Justin TimberDrake's travelling stories

Name: Yang Su Lan
Date: 08 Nov 2009
Expedition: Borneo Summer09 Expedition (09E)
What are you doing now: Pharmacy 2nd year student at Nottingham University

What has Raleigh meant to you:

I guess none among the thousands ex-venturers regretted spending their 10 weeks' time out of normal life to embark on a Raleigh expedition, so am I.

So far, 10 weeks 'summer runaway vacation' to Sabah is still the most unforgettable 10 weeks in my life. It is so memorable and unique that I can still visualise vividly what I did on when and who I met at where. Being thrown into nowhere in the middle of Borneo jungle, I was given an opportunity to get ridiculously dirty and sweaty to construct a jungle camp in harsh environment; become so tanned that I was stunned by my skin color when I first looked into a mirror after working 3 weeks on a kindergarten site; challenged myself mentally and physically to the extreme in order to complete a 12 days trek at serene Long Pa'sia jungle with a little award journey to the hidden but undisputedly marvelous Maga Waterfalls.

[drake visited my environment phase--sepilok jungle camp]

Besides all the hardcore and fun stories shared by all, Raleigh expedition help improved my interpersonal and communication skills by forcing me ought to live together with strangers from either the UK or Bermuda. In this small community, I Iearnt how other youngsters work, communicate their different perspectives of life and not-to-forget but most importantly discovered the unknown side of myself. Despite Sabah is one of the states in Malaysia, I experienced culture shock in rural small village during my community phase. Life-long friends can be found in this lovely piece of land, where the simple yet sincere aboriginal community called it home.

Initiated by the love towards this kind of lifestyle and heartened by the kindness of the villagers, I revised my pharmacist dream. In the future, my dream is to gain as much pharmacy knowledge and bring benefits to this group of people by working in the place where I'm needed most. Upon returning home, I re-joined Raleigh committee as Expedition Officer to assist more youngsters like myself to their once-in-a-lifetime expedition. The environment and people could be the same but I feel myself it isn't the "usual" me anymore. People changed to improve, so get rid of the blues and keep up the positive spirit. Oh ya, friendship in Raleigh KL is not OK to NOT give it a mention. Without them, the crazy fellas, Raleigh KL is not Raleigh KL anymore as ALL of my crazy acts and thoughts are due to their enlightenment and influence.

[a visit to Mt.K peak]

Someone said this that I second: 'Life would never be the same without Raleigh.' I'm so into it that I couldn't imagine how my recent life will be if I hadn't decided to participate in 168Tahan Adventure. Raleigh saved me from my otherwise ordinary monotonous life.

[there I go! Get OUT there!]