“The hardest part about listening is to not fill in the blanks with your perceptions – to clear the mind and be willing to understand something new” – Amy Larson
Did you know that Singapore’s primary vegetation has been reduced to 0.16% of a total land area of 714.3km2? (Khew, Yokohari, & Tanaka, 2014). Does this lead you to believe that Singapore cares about nature? Probably not, but read on and you might be surprised.
During our time in Singapore many people, myself included, commented on how the main difference between Outdoor Education (OE) in Singapore and Australia, is that Australia has a much larger focus on connecting people to nature. This statement is true, as long as we perceive nature as the wild, abundant, spacious wilderness type environments that are common to Australia and Australian OE programs. But what if we broaden our perspective of what nature is, or can be?
Initially I did think of it as the blind leading the blind. Every person being totally new to Singapore and attempting to lead our peers steadily through an environment we’d never be able to visit before.
After having a little more time to reflect on my facilitation day as well as other groups’ facilitation day in Singapore, I’ve felt more positive about the experiences, and have been able to view them in a more constructive way. Yes, I can still see many ways in which our facilitation could’ve gone better, however after speaking with other groups it has reassured me a little; knowing they faced similar obstacles, perhaps to a lesser extent.
As I’ve been nearing the end of my degree at university, I’ve been questioning myself, in terms of my readiness for the teaching profession. Am I happy with the level of knowledge that I have? Will my students really gain the experiences and passion for the outdoors that I have?
Outdoor Education in Singapore didn’t appear as those it could ignite this passion for the environment. To me, it seemed to revolve only around recreation, which I used to think meant students would only enjoy the activity, and not gain a deeper connection with the outdoors.
I feel like my feet have hit the ground running since flying in to Tullamarine Airport at 5am. When I asked my peers about how they have been adapting back to the cold Melbourne weather, some of them said they were struggling (which I don’t blame them, it has been freezing!)
But isn’t it funny that the time spent in Singapore now just seems like a dream? … A dream that I will never forget.
Looking back at the two weeks that we spent in Singapore, I have gained a clearer understanding of how Outdoor Education can and has been incorporated in this country. Initially I had no idea what to expect to see in Singapore as it is geographically quite small and very urbanised. I was surprise to see some of the more natural spaces that had been captured in Singapore: these include: Labrador Nature Reserve,MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore Botanic Gardens, The Green Rail Corridor and The Central Catchment Nature Reserve. But I was also blown away by the ‘human made’ environments that was showcased and promoted sustainability, such as The Super Trees, Cloud Forest, Flower Dome which were displayed within the Gardens by the Bay. Within my blog about nature, I shared my views of the similarities and differences I discovered in regard to nature and the environments of both Australia and Singapore.
I must admit that Singapore was not the first place that came to my mind when my university lecturers were talking about the possibility of an international outdoor education trip. With Singapore being such a small and urbanised country, I was puzzled as I thought about what outdoor education would look like, and the ways in which it would be conducted.
As much as this was puzzling in the weeks leading up to the trip, it was also intriguing and I was eager to learn and discover just how Singapore had included in outdoor education into their mainly urban society, and, after spending just 2 weeks in this wonderful country, I now know the answer to that question…
So what does outdoor education actually look like in Singapore?
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot. Nothing is going to get better, it’s not.” (Dr. Seuss, 1998)
This quote is one of my favourites. It reminds me that when I care about something, I need to act on it. Because if I do not, unless there is another person just like me, there will be no change.
Or at least thats what it meant to me before Singapore…
Travel with Fin, a man tall and thin.
In a place full of buildings, he finds beauty within.
Surrounded by those who look different to him.
Fin begins to realise that they are his kin.
Fin’s travels started as he stepped off the plane
Ducking his head to avoid the pain.
His first thoughts were “wow this place just isn’t for me”
“Ducking and squeezing, too crowded you see”.
Ok guys, throw on your thinking caps and get ready to look between the lines. This post is all about your opinion. Im interested to see what the following image makes you think? What is it about in your eyes? How does it make you feel?
I look forward to reading your comments below. And remember, there is no wrong answer..
Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Thoughts. Feelings. Questions.
Today I felt as though I was in nature. The real deal. I was surrounded by sights, smells and sounds familiar to me. Trees. Green. Sky. But this nature is different. I had to search for wildlife. I only saw a few. I heard things that did not fit. Things I was not used to. Cars. Trucks. Planes. This is different. Different to what I know.
Today I am craving to be alone. To spend some time away with myself, and to just sit somewhere and be. I can’t quite describe the feeling that has come over me from being in this place. Peacefulness doesn’t quite do it, but rather I can feel myself transcending into some form of authenticity. For the first time in a little while, I am me.
I don’t want to be obvious, or to stand out, I just want to be, without disturbing anyone else who is being. Like the canines that I see lazing on the cool concrete, or taking a dip in the aqua pools at the wetlands. As one trots along the path in front of me, it’s as if it’s saying, follow me, I’ll show you the way to yourself. This creature doesn’t spend so much time questioning it’s self, rather it just spends time being in the world. Perhaps we can learn more than a thing or two from these four legged souls.
Thewater lilyhas elements above, on and below the water, as well as serving many important functions to the ecosystem around it. I am like this flower in that I am a complex being, but what do I bring to my ecosystem?
It’s hard to describe exactly what it is about this place that makes me feel how I am. At first it was the sounds of the ocean ripples as they lapped the shores, the rhythm of nature, a reminder of home. But then it was more than that, it was as if the aliveness of the island reminded me of some aliveness within myself. An aliveness that I have not realised in any other place that we have been. But what’s more is that I wasn’t just aware of it, but I was feeling it. Actually feeling it, a living experience.
The scents of the nature garden diffused deep into my skin, giving fragrance to the stunning relaxation within my bones. The breeze brushed lightly across my skin, and for a brief moment I felt as if the island had somehow noticed me.
Prayer flags display buddhist prayers, mantras and powerful symbols. Buddhists believe that this creates a spiritual vibration, activated and carried by the wind. All beings that are touched by the wind are left happier and uplifted – “Just as a drop of water can permeate the ocean, prayers dissolved in the wind extend to fill all of space”.
Here I am relaxed. Here my mind is aware, and alive and open. It is here that I can learn, simply by being myself. The quietness of nature allows me to be aware in a way that I simply can not within the city. The hustle and bustle of cars, trains and buses and the flocks of people busy in their lives. There is too much to notice in the city, it’s a noise both to the eyes and ears, and sometimes I loose sight of the green. But here on the island it is quiet, and I am free. Here on the island I can be.
Now it’s time to leave and I say that I don’t mind, but I really do. I haven’t learnt my whole self yet, and I feel that just a little longer here would help me to stick.
But what is most reassuring is that the little that I have learnt has cost me nothing but a little, just a piece of myself that will always remain here on these restful shores. Not disconnected or gone, just left, because it needs to be.
“A cheery relaxation is man’s natural state, just as nature itself is relaxed. A waterfall is concerned only with being itself, not with doing something it considers waterfall-like” – Vernon Howard Quotes from The Power of Your Supermind
Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /nfs/c05/h05/mnt/159359/domains/fedunioe.redballoon.net.au/html/wp-includes/class-wp-comment-query.php on line 405
