjoyed the meal set before them. After everyone was full, the programs started again. Everyone gathered at the chapel, and the fun and games resumed. As a movie was prepared to surprise the members, each team was required to perform adverts for many strange(some fictional) and wonderful devices. Among them was the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Mind Controlled TV and the Topaz car. It is certain that 90% of the campers laughed during this time with the other 10% hiding their laughter while acting. Eventually, the movies began. Juniors laughed and cried with the movie “Wreck-it-Ralph”, while the Seniors learned many thing while watching “Remember the Titans”. Supper followed and when the tired campers finished their food, they headed back to their dorms for a good night’s rest.

The sun rose and the alarms clocks rang, the campers rose from their beds after a good night’s sleep. It was a cold morning, as rain drops from the previous nights drizzle cooled the campsite considerably. There was a short and light devotion about obedience before a breakfast of Chee Chong Fun was served. Games started immediately after breakfast, with each team – Ruby, Emerald, Topaz and Sapphire being split into two for a total of 8 teams. Each team was assigned to a different route to accomplish a multitude of tasks. The name of this game? What else - the Amazing Race. Thanks to the endless imagination of the game master, campers were forced to do plenty of seemingly impossible tasks and many other confusing ones, including Fill the Pipe, Simon Says, the Line Game and many others. By the time the teams had completed all 8 stations, the campers were exhausted. Most were ready to drop dead, but they had a saviour - lunch.

 

Lunch was simple, but the campers were all relieved that the games had reached its inter mission. Two short breaks surrounded the meal, and campers used this time to sit on their beds or just laze around. The second game of the day was even better than the first. After half an hour of briefing and preparation, members of the combined teams form a large circle on the field somewhat resembling the Hunger Games. In the center was a stockpile of water guns. At the game master’s command, everyone made a frantic dash for the water guns. Legs flew. The tired arms all reached for the biggest and baddest waterguns available. Players “died”, their “lives”(mahjong paper) having been torn by the water and the struggle for the weapons. Eventually, the guns disappeared into the player’s hands. The war between team red and blue had begun.

It was then that the guardians and their resources were deployed onto the field. Armed with the water guns, the guardians courageously defended their resources against endless waves of raiders the blue and red team sent to no avail. Soon the last guardian was dead, and both teams were free to grab whatever resources laid there. Minutes later, forts, one on each end of the field, were erected. Constructed from the resources gathered in the previous stage, the forts protected each team’s flags from the other team. It was when the forts were completed that the game reached its climax - the all out war! One team would stand victorious. The other would fall. The guardians were back, ready to avenge their “dead”. The result? Chaos. Teams attacked aimlessly, only to get killed and re-spawned. The immortal guardians hunted both sides with no mercy. In the end, both team’s forts went down. In the end it didn’t matter. In the end, it was just fun. Even with the games officially over, the games unofficially continued, with almost everyone heading to play more water in the pool. Games of water polo and water captain ball were organized by the campers and everyone absolutely tired themselves out before dinner.

After dinner was a short period of word, where the camp officers shared about various aspects of life. The mood was soon lightened though, as all proceeded to the barbeque area for a well earned campfire. Everybody was soon roasting marshmallows over the barbeque pit while sipping some delicious Milo. The second day of camp was certainly the most tiring for both committee and members. Yet it was probably also the most exciting.

As the end of camp approached, the campers climbed out of their dorms one last time. The final game, Inception, was played within hours, after which the closing ceremony was held. The camp was over, but the friendships lived on.