I arrived bright and early at 8:30am to help set up for the day! I started off sooo awkward as I was not really sure what to do. I was so intimated when there was a sudden horde of Singapore Polytechnic students!! It came to my realisation later that they were volunteers from SP's LEO Club (Leadership Experience Opportunity) and were also volunteers for the learning camp :)

I was asked to join a random group and there was a briefing for all of us to be role models for the children. We were banned from using any vulgarities (errr well we tried), and we were advised to build positive relationships with the children within boundaries and expectations to protect them.

In my new group 1, we sat in a circle and awkwardly avoided eye contact when I finally suggested for the group name to be 'pineapple' inspired from PiPPer Standard's Pineapple Power and one of the little boy's shirt. In the end we decided on 'Pineapple Kia' (Pineapple Kid)! 

We watched a video to raise awareness about recycling and learnt more about how PiPPER STANDARD is socially, environmentally and economically responsible. The Earth's resources are finite and we should obviously play a part in protecting our environment. Many products we use daily are harmful to the environment and we should try to the best of our abilities to use products that are environmentally friendly!

Next, each group created a poster about the environment to send the message of what we learnt. This was also a group bonding activities and we worked together harmoniously. Everyone contributed a lot of valuable ideas! In my team, one boy was very artistically talented and he drew very nice cartoon pineapples!!

The teams were assessed based on teamwork, cleanliness after we finished the poster, creativity, the short presentation of our poster and the number of likes our pictures had on PiPPER STANDARD Fan Club Singapore!

Pictures from PiPPER STANDARD Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/pipperfanclubsingapore/

For the second part of the day, we played an ambitious 'Game of Choice'. Basically it was about the deals between buyers and sellers and how we have to make our decisions wisely of what 'contracts' to buy and sell! There is a strong element of luck involved in this game and whe we couldn't figure it out, we guessed our way through the game HAHAHAHA

Well, I learnt that it is not how you start the game but about how you end, which relates to how the decisions we have made in life, have already been made. We should take control of our own future and not dwell on the past. Quote by Benjamin Franklin: 'If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.'' No one ever plans to fail but many fail to plan, yet most of us have nothing to lose and all to gain.

We can all start by using our time wisely, so as to determine the future and Carpe diem (seize the day)!

We ended the day by packing some PiPPER STANDARD gift packages that was distributed by some volunteers to raise awareness about the event and vote for our 'Team Photo Competition'! Everyone showed great teamwork and worked very efficiently and speedily :)

When I arrived at the MightyKFC Centre, the children were already there! They were so enthusiastic and happy to see us, asking questions excitedly - it really brightened up my day! We were going to have an amazing race!!! I was appointed assessor for the group and was tasked to observe the children and their buddies' behaviour and award or deduct points from them.

Due to the train delay on the East-West line, some volunteers arrived late but the delay did not dampen our spirits!

My 'Pineapple Kia' group solved the puzzle quite quickly and we began our rush to Habourfront MRT to go to the VivoCity rooftop! What really surprised me was that the little kids were leading the way! They were very independent and could also communicate effectively with us.

After we completed our game at VivoCity, we proceeded to Bugis+ rooftop. However, most of us were pretty hungry and one of the girls actually got giddy in the midst of playing Charades. Troy quickly ran down to buy some fries for her, and even got extra fries for the rest of us as he knew were hungry too!

Although we bought Old Chang Kee and ToriQ on our way back, we couldn't eat them on the train back to MightyKFC. I ended up having gastric pain and was feeling a little down but my friends helped by cheering me up and asking if I was okay :)

When we alighted at Tiong Bahru MRT, we saw an old man and the little kids took out their wallet and generously gave him their meagre pocket money on their own accord! 'No amount is too small for a random act of kindness' :) I also noticed that although we had to walk a lot in the hot sun, the little children had no complains at all throughout the whole trip! This really got me reflecting, especially since I have younger siblings of my own.

These children, although, may have been a little cheeky and playful, maybe a little rowdy, but they were not spoilt at all. Not once, did they ever complain, not even when they were noticeably hungry! Instead of us mentoring, we gained so much from the children!

After a catered lunch at MightyKFC, some of the children asked us to play catching with them and it makes me happy seeing how energetic, active and happy the children are :) Ahhh it triggered memories of my fond childhood!

We ended off the day by writing cards for each other. I wrote cards for them all, thanking them for the wonderful time I have had with them, blessing them to be good children and most importantly, to be happy.

Since I was not technically their buddy and more of someone who just tagged along to have fun and take pictures for her blog (HAHAHA), I didn't receive any solo cards :( One of the little boys wrote a joint letter for my friends and I, and it was so sweet, he wanted us to come back to MightyKFC to play with him and said that he loves us! Thinking of him and the other children and my friends now, I feel like tearing up... :(

After this, I had dinner with my group friends! 

Frankly speaking, when I first realised that we would be mentoring children, I thought of those trouble-causing, naughty kids who always skip school to hang out and vandalise playgrounds. Yet, my misconception of them changed drastically. Compared to other children I know, they were not spoilt at all and listened to us. Kids are kids, regardless of age, they just require our guidance, love, care and concern. This principle is the same for ALL of us!

Within two days, there was a strong connection between the volunteers and the children. It was definitely an amazing experience for us as we brought a genuine smile to the faces of many! I forged new friendships, learnt more about different people from diverse backgrounds, and so many more enriching life lessons :)

Without any hesitation, I would definitely volunteer to do this again in a blink of an eye. I am so grateful to MightyKFC for supporting our communities. Thank you also to PiPPer Standard for sending me there! To the SP students I got to know, Alex, Troy and the others, thanks for being so friendly and accepting, hopefully I'll see you at SP next year!!!

Thank you also to you reading this! I hope you can take this blog post as an motivation to do something little that can go a long way by volunteering for a good cause! You never know until you try and the memories made will surely be unforgettable! Let me know what you think of this blogpost down in the comments section below! All pictures were taken with a Samsung NX Mini or Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3.