First I Serve The Nation, Then I Serve Pulau Ubin
Hi All,
This post will be touching on my transition from being a full-time National Serviceman into the civilian life once more and how my time in National Service (NS) had played an important role in my Ubin journey, from the quest to find my late grandparents' house to restoring and revitalising our Ubin kampongs and history.
On January 9th, 2019, I have reached a milestone that has been shared by every single Singaporean son. I have ORD-ed. National Service, as cliche as it sounds by now, is the rite of passage where a boy becomes a man so I guess I can say that I am finally a man, hehe. But there is a significant meaning behind this overused yet underrated statement and here are three things that I have come to terms with:
1. Initiative
In NS, we are taught to take initiative in the things that we do. To get things rolling; for us to get straight into the action, we need to be the ones who take charge of what we want to achieve. We can't always wait for others to do the things that we ourselves wish to see, because more often than ever they would not even do it at all. Sometimes, we would always stick to the notion where we ask ourselves, "What for I do this when I know someone else could do it?" or "Why can't I let someone else do this?" Yet, what people do not realise is that only through your own initiative, can things be done.
It was through my initiative in wanting to know more about my grandparents that I asked my mom about who they were and what they did. It was through my initiative that I wrote in and did my own excessive amount of research online and offline. It was through my initiative that I brought my colleagues along with me to find my late grandparents' kampong house deep within the Ubin forests. It was through my initiative of requesting to be a part of The Ubin Project and the Friends of Ubin Network that I was able to expand my network and connections and it was also through my initiatives where events such as the former residents' homecoming and kampong clean-up projects have been organised in the hopes of making the Ubin community thrive again.
Had it not been due to my initiative, I would not have cared nor loved about Pulau Ubin and everything in it. Making the first step may always seem challenging, but with determination, we are able to see through to the last.
2. Determination
We had to always face our obstacles with sheer determination, regardless of the scale and intensity of what that obstacle is. It can be as simple as being punctual for our first parade or overseeing an entire high-key In-Camp Training from start to finish.
When I had my dreams of finding my late grandparents' kampong house, I was determined to find it and that I would not stop or give up until I did so. Research upon research, emails upon emails and events upon events; I did not stop when things started looking dim and gloomy.
When I have made a couple of failed attempts in locating my late grandparents' kampong house, I held on to my faith that I would be able to find it the next time - and I did. When I wanted to invite former residents back on the island to relive their childhood days growing up on the island, I was determined to get their contacts and invite as many of them as I could - I did. And now, I am determined in making our Ubin kampongs beautiful again by organising a kampong clean-up where we would be working together to help out the residents in cleaning up their homes and gardens.
I am determined that one fine day, Pulau Ubin would be as beautiful as it once was and to believe in all of this and in making this into a reality, we would also need a whole lot of courage.
3. Courage
Of course, something that had been drilled by our parents even years before we enlisted into NS was that we were told to be courageous. It is through our bravery that we are able to display confidence, leadership and hope. But being brave is more than just the absence of fear, it is about the ability to stay against all odds.
We must be brave to stand up for what we believe in, even when you feel that even the rest of the world feels strongly against you. You must be brave to face the ridicule of others who belittle your efforts, hopes and dreams. You must be brave at times to get out of your comfort zone to embark on something new and unfamiliar; all because you know that through this change you are able to reach that goal that you had in mind.
In Singapore today, only the kampongs of Ubin and Kampong Lorong Buangkok remain. As much as they have braved the storms of urban redevelopment that had transformed Singapore dramatically from the 1960s till today, we can never simply let our guards down and believe that these kampongs would still be around in the years to come. We must be brave in protecting and preserving our last kampongs.
We must take the initiative in finding out about our roots and heritage, we must be determined in our hopes, dreams and ambitions and we must be brave to strive against all odds in the name of preservation, protection and revitalisation of our kampong heritage. Our Singaporean way of life and communities began from our kampong way of life, so for there to no longer be a physical, spiritual and environmental trace of our kampongs in Singapore anymore, then clearly we would have made an irreplaceable and irreversible loss in our sense of Singaporean identity.
As I have now ORDed and am awaiting my time to further my studies in university in August, God Willing, I can now move on to my next phase in my Singaporean life. I will be dedicating my time to serve the people of Ubin to the best of my ability, with the skills, mindset and knowledge that I have attained throughout my time serving the nation in NS. I will always want to make sure that the community that had provided so much for my late grandparents and their children is well taken care of and that our kampong spirit and our physical kampongs themselves may be revived and restored and God Willing, rebuilt.
I hope that the small contributions and efforts that I have placed thus far through my blog may play a part in the revitalisation of Pulau Ubin and I continue to look forward to working with other talented and passionate individuals within this year to bring life back onto the island where my mom grew up and made so many precious memories that made her into she is today and maybe even shaped me to who I am today as well.
May Pulau Ubin thrive again, with its people in its heart.
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Show your support for the elderly residents of Pulau Ubin by being a part of Wan's Ubin Journal's community outreach programme, "Kampong Clean-Up". Volunteers are always wanted and welcomed - especially if you have a heart for Pulau Ubin and the kampongs here, too!
Our next kampong clean-up is on Saturday, 26th January 2019!
Find out more about the event here!
Register yourself for FREE here!
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