Monday, August 18, 2008

ITE College East at Island Peak

Sitting on top of Island Peak

Eight students and three teachers from ITE College East went to scale Island Peak (6160m) in Nepal this April. It was a memorable experience for everyone even as Deepak and I were stationed in Singapore tracking their progress everyday. Six of them eventually reached the peak and we were really proud and happy for the students who made it despite the cold and weariness in the long trek.

We got the pictures from Trevor, one of the lecturers who led the trip, recently and this is the one that touched me.

How did it feel like to sit on top of the peak and view the world below? You probably have to climb it yourself to get the answer.

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ITE Newsletter : InfinITE Issue 93 , April - May 08

Conquering Island Peak in the Himalaya
Dream Big, Dream Bold
by Hajijah Korning

PANCHIR Sherpa kept urging me: ‘Just a little bit more, a little bit more…’ I felt my energies draining away, but I told myself that this was my once-in-a-lifetime chance and I have just got to do it! Picking up whatever little strength I had left, I trudged on…” recalled Mohd Firdaus Mohd Rashid, a second-year Higher Nitec in Business Studies (Sport Management) student at ITE College.

Mohd Firdaus was part of an 11-member ITE team comprising eight students and three staff, who set off on an expedition to the Himalayan Everest Base Camp and Island Peak on 18 March 2008 as part of ITE’s Global Education Programme.

Test of Mind Over Matter
On 30 March 2008, four students and a staff member left Base Camp at 0300 hours to attempt the 6, 189-metre Himalayan Island Peak at freezing temperatures. An arduous 10-hour climb later, 20-year-old Mohd Firdaus, accompanied by Mr Darrel Kon, Deputy Director/School of Business & Services (Operations & Projects), ITE College East, successfully made it to the summit.
Three other members of the team – Leroy Peh Jing Jie and Ho Zi Jie, both Nitec in Electronics Engineering students, and Yong Kai Xiang, a Higher Nitec in Business Studies (Sport Management) student, managed 6,160 metres, but their final push had to be aborted due to harsh wind conditions.


A beaming Mohd Firdaus shared: “When I reached Island Peak, I was overjoyed and could not help crying uncontrollably. It was really a test of mind over body. I was very tired, but I refused to stop. I was fortunate to climb when the dangerous weather conditions had not yet set in. The experience was exhilarating, and the lessons learnt will stay with me through life.”

Valuable Lessons Learnt
Mr Trevor Ian Lim, a Sport Management lecturer at ITE College East and Leader of the expedition team, said: “Through this expedition, students learnt what cannot be learnt in the classroom: Values such as commitment, resilience, perseverance, discipline and teamwork. The students dared to dream big and bold, and I am sure with this experience, they have developed a wider perspective of life and gained confidence and independence.”


Click here to read the original post of the college's newsletter

Filming in Nepal













Our first collaboration with 3rd Floor Pictures for their filming assignment in Nepal rounded off successfully over National Day. The film production company needed someone to manage their travel arrangements for this assignment and sought Deepak's assistance. It was an interesting process as we tossed story ideas and helped make all the arrangements including casting, site visit and the neccesary logistics. The shoot turned out great and Dhruba sent some pictures which I thought are rather interesting. The episodes shot in Nepal are meant to be aired in the series Culture X which is showing now in Arts Central, every Thursday at 10pm. I'll keep everyone posted on when these episodes are airing. Meanwhile, have a peek into what went on behind the scenes!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

The Divine Family

Clockwise from left standing: Tin, Wang, Rinji, Dhruba, Deepak, Subas, Pasang, Tshering, Alice

When Deepak and I were back in Nepal in June, one of my task (admist setting up our homestay program) was to organise a staff photo session. We had one session end last year but for everyone, it was the first time they had to do it.When we finally got it organised, it rained on photoshoot day! Anyway, I did not get smarter this time. June is monsoon season in Nepal and I had to do this in this season.Ha! Dhruba made the arrangement this time. Everyone was early and looked great in their new Divine t-shirts. And since they had to gather at 8am, I reckoned everyone have not had their breakfast. I engaged Tin and Khrisna's help in the kitchen and made breakfast for everyone - Bread with choice of luncheon meat and sardine plus horlicks!

Finally, when it was time for photoshoot, the sky was bright and it was sunny. We tried to be creative and this photo you see is the result of our fun photo session!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Hwa Chong in Nepal

Hwa Chong Institute Service Learning in Nepal (Dhruba in front row,2nd from left)

A group of 20 students and 3 teachers from Hwa Chong were in Nepal for their service learning trip in June this year. We have enjoyed putting together the trip for them as much as they have enjoyed and learnt much from this trip. Dhruba, our manager was in charge of the 'group's welfare' when they were 'up in the mountains' serving the community. All the students said they learnt a lot from Dhruba and Dhruba said he was touched by their action and commitment in fulfilling their role. When we were back in our Nepal office, he handed me 3 sheets of hand-written notes given to him by all of them,I sat down immediately to read them. What lovely words from a great team!

Some excerpts from them:

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Hello Mr Dhruba! You have a really great guide/translator/teacher for the past few days. Your guidance has been the most priceless and I can't simply imagine how our work would be like without your concerted efforts! Thank you very much for your patience in guiding us for the past few days and also for tolerating whatever mistakes we have made. Thank You! - Jensen

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Hey Mr Dhruba, thank you for your utmost dedication and care for us, even when we can be more trouble than help at times. Thank you for inspiring us in the area of service to the world with your own life stories and for telling me all about Nepal which I wouldn't have known otherwise. You made the trip as enjoyable and memorable as it could be. - Jerry

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Hello Mr Dhruba! Thanks for always being around, making sure that we were all taken care of in our stay in Nepal. I'm really impressed and motivated by your knowledge of Nepal's history and background. Your telling us that our presence is felt by the children helped to encourage and motivate some of us during the service. Definitely, this trip wouldn't have been as enjoyable and fruitful without your care and concern. Thanks! - Melvin

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Mr Dhruba! I can't put my gratitude for you in this short length message but all I wanna say is that you're been an inspiration - not just for the Nepalese kids, who should look up to you and strive to achieve what you have, but also as a greater inspiration to me: your passion and involvement in community service makes me want to emulate you and reignited my flame to help those in need around the world. Reast assured that I'll study doubly hard now to be financially sound in future then I can also take up jobs in NGOs to make the lives of the poor better.:) I really appreciate all the work that you did to make our stay in Nepal a pleasant and memorable one. I truly enjoyed talking to you to find out more about Nepal's present economic and social status. I agree wholeheartedly with you that the standard ofliving in Nepal should be improved yet it must strike a harmonious balance with the preservation of the beautiful Nepalese culture. Let's pray that someday this balance can be attained. :) - Kheexuan

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Hey Mr Dhruba! Thank you for being such a helpful and friendly guide to us throughout this trip. We'll miss you! - Aileen

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Hello Mr Dhruba, Thank you for being such a wonderful host, guide and teacher for the past 2 weeks. Your knowledge of Nepal'sculture and historical background truly impresses me while your courtesy and benovelence has really touched me. You have made this trip a truly memorable one for me and I feel you are a great leader,an example that we students from Singapore and the Nepalese students should look up to. Hope to see you in Singapore. - Xiayan

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Hey Mr Dhruba! Thank you so much for your care and concern for us.Throughout our stay inthe school you had put in so much effort in making sure that we were safe and sound. I'm also truly impressed by your vast knowledge of the Nepal history and culture, your passion for the children of Nepal and the country itself indeed touched me. Thank you somuch. I sincerely wish you all the best in your future endeavour, hope to see you again! - Zhaoxiang

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Always firendly, always approachable, ever so patient and helpful. Mr Dhruba you have been a great guide throughout. I'm really impressed and inspired just by working alongside your colleages and you. As all of us grew into our various jobs and responsibilities, your knowledge and passion have engendered a more successful process where our efforts cometo fuition at the end of the day.I sincerely hope more individuals in Nepal are endowed with your inherent qualities and work together to create a synergy strong enough to drive the nation forward. - Ming Yeung

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Thank you so much for being there for us all the time. You have been an amazing guide and host to us. I will always remember what you have taught us. :) - Jingbo

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DearestMr Dhruba, Manay thanks for being an excellent host and guide for all aspects of the trip. Thanks for tolerating all the last minute requests and helping us with all the arrangements. Your Nepalilessons were certainly enrichingand entertaining. It has definitely helped us understand Nepal much better. - Huifen

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