I'm back from Ipoh! Those days were definitely memorable! (Though if you asked me right now, I can't remember everything we did (: )
Let's kick off from the beginning. We arrived at the La Salle Centre in Ipoh at around 5pm. There were already a few people there by that time. I met my room mate, Mary Ann and the three guys got their room right next to mine. We left our bags in the room and went exploring!
The whole centre was beautiful. There was a small pond of Koi fishes and trees everywhere. There were also about 5 or 6 aquariums of fishes. From goldfish to love parrot fishes and even snails! And tadpoles too, can't forget the tadpoles. That was just the La Salle Centre. There was a gate that lead to SMI. St. Michael's Institution is HUGE! The building is so old and well preserved. They have a huge football field and basketball courts. The classroom door are big and wooden. They also have what the natives call 'the 5-star toilets'. It is amazing! Really like the ones you can see in hotels. Oh, and they also have CCTV's at every corner of the school.
So that's the environment. Now let's talk about the people. My room mate is a Michaelian. There were also Georgians, Paulians, Xavierians, Josephians (Kuchingians), and some others I can't quite remember right now. All the boys were really nice. Martin Jalleh conducted most of the camp and Isaac (who works at the La Salle Centre) conducted the final part. Martin Jalleh was, of course, as good as ever. He had that infamous laugh of his, and all his jokes, old and new. I had a blast during his sessions. We also met Bro. Vincent, an 82 year old La Salle brother, Bro. Michael and Bro. Matthew. I really like all of them . They all have the gift of the gab. Whenever they spoke, they knew just how to hold our attention. Perfect when handling a bunch of teenage boys!
The sessions really help me learn a lot about myself, and La Salle and how to handle the world and my encounter with God. As Bryce said, it was a change. We all changed in one way or the other. It seemed like we had just as much free time as we had sessions. We had about 5 hours of free time on Monday afternoon. Bryce, Jon, Kevin and I sought the services of Michaelians to show us around the area. They took us to Ipoh Parade. I loved it there! It's just like Subang Parade but less. They have tons of shoes and clothing stores as well as cool graffiti T shops. I bought myself a red, green and yellow skull cap. The next night, we went to their version of Petaling Street but a lot less intimidating, Gerbang Malam. There were countless stalls selling phone covers. One guy even had a stall as big as four put together. Phone covers were hanging everywhere! I found the cover I wanted for my phone and Bryce found 2. We also bought a huge bouncy ball for Bryce's little brother. After that we took a taxi back to the La Salle Centre.
Now, We had a lot of fun there, as you now know. However, we also learnt a lot. I, for one, found out a lot about our founder La Salle. He was of a rich family but the sight of young French boys running around, too poor for school moved him to start a school for them. He was an amazing man who put God first and let God work magic through him. Slowly, his order grew and before he knew it, they were being summoned to other places to do good work. But, even La Salle had trouble. He retreated to Parsimony for a few years, tired of life and problems. That did not stop him though, for he received a letter from his fellow brothers requesting his presence. So he complied. All us La Sallians owe La Salle a whole lot. It's because of him that we now have beautiful schools set up for us us, helping us grow in a spirit of oneness and camaraderie. It's the La Sallian way, so I've learned.
I'm glad I had the chance to to experience La Salle. It's my last year here and I feel truly blessed to be a La Sallian (even though I started late in life :P ) The people I met and the things I've learnt are beautiful. The experiences and bonds are irreplaceable.
On the down side, I may never see many of them again. We all have each other's numbers and email so maybe there might be a chance, you'll never know. I'm definitely going to keep in touch with my La Sallian side:)
Another down side is that this camp has made me realise that I do not have a clue as to where I'm headed in life. I postponed my worry after SPM but now, I have to face it head on. I'm gonna be out of school in a few months and I need a course of action. A plan. I'm felling pretty lost right now. I need Fr.PM to get back soon so I can talk to him. I think he might be able to guide me a little.
Hmm, I guess for now I'll have to do some silent meditation. See where that leads me. Oh well, World, here I come!
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