Tuesday 25 September 2018

The Lord At Night

Xu An Lim

This year, on September 13th, was my first time going to the SEW evening sessions, and it was also my first time experiencing the LORD in the evening.

The LORD is always trying to call out to people to enter his heavenly circle. He does this in many different ways, like communicating directly to them or sending people as his messengers. I went to the night sessions as a result of the latter and got my first taste of God’s love during the evening sessions. It was at this moment that my life was changed forever.

Ever since I came to Dalat, I never went to the SEW or MEW night sessions because I never saw the purpose of going there, since I was a non-Christian. This went on for a number of years until SEW this year, when Tim Baek (12) asked me to come on the evening session on Wednesday; and since this was my last year here, I thought to my myself, “I might as well go.” When I arrived, I already had missed some of the worship songs, and I did not find a seat, so I stood there.

After the song was over, I took my seat and listened to Tim’s story, and I was able to relate since I had an older sibling. After his story, we sang some last songs of worship; I had the chance to hi to my classmates and people I usually don’t talk to. Afterward, I went home feeling satisfied, happy, and eager for the next evening session. As I was walking home, I was acting happy and smiling the entire way.

When I first came to Dalat, I never thought of going to the SEW or MEW evening sessions, but after going to this one, this has changed slightly and the fact that I went had some effects that I never realized.

Two weeks have passed since the end of SEW, and I soon learned that some people were happy to see me, as Tim Baek (12) said, “I felt happy because I came.”  This experienced has somewhat changed my perception of the Bible and being able to hear some of my classmates’ stories taught me valuable lessons that I will use in the future.

But will I go to MEW next semester?

Fly Like Eagles, Spike Like Eagles

Tim Baek

“Eagles on three! One, Two, Three, EAGLES!!!” the boys shouted with maximized enthusiasm and energy. One more match and they were the winners on the court. Without knowing how the match would turn out, the brave Eagles entered the court in ISKL with the mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness.

On 21st September 2018, the Dalat boys varsity volleyball team went to ISKL’s campus for a volleyball tournament. The moment they reached the campus, they had to change into their team uniform and get ready for their first match against ISKL. The whistle for the first match was blown, and all the players got into their positions. The Eagles tried hard, but the ISKL Panthers took their first set with a score of 25 - 22. The boys worked hard on their second set to cover up their losses, but the Panthers finished the game with a score of 25 - 17.

Despite their first loss in the tournament, the Eagles earned their first victory from a Malay team with the score of 25 - 10, and 25 - 16. After being asked what made the team stronger after the first defeat, Zhi Yong Lee (11) replied, "We tend to start our very slow and get better as the match goes on, unless we get tilted. Lol!" 

With their first victory, the Eagles went to rest for the next day’s matches. On the next day, they had to leave the hotel by 7:30 a.m. and gather in the gym by 10:00 a.m. for their matches. Their first match of the day was against Sunway team, who took the first set from the Eagles with a score of 25 - 22. The first defeat of the day woke the members up, and they brought their victory back from Sunway with the score of 25 – 18 and 16 - 14. When asked on how they managed to play through the games after waking up early, Yi Yao Tan (12) replied, “I honestly don't know how; I just opened my eyes, put my hands out, put one foot in front of another, and played one point at a time.”

With their victory against the Sunway team, they proceeded to the finals to face the Panthers once more. If they succeeded against the Panthers, they would become the champions of the whole tournament. However, things did not go well for the Eagles. The Panthers took their victory with a score of 25 - 22 and 25 - 18. When asked about the field of improvement, Karl Chan (12) replied, “Our team really struggles with passing and communicating.”

Though the Eagles could not defeat the Panthers, they came back with more experience and a tighter team bond.



Preparing for Panthers

Karl Chan

A month ago, there were try-outs for all first season sports. The two main sports this season are volleyball and soccer. Since then, all the varsity volleyball and soccer players have been working extremely hard to compete for first place in the school’s upcoming major tournament – ACSC. However, for us, the Eagles, to get first in ACSC, we must face countless tough opponents in order to improve; last weekend, we faced one of them – ISKL.

On Friday, September 21st, the varsity soccer guys, varsity soccer girls, varsity volleyball guys, varsity volleyball girls, and the JV volleyball girls took a trip to KL to face off against the Panthers at their home ground.

As ISKL is one of the most famous international schools in Malaysia, their sports facilities are advanced enough to attract lots of high caliber sports players to their school; so, beating them is challenging.

Since I was (and currently am) one of the varsity volleyball players, I can remember that they were consistent with their bumping and setting.  Similarly, Nicholas Khor (12), with three years of varsity soccer experience said, “They (ISKL) are a team that has really good ball movement.”

With only a month worth of training, beating ISKL is, without a doubt, a challenge but is almost impossible for us varsity volleyball guys. This year’s guy’s varsity volleyball team consists of many students with lots of extracurricular activities. For the first week of practice, Ryan Chan (9) was absent because of his chess tournament. For the second week of practice, half of the team (AKA the seniors) went on Senior Sneak to Telunas. For the third week of practice, a few people were sick and could not show up. Finally, in the fourth week, we had our first practice with perfect attendance. So far, we only had three practices where the whole team showed up; but I have to say that our teamwork has been somewhat exceptional.

The Eagles may not have had as much practice as they wanted to before they played against ISKL, but I know, for sure, that the one thing that Dalat has had more than any other school is the heart to play their sports; whether it’s soccer, volleyball, track, basketball, rugby, or baseball, the Eagles will never back down until the game is done.


The Sour Taste of Defeat

Nathan Chand

Less than 48 hours and already taking 3 “L’s”. The Dalat varsity teams stepped onto a brand new ISKL campus to play the ISKL varsity and JV teams, putting a spotlight on a massive gymnasium with two full courts along with two new turf fields. Nobody could even believe the size of that campus without having visited it in person. Bethany Davis (12) said, “this place feels like an airport.”

The Dalat varsity football boys have never beat the ISKL varsity team. They have played them time and time again but to no avail. ISKL always seems to beat them, whether they dominated the game and obliterated the score line, or even if they simply got lucky with a chance goal and a good call from the ref. This year, it was going to be different. The team was so hyped. They met in many team meetings preparing mentally. They worked hard in many practices preparing physically. They even prayed before the game to prepare emotionally/spiritually. The tagline that was repeated and spread through many Snapchat stories was “why not us?” (credits to Ruben Nyul (12))

All twenty-two brothers stepped onto that pitch and kicked off the game at a fantastic speed. They worked harder than ISKL, played better than ISKL, and were in the game more than ISKL. But, somehow, from one mistake and the one chance that ISKL got, they were able to convert it into a goal, making the score 1-0. The team was devastated but they weren’t ready to give up. They pushed harder, creating more chances, but they could never put the ball in the net. The second half was no better; it was worse, in fact. By the end of the game, ISKL converted all of their chances and punished us for the mistakes we made, however few they were. The final score was 4-0.

Throughout the entire weekend, we worked hard, getting better after each game, after each goal. In their final game, they played against the ISKL JV and dominated the game. The JV, however, like their varsity counterparts, were able to convert the two chances they got. And the Dalat varsity team had extremely unlucky calls from the ref. The ref somehow managed to disallow two goals by Ruben Nyul (12), which were almost undebatable completely legal goals. John Kim (10) said, “even the other team admitted that they were goals.” The Dalat varsity football team left KL without a single win.

Looking back at the weekend, the results managed to do two things: 1.) they managed to show the team how they were not unstoppable, as they felt the taste of defeat. 2.) But it was the taste of defeat that was able to push this team to an entirely new level. It pumped adrenaline into the team giving it a spirit to strive for a win and to fear losing, that fear and humiliation that comes with a big fat L.

It will undoubtedly make this a better team. Seong Min Kim (12) said, “this is the result that allows us to bounce back even stronger.”



Tuesday 18 September 2018

Holy Spirit Upon Us

Amanda Low

During the SEW opening worship night, on September 11, God’s presence filled the entire room and touched countless people with His Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of God called on people to draw closer to Him by being vulnerable towards Him and by submitting wholly to Him. So many people were indulged in the worship that they blocked out whatever judgments or criticisms others awaited to pour out on them. They lifted their hands up high, pouring their hearts out worshiping the Almighty God.

Feeling the call from God, people stepped out of their comfort zones and laid their hands on their peers to pray for them, which brought them closer to God. Slowly, the prayers multiplied exponentially. Groups started coming together to pray and to cast all their worries upon God. Joy, peace, sadness, thankfulness, relief—all kinds of emotions were presented before God that day.

As Mikaela Steinkamp (12) said, “The energy inside the Harbour Hall was phenomenal. You had people who had never interacted together before praying and crying with one another. God’s presence was really felt that night.”

Throughout the session, seniors in the leadership class directed numerous stations for people with different needs and desires for God to go to. From elementary school students to high school students to parents, most stations were visited by people with very different backgrounds.

At one point during the worship, several students formed a line in front of the stage. They had their arms on each other’s shoulders, swaying and singing to God’s marvelous songs. A new bond was then formed amongst them; they became brothers and sisters in Christ.

After all, only those who attended that session would fully understand the unique atmosphere in the hall that night. No words can compare to what one felt or come close to describing the presence of the one true living God. That night was just another reminder that the Lord is always doing marvelous works in people’s lives. 

Where Is Your Identity?

Kimberly Hills

After what seemed like two million emails back and forth, the plans for Tuesday’s opening session were set. The Leadership Development class, with the guidance of Mr. McClary, Mr. Ronzheimer, and Mrs. Allen, worked hard for the past week, organizing Dalat’s annual Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW).

On Tuesday, September 11, 2018, SEW began with a 2-hour worship night in Dalat’s brand-new Harbor Hall. During SEW, classes are cut short during the school day, allowing for guest speakers to share testimonies, teach from the Bible, and pray for students and their faith. In addition to the daily chapel sessions, the Harbor Hall also hosted evening sessions, where parents, staff, and secondary students could join to receive more biblical teaching.

This year’s SEW was special because students were very heavily involved in planning and organizing all the logistics. This year, Dalat offers a new class called Leadership Development, which is only open for seniors who have a passion for flaming Dalat’s spiritual fire. The leadership team felt led to have a “bonus” evening session on Friday.

This evening session was entirely student led: only students led worship, only students decided on which stations to have, and only students shared testimonies. No staff! We had a drawing and journaling station, where people cold come and draw a picture of something God had given them or to write a letter to God; a cross station where people could kneel at the cross and confess their sins; a communion station that reminded people that Jesus died just for them, and a “real talk” station where students could confess a burden or secret to a friend.

While the stations ran their course, live worship continued in the background. Different students led worship, singing both silver and gold songs. Bethany Davis (12) led a song during set one, and after exclaimed, “It was an amazing time for me to step into a leadership role and lead people to God!”

Since all of the seniors have such busy and conflicting schedules, we weren’t able to practice the music as much as we wanted to. This led to a few mistakes during the key changes and timing changes during the evening. At first, we were embarrassed because we really wanted the night to go smoothly and for the worship to be a flawless sacrifice for the Lord. But, as the night went on, we openly laughed – with the congregation – about our mistakes and shared that our identity isn’t in how professional the music is. What matters is how genuine we are. Coach Frohlich approached us at the end of the night remarking, “Sure, the overall package wasn’t, you know… polished, but your authenticity outperformed the mistakes.”

The session was organized to end at 9 P.M., but people lingered to pray with friends and teachers, receive blessing, and enjoy true fellowship with other believers. It was the perfect way to end an unforgettable Spiritual Emphasis Week.

SEW's Kick-Off Worship Night

Natasha Palanivel

Dalat students gathered on Tuesday night for an amazing time of worship and prayer stations lead by seniors to kick off SEW.

On the 11th of September, Dalat students shuffled into the Harbour Hall and found, to their surprise, that the chairs had been removed! Students chatted and sat on the floor while waiting for the worship night to begin. As the lights dimmed, and the music began to play, students turned their attention towards God, and the worship team lead the students in a beautiful time of worship.

Shannon Frohlich shared an excellent testimony on how she obeyed God, which set up the atmosphere for the next part of the worship night. The spiritual development class of Dalat had come up with a few stations that students could visit to either receive prayer or just reflect on their faith. Different seniors were in charge of the stations and were available to pray for the underclassmen. It was definitely a great opportunity for the senior class to reach out to the underclassmen.

It was amazing to see students praying for one another as the spirit moved that night. There were students in tears before God, and it was evident that the presence of God was there. When asked what her highlight was from the worship night, Shannon Frohlich (12) replied, “My highlight was definitely seeing how many students prayed for each other—how many students put aside their preconceptions about others and demonstrated God’s love by finding courage to give them a word or pray for them. I was at the back of the room, and as I looked around Harbour Hall, all I could see was students either worshipping God, confessing to a friend, going through a station, or praying. Lots of tears were shed, and people definitely experienced God!”

The worship night truly was a great way to kick off SEW. 

Stole the Show

Jeremy Worten

My uncle and aunt, the guest SEW speakers at Dalat International School, came to refresh our souls with God. Do you get tired of the same old grind? The same routine of life? Waking up early, eating breakfast, and arriving at school on time. Last week—SEW week—though, was something special.

 I believe the purpose of SEW is to take a break from the normal weeks of school to give a chance for students and staff to really get right with God, so that they can continue to build a strong foundation for the rest of the school year.

This year, SEW was special to me because my aunt and uncle were the guest speakers for the week. It was an honor to be the MC for most of the nights and to introduce them to my friends and teachers. They were not planning on coming, but because of my request, they accepted the invitation.

Opening Night – Lights, camera, action! The MC for the first night was me, and I was super nervous. There was an amazing turnout, and it felt like the entire school was there. The whole Harbor Hall was full and ready to start SEW. That night was special, and I can tell you why. The spiritual leadership class and I were tasked to organize that night. We had to handle the music, the lights, the stations, the workflow, and much more.

At first, it felt crazy and the madness was getting to the leadership class, but when the evening came around, something special happened. The Holy Spirit came into the Harbor Hall that night. He was working within the students. Students were praying for other students. Teachers and parents worshipped with the students.

All the people in that chapel were worshiping the good God Almighty. They were standing up, arms raised, and singing with their hearts! It was a night to remember. It was a time for vulnerability and broken barriers, a time to get right with God. That night was something that nobody will forget, and the leadership class and I are extremely thankful that God used us for his glory. God stole the show that night.

We want to thank everyone for coming, and we are trying to get more events like that going throughout the school year. Continue to abide in Christ daily, and I hope you will stick to what you learned. My leadership development teacher said the following: “Do it for the Audience of one”; remember that when you are performing for the Lord. 

Team Work Makes the Dream Work

Sarah Lee

On Monday, September 10th, the varsity volleyball guys and girls were up against the Chung Ling High School volleyball teams.

Usually, Mondays are filled with students struggling to wake up and come to terms that the weekend is over, but that wasn’t the case for our varsity volleyball athletes. They had to be alert and ready to move around quickly on the court, calling out for balls that were out or tipping over the net.

Although the games were set to start at 4:30pm at the gym, the bleachers started filling up at around 4pm with students and parents who were ready to cheer on our guys and girls. Many players from the girls’ soccer team came to support their peers before their practices that were scheduled at 5:30pm.

Both teams had time on the court before the games started to warm up. Our girls’ volleyball team held a quick prayer before heading out to their allotted time for practice. The guys and girls warmed up by practicing their spikes and serves, while the rival team held a brief meeting. After the time for practice had passed, all the teams lined up at the ends and shook hands wishing each other a fair game.

Tensions were high as Chung Ling was notoriously known to be a tough opponent of good teamwork, and they had taken gold last year at the Spike and Strike tournament. It was also the first home game for the girls’ volleyball team, and everyone was eager to see their teamwork on the court. Players and spectators were filled with anticipation to see how the games would play out.

With the blow of the whistle, the games commenced. With beads of sweat rolling down their faces and shirts, the guys and girls gave it their all against Chung Ling. They looked ready for anything that would come over their side of the net. Onlookers could constantly be seen cheering and sending uplifting messages to the players. The Dalat boys lost all three sets (they played an extra round for fun) while the girls won two sets. Although the Dalat girls lost the first set, they quickly came back with winning the remaining two sets. When asked about their game, Carissa Hoffmeyer (12) replied, “We worked really well as a team during the game and showed a lot of strengths that we have been working on in practice. Also, we overcame some difficult moments and came back from a loss to win the game.”

The handshakes signaled the end of the games, and the boys and girls lined up respectfully towards the bleachers to bow to the crowd. Overall, there were some great rallies and play shown by both teams. Everyone congratulated them on their games, and pretty soon people filled out of the gym animatedly talking about the great plays they’ve seen during the games.

Tuesday 11 September 2018

Tempo of Bangkok

Carissa Hoffmeyer

After a sweaty, hot bus ride, a bumpy two-hour flight, and an hour van ride, the Dalat high school band arrived at the 24@Home hotel in Bangkok. A total of 38 high schoolers, along with Mr. Kearney, Mr. Ramos, Ms. Goh, and Ms. Claudia attended the 2018 Massed Band Festival from Dalat.

On Friday, September 7, 2018, seven different schools met at ISB for an eight-hour massed band rehearsal, where we had the chance to interact with other students and play music, conducted by a retired cowboy conductor from Montana.

Even though this band trip was for participating in the massed band festival, most students truly enjoyed the time spent away from working. Several new friendships were created over this trip, as there was a wide variety of different students from each grade, and they were able to intermingle. One student, Sieon Park (10) said, “I really liked going on the trip with friends, hanging out with them, meeting new people, and playing with them.”

On Saturday, after the concert, we got to go out to a mall in Bangkok to eat local food, buy some souvenirs, and explore. One store that a few students stumbled upon was an exotic shirt store. There, we found three strange, matching shirts with a child’s face all over it. Mr. Ramos, very graciously, decided to buy the shirts for himself, Ms. Goh and Mr. Kearney. Ms. Goh, reluctantly put the shirt on as they all posed for a group photo. With a bit of luck, we might be able to get them to wear their shirts at some point this year.
Hopefully, we didn’t give the band directors too much of a headache during the nights, as we were quite loud in the hotel. Several people were playing video games or card games, having fun and lively conversations, or just hanging out doing some homework.

Our last day in Bangkok, we took a van out to an island, which we had to boat to, where we shopped at a market. We explored the entire market, seeing their variety of clothing, jewelry, food, and several other things. Two favorite spots were the sweet corn and watermelon shakes.

Although the trip was short, we all enjoyed the time we got to spend bonding as a band, eating Krispy Kreme, and freezing in the auditorium.  I think we all can agree that this trip was one never to forget.


Bluffin’ in Bangkok

Yusoof Monawvil

A solid bluff can be pulled off in the midst of a speech, perhaps on a resume, and with skill, in a game of cards. It goes without saying that bluffing has gotten people far; fortune-tellers, astrologers, and palm-readers all make their careers off of bluffing. But where it truly matters, in the realm of music, bluffing just won’t do the trick--and the students at Dalat that participated in the band festival at ISB are manifest proof of this.

As evidenced in the oh-so-reliable source that is the ol’ spaghetti Western film, to call a bluff on a shifty-eyed card player requires a careful mix of intuition and calm, cold, and calculated judgment—not the sort of thing the average joe could pull off. With careful selection of rhetorical devices, a politician delivering a speech could bluff over a speech regarding a controversial subject or topic—techniques that might widely go over the heads of many constituents.

But this is far from the case in the wild world of art and music. Young bluffing musicians can only get so far in their musical escapades. Bluffing on practice times becomes evident once shaky hands push down on valves and poorly set embouchures fail to eek out supposedly-practiced high notes. Calling a musician’s bluff requires no intuition, judgment, calculation, or analysis of any sort—just listening. With art and music so finely engraved into the material of mind, the shortcomings of any individual or ensemble in performance are self-evident to any member of an audience. And it is with such knowledge in mind that Dalat’s students have come to represent the school so eloquently and gracefully this year.

But... it would be a horrible lie to say no bluffs were had on the band trip. Gabby Gardner (10), remarks that while not performing, the group went to the mall, “[We] found these really funny shirts but one stood out. The shirt had the face of a little kid and the word “bluff” written all over it. On the way out, we showed the funny shirt to Mr. Ramos and to our surprise he decides to buy three of them—one for him, one for Mr. Kearney, and one for Ms. Goh, who really didn’t like it.”

Choose Your Class

Zhi Yi Saw

As Dalat’s high school students return from the summer break, many race to change their classes during the school’s first week to shape their school semester.

By the time of the writing and publication of this article, almost four weeks will have passed since students have been able to change their classes for the semester or year. Nevertheless, the events of that short first week remain incredibly influential on both the present and future of Dalat’s students.

To many, those first three days after the summer of 2018 aren’t enough to decide if they want to change classes for the semester. Sometimes, some implications or exceptions lead to classes being switched after the end of the first week, though this is highly unadvised. Two neighboring rooms are located in the lobby of the Dalat Castle. Both experience their rush hours from the students at the beginning of the school year by those who want to change classes or are looking for advice. One of these rooms is the high school counselor/Mr. Paul Dobson’s office where students can go for recommendations on what classes they should take based on schedules, favored college requirements, and other factors. The room beside the high school counselor’s office is the PowerSchool administrator’s/Mrs. Lydia Robert’s office. She oversees making class changes in the school’s database. She also sorts out the schedules, which can be made more challenging by requests to change courses after the first week.

In an interview with Mrs. Lydia Roberts, the PowerSchool administrator, she expresses her hope that students do abide by the general rule of changing classes only before the end of the first school week. She explains that “students should stop changing their classes after the first week ends because doing so after will inconvenience the teachers of those classes in planning and preparing for the semester.”

The reason for the rule of only being able to change classes in the first week is supposed to be both for the benefit of the student and the teacher. It attempts to prevent a situation of a student dropping into a class that has already begun, while also allowing the teacher to have consistency in their teaching plans. Most importantly, it prevents conflicts in the schedule.

It may be important that you know what you’re going to do for the rest of your school year, but it’s just as important that you actually start your school year. 

Wednesday 5 September 2018

Senior Sneak

Alexandre Shing

In the dark of night, seniors of the class of 2019 gathered at the carpark, a sense of anticipation (and dinner) swimming within their stomaches. A few announcements were given, along with Mr. Steinkamp’s practical reminder to remember DBS (short for Don’t Be Stupid). Parents stood by, sending their well wishes and prayers along, right up to the point of boarding the bus. Thus, began the journey to Telunas, an island off the coast of Batam and a twelve-hour ride away.

Bus ride after boat ride, the class finally made it to their destination, whereupon they were greeted with a welcoming meal, a beautiful resort trailing into the ocean, and a cheerful staff who were already wanting to get to know them. There was barely enough time to get settled into the rooms allocated to each student before free time was announced, allowing them the chance to explore the new environment and all it had to offer. Seniors flocked to the beach, where opportunities for entertainment and sport abounded. Tetherball, volleyball, soccer, ultimate frisbee, and spikeball were all in full swing just to name a few. Shouts of success rang out throughout the afternoon, as there was one triumph over another.

Deck jumping was next, as students clamored for attention trying out different poses held in the air for a split second. Trevor Ronning (12) and Mikaela Steinkamp (12) were among those adventurous enough to attempt exchanging high-fives as they sent themselves leaping into the ocean. A delicious dinner of spaghetti came soon after, followed by a briefing for the classes’ service project the very next day. Telunas’ staff, Petra, Theo, and Rizal, put on a wonderful skit explaining the dos and don’ts of culturally appropriate behavior in the village of Sugi. A full day of activities rounded to an end as the senior class went back out on the deck and gazed upward, faced with the full beauty of the stars above and catching a small glimpse of heaven. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Getting back into boats loaded with the tools needed in the morning, the Class of 2019 headed out with eager anticipation towards Sugi village. The objective? To work on building a proper concrete road in replacement of a dirt one. Various stops and time spent elaborating on instructions later, seniors were divided into groups and tasked with mixing the sand and cement together, collecting water from the nearby well to be mixed in, then handing the wet mixture off to the front of the road where it was being paved. Lunch break saw the class learning to use their hands in the traditionally Malay manner of eating, followed by soccer with the local boys continuously vying for the ball. Doing as much as they could for the last half of the day yielded only a third of the entire road getting covered, but to the village, the work done was of invaluable help, as was expressed in the kind words exchanged afterward. Large coconuts freshly plucked from the trees were cut open skillfully and distributed, while others found a volleyball to play with the locals. Bittersweet goodbyes as the seniors prepared to leave validated the friendships built during the short time together.

The day after was hardly a break, as the class headed out once more, this time on a jungle hike. The lingering smell of mosquito repellant mixed with sunscreen indicated that the seniors were prepared for roughing it out in the wild. The trusty Telunas boats brought them as far as possible down narrow rivers of water with marshes on either side, before beginning the slow process of transferring them a handful at a time to a smaller boat, so as to make it through shallower waters. The downtime was not to be wasted, however, as Bethany Davis (12) and Mikaela Steinkamp (12) initiated a singing battle between the boats, hurtling raps at each other from songs of decades past. As Trevor Running (12) correctly commented, “How do they even know the lyrics to these songs, and more importantly, why”? Through the jungle trek, students were exposed to the plantation all along the way, from the common durian and jackfruit to the industrially tapped rubber and endangered trees claiming to be worth as much as an entire four years of college tuition. Photo opportunities abounded as they reached their journey’s end at a small waterfall that could be jumped off of. After enjoying a cool swim and a packed lunch, students once again formed a single file and retraced their steps back to the pickup location, to be brought back to Telunas after long hours of trekking.

  As with every good thing, Senior Sneak had to come to an end and to mark this occasion with closure, all Seniors were invited to an outdoor pizza dinner the evening before departure. It was a time of reflection and laughter of the week’s events as they proceeded to pile toppings into little hills on their pizza, share about the good memories formed, and sing worship songs together. Theo, a Telunas staff member, led the group in thinking about the time spent there using the metaphor of a rose; the sharp thorns being difficulties and discomforts, the rosebud for the growth experienced, and the petals for the beautiful moments.

Senior Class President, Nicholas Khor (12), also took this opportunity to reveal the theme for the Class of 2019: “Legends Never Die.” Coming back to school, there was almost an unspoken consensus that what happened in Telunas would not only refrain from being forgotten, but that mentality would be brought back to influence the rest of the community as well. The senior class had risen to the role of leaders within the school, and they knew their legacy was here to stay.

Tuesday 4 September 2018

Legends Never Die

Annabelle Teoh

Most of us seniors came in with the same hope–to create bonds and memories that will last a lifetime–and after five days of the sun, fun, and shenanigans, our hopes were fulfilled.

The first day began on a bus. With bags packed and people loaded, the senior class embarked on an eight-hour bus ride, followed by a 2-hour ferry ride, and lastly a ninety-minute boat ride.

Our class couldn’t afford to buy plane tickets to Telunas…
…but who was complaining?

Hours of quality bonding and late-night talks that were either foolish or sentimental– no one could have put a price on that.

After a long night of travelling, we finally reached Telunas. Everyone was exhausted, but no one was ready to hit the sack. As soon as we got our bags and room arrangements, we hit the beach for some fun in the sun. While the boys played their ball games, the girls gathered in a circle in the ocean, screaming and laughing while playing odd hand games. To end a great first day in Telunas, the Class of 2019 sat underneath the stars, contemplating the past, the present, and the future.

The second day was filled with hard work, sweat, and fortunately, no tears. We had the opportunity to build a road in a nearby community called Sugi Village. With shovels and hoes, we put hours of lifting weights in the gym to good use: ridding the path of weeds and tossing and mixing cement. “Yes – the work was tiresome, but with the encouragement of our fellow peers, the day turned out to be rather fun,” said Min Guk Kong (12).

With great teamwork, we were able to pave a 50-meter road in five hours! After all was complete, the class stood back to see what they had created– together–and smiled. That day, the Class of 2019 proudly and humbly left a mark in Sugi Village.
Nicholas Khor (left) and Lydia Kim (right) watching the beautiful sunrise (Photo by Ryna Mayekar (12))

The next day began with a beautiful sunrise. The morning was chilly but made warm with the accompaniment of hot tea and great company. At around 6:30a, the sun rose from behind the mountains and painted the sky an orange hue, as the wispy clouds complemented the sky. We all watched the sky in awe, feeling so thankful and so blessed for this life, and this opportunity to be in Telunas. After watching the sunrise, we ate breakfast and embarked on a hike to a beautiful waterfall.
The final full day in Telunas was bittersweet. We began the day with a hearty breakfast, followed by some survival skills, such as making a fire and fishing. We ended the day with pizza, and a bonfire– the true highlight of the trip. Everyone sat around the bonfire, eating pizza and roasting marshmallows while making small talk with new friends. As the night went on, we talked about the things we had learnt, the things we appreciated, and the things we could do to impact the world after we graduated.

This moment hit us hard.

As we looked around the bonfire, we wished we had appreciated each other more, reminisced about the all the good times we’ve had, and thought about the bigger things in life. These thoughts were shown in tears–tears that were channelled from the bottom of our hearts.

That last night, underneath the stars, alongside the sea, and in the presence of God, our hearts ached and longed for relationships and for bigger hopes and dreams, and we prayed this longing would stay with us as we left the beautiful island of Telunas.





Jumping Into…

Matthew Strong

I set my foot on the first step of a ladder that seemed to end in the sky but really ended at a platform six meters above the water below. I tried to swallow my fear— to build the strength to do what I knew I was going to do; and so I sprinted up the ladder and saw the waterfall underneath the slats of the steps. I waited for the few people in line in front of me, one of them being Trevor Ronning (12), who was, like me, endeavoring this feat for the first time, embraced it with all his might running at full speed toward a point that caused me much trepidation. Now, it was my turn.

I turned and saw Mikaela Steinkamp (12) smiling at my panicked qualms, “I can’t do it, I can’t do it!” and before I knew it, my name was being chanted from the deck five meters below. She did not let me back out or even let herself attempt the feat first. And so, I backed up from the edge of the wooden edifice, both out of a desire to not hold back the line desperately wanting to jump and to get in as much excitement as possible. I raced for the edge and saw myself at a point no instinct of mankind should ever have allowed me to be at: six meters above water, jumping.

For the past three years of high school, my class has admittedly lacked the flowering vine which would bind us all together.

Through the work we did our junior year to raise funds for our Senior Sneak, JSB, and other various activities, we developed some unity as we all worked together under one united cause, but this cause also hindered us from totally focusing on binding together as a class. Yet through our laboring to raise funds during the Junior year, we planted a seed which grew to form a bud; and as we voyaged off on the Senior Sneak, our bud bloomed.

The last night of Sneak, as we sat around the embers of a bonfire, we all had an inkling deep in our hearts, as Isabel Smith (12) pointed out Monday in one of our classes: “All of us wanted to know each other.”

Not only did we jump from decks and waterfalls, but many of us found ourselves jumping into our future as we thought earnestly about it. We jumped into gratitude for the education we have and the lives we live. We jumped into an appreciation for each member of our class. We jumped into a desire to know everybody in our class deeply; and I trust that this year we would be submerged in unity, and when we rise from the bubbling water and head our separate ways at graduation, we will hold with love and gratitude in our hearts the year in which we all jumped into the future together.