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.