Y11 Jeremy Wong - Lumut, Malaysia

The CAS trip to Lumut focused on providing physical challenges and participating in environmental conservation. We went caving, planted mangrove trees and picked up plastic rubbish for sea turtle conservation under the assistance of several volunteers. 

For starters, this CAS trip increased my awareness of environmental issues as I learnt about the ecological importance of mangroves and the egg-laying habits of sea turtles. Did you know that mangrove root systems act as a nursery for newborn fish? Through physically interacting with the environment by wading through sand, mud and water, I recognised that environmental issues are not intangible, distant problems, and that they are in fact incredibly important for local and global communities. This was bolstered by the appreciation and responsibility that the volunteers had for nature, and I greatly admired their devotion to stewardship.

Moreover, this CAS trip challenged me to push myself in harsh environments and to trust my peers’ abilities. We guided each other through the darkness of the caves and planted hundreds of mangrove trees as a team, which would be impossible without the help of everyone there. I learnt that perseverance through hardship is extremely rewarding, as even though the manual labour was demanding, I felt great accomplishment afterwards, which could only be done by achieving something outside my comfort zone, and I look forward to trying more things that I wouldn't and exceeding my expectations to receive that feeling. I really enjoyed being part of a team and achieving as a collective: alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.

My greatest takeaway from this trip was to overcome the initial hurdle of trepidation and face challenges head-on. I enjoyed feeling personal growth and improvement in my confidence, self-esteem and openness. In summary, this CAS trip was tremendously fun, engaging and rewarding.