WUJ x NUSDOS Kampong Clean-Up

Hi all,

Today I will be sharing my thoughts, reflections and basically how the entire day went as I was joined by over 30 students, staff and alumni from the National University of Singapore (NUS) for a massive kampong clean-up in conjunction with NUS Day of Service (NUSDOS) 2019 last Saturday on September 7th, 2019.

This clean-up did not take place on the last Saturday of the month; not because it was postponed or brought forward but because I was approached by Hidayu, Assistant Manager of Alumni Outreach and Engagement from the King Edward VII Hall of NUS some time back in June as they were planning an activity for residents of the hall to partake as part of their NUSDOS this year. I was pretty happy to know that my small kampong clean-up project had started reaching out and I am also thankful for Hidayu to give my community outreach a go for her residents as compared to probably thousands of other community projects available in Singapore and abroad.

I was very excited about this clean-up, not too much because of the huge turnout (which I am also extremely happy about!) but also I was joined by a very special person - my mom.

Note to self: Check for beauty filter before taking a wefie. It looked like I put on layers upon layers of foundation on my face, hehehe.

By 9.30 a.m., we were all up and about on board the bumboats and making our way down to Pulau Ubin - and it's almost cool to know that we filled up three whole boats; with the last time this ever happened was back in WUJ Kampong Clean-Up April '19 when I was joined by students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

As usual, my clean-ups are more than just heading down to the kampong and just getting the work started. I gave myself as brief and interesting an introduction as I could to the group before conducting a heritage trail down towards the Malay kampong. Not going to lie, I have always been nervous around crowds (and yes, 30 over people is already one for me). Trying to engage everyone was and will always be challenging for me because I am always cautious and conscious about how interested the crowd may be. But I was pretty pleased to know that the group were not only attentive, but some of them were also pretty curious and "raving about it afterwards" as Hidayu claimed from the feedback afterwards.

Once at the Malay kampong, we split the group into 4 - because there were four houses available at the time. Initially, Cik Sutinah's house (which we cleaned back in July with the Majulah Community, but have yet to complete), Cik Bujang, Cik Kamariah and Pak Ahmad's. The reason why initially was because it turned out that there was a film shoot taking place at Pak Ahmad's Drink Stall and I later found out that the crew were from Russia! As much as it would be pretty cool for our volunteers to be seen on Russian TV, it was only courteous for us to allow the crew to do their shoot as the last thing we need is to ruin their shots by posing as a huge continuity error for them (whoops, my film student-self came out a bit). So in the end, we decided to help out Cik Radiah's yard instead.

By 10.30 a.m., everyone was up and about at the respective locations cleaning up the place. I found out that Cik Kamariah had forgotten to bring her new keys to her house as she had recently changed her lock, but of course, her and the volunteers' journey were not completely wasted as they went around to clean up the surroundings instead - which included the long earth trail leading into Cik Kamariah and Cik Radiah's house from Jalan Durian.

Raking the leaves to the sides really exposes the paths which once were frequently used by residents. Photo courtesy of King Edward VII Hall Facebook Page.

I remembered seeing these girls doing their mini archaeology project as they tried to dig up an old glass bottle trapped in the soil. Good to know they managed to get it out, hehe. Photo courtesy of King Edward VII Hall Facebook Page.

The NUS community went on to rake the leaves off the paths, removed litter found in the surrounding forested areas left behind by inconsiderate visitors and wanderers and removed bulky pre-loved items in the homes. Along with engaging with the residents, it really was an extremely productive and meaningful day for both the volunteers and the residents as everyone was putting up a strong kampong and gotong-royong spirit. At the end of the whole clean-up, the volunteers were treated with delicious curry puffs sponsored by Cik Kamariah.

As Hidayu went on to dismiss the group after a word of thanks to the volunteers, a few of them stayed back to explore Pulau Ubin and they even decided that they wanted me to show them my grandparents' house after hearing about my stories that I shared earlier on during the heritage trail. So, the few of us walked down Jalan Durian where I shared with them the past where the whole road was actually filled with houses on the left and right. After turning in from Kelichap Hut, I went to guide them safely to the remnants of my late grandparents' house and shared with them how surprisingly significant my grandfather was to the surrounding village and its people.

I always have respect for people who would really go all out especially after shedding a lot of sweat cleaning up the homes just an hour ago. But their passion to want to know and their eagerness to learn more about Ubin's heritage or even my own family's heritage - is what fueled me to keep my passion for Ubin and its kampongs alive.

Not sure if you can see the monkeys in the background, but they are up there doing their monkey business. Photo courtesy of Hidayu

After a shortcut through the Malay kampong back to Jalan Ubin, we took a quick wefie with some macaques playing with coconuts on the coconut tree, we said our goodbyes and I thanked them for their time, effort and energy for what they have done once again. I then headed back to Cik Bujang's house where my mom was happily chatting away with her childhood friends, Cik Habsah and Cik Sutinah.

Classmates from Sekolah Melayu Pulau Ubin engaging in conversation (1969, colourised)

Though at the time my head was spinning at a potential early signs of heatstroke, I was very happy to see my mom being so happy sitting inside the kampong house together in the company of her beloved friends. I could only imagine the nostalgia she must have felt being given the opportunity to return and really feel at home, away from home, in someone else's home. By 4pm, all of us went back home to the mainland - tired, exhausted but happy.

Peace out, yo!

I would like to once again extend my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the NUS community for granting me this opportunity to reach out and share with you my love for the Ubin culture, heritage and community and also for all of you to play your part in keeping our kampongs clean and beautiful and giving back to the Ubin community. Thank you to the following heroes and heroines:

✵✵✵

National University of Singapore

King Edward VII Hall

A/Prof Lee

Hidayu

Kellie

Alanna

Carlos

Chee Hian

Cheng Yee

Chun Yang

Doris

Dylan

Haohui

Hua Fong

Jason

Jia Hwee

Jingxuan

Ju Hea

Jun Hui

Kai Lin

Kaiwen

Keane

Liu Tong

Ming Xuan

Peter

Rachel

Rebecca

Rong Chuin

Sebastian

Shikai

Song Can

Terence

Tiffany

Wei Qiang

Yanzhu

Yek Cheong

Yoke Kaye

Zhi Da

Zong Long

Cik Bujang

Cik Habsah

Cik Kamariah

Cik Sutinah

My mom

✵✵✵

Happy NUS Day of Service 2019! Photo courtesy of King Edward VII Hall Facebook Page

To end this post off, here's a quick highlight video that I have done showing our NUS volunteers in action:

More pictures from the WUJ x NUSDOS Kampong Clean-Up is available on the King Edward VII Hall Facebook page as shown below:

May Pulau Ubin thrive again, with its people in its heart. 

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Come join me on Ubin as a volunteer to clean up our kampongs!

Find out more about WUJ Kampong Clean-Up!
https://wansubinjournal.blogspot.com/p/kampong-clean-up.html

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