Eye-Opening And Enriching CAS Trip
IBDP’s Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) Trip to Cipanas in Indonesia
Written by:
Stefanie Lee Feiyi
Badminton Academy, IBDP, Year 5
Stepping outside the echo chamber of privilege was a very humbling experience. In my home community where privilege surrounds us, it is easy to remind one another to be grateful for what we have without any concrete action. However, the constant need to challenge my privileged assumptions and attitudes during this trip was all at once challenging and refreshing, leaving me with an experience that felt deeply meaningful.
Throughout the five-day Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) trip from 17 to 21 November 2024, our brief partnership with Yayasan Usaha Mulia (YUM) was eventful, enriching and impactful for both the beneficiaries and volunteers. We had the opportunity to engage with all age groups of individuals living in Cipanas, from learning nursery rhymes with preschoolers to having heartfelt tea sessions with the elderly living alone.
We have so much. Yet how is it that these individuals are so much happier with less? This was a recurring thought that followed every interaction with the underprivileged people we had the opportunity to connect with. Simply bringing a ball for the children to throw around was enough to bring wide smiles to their faces and fill the air with happy giggles. Even as we struggled to communicate game rules to the kids, they played enthusiastically with us, expressing no judgement at our poor Indonesian. If we were to switch roles, I am quite certain that most of us would not have shown as much enthusiasm or appreciation for strangers teaching us in broken English.
Later on, as I stepped foot in the ramshackle home of a lonely senior with my arms full of food staples, I was met with an aged man, head bowed as he muttered in Sudanese under his breath. Only when a YUM staff interpreted for us did we realise that he was praying for us. Our polite conversation was also punctuated with instances when the man paused to offer a prayer for our well-being, such as when we asked what life advice he would give us. Beyond feeling touched, his warm actions filled me with shame. Time and time again, I witnessed individuals with less opportunities, less privilege than me express sincere gratitude and could not help but wonder, why? These simple experiences prompted me to switch up the lens with which I view my life— from the material things I have such as a stable roof over my head and air-conditioning, to the intangible: having a full family, access to quality healthcare and the opportunity to study. These things that I view as a given, as a basic necessity, may not be so for others.
Do you like travelling? No, I should ask if they have travelled abroad before. Throughout my conversations with the Vocational Training Centre students and YUM farming interns, I was constantly checking my words for insensitivity, constantly reframing the way I approached topics like finance and lifestyle. The seemingly innocent, “Why do you want to learn English?” was met with a heartbreaking answer from a 14-year-old boy, who wanted to start an agricultural business to support his family. Others wanted to work on cruise ships, to become doctors, to work in finance. It really struck me then, that all of us can dream, but not all of us get the chance to chase those dreams.
We often covet what we do not have, but how often do we appreciate what we do? I have read this sentence countless times in my life, but only now do I truly empathise with it. I genuinely hope that all of us will take back what we have learnt from this CAS trip to start making ripples in our own communities.
Written by:
Stefanie Lee Feiyi
Badminton Academy, IBDP, Year 5
Stepping outside the echo chamber of privilege was a very humbling experience. In my home community where privilege surrounds us, it is easy to remind one another to be grateful for what we have without any concrete action. However, the constant need to challenge my privileged assumptions and attitudes during this trip was all at once challenging and refreshing, leaving me with an experience that felt deeply meaningful.
Throughout the five-day Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) trip from 17 to 21 November 2024, our brief partnership with Yayasan Usaha Mulia (YUM) was eventful, enriching and impactful for both the beneficiaries and volunteers. We had the opportunity to engage with all age groups of individuals living in Cipanas, from learning nursery rhymes with preschoolers to having heartfelt tea sessions with the elderly living alone.
We have so much. Yet how is it that these individuals are so much happier with less? This was a recurring thought that followed every interaction with the underprivileged people we had the opportunity to connect with. Simply bringing a ball for the children to throw around was enough to bring wide smiles to their faces and fill the air with happy giggles. Even as we struggled to communicate game rules to the kids, they played enthusiastically with us, expressing no judgement at our poor Indonesian. If we were to switch roles, I am quite certain that most of us would not have shown as much enthusiasm or appreciation for strangers teaching us in broken English.
Later on, as I stepped foot in the ramshackle home of a lonely senior with my arms full of food staples, I was met with an aged man, head bowed as he muttered in Sudanese under his breath. Only when a YUM staff interpreted for us did we realise that he was praying for us. Our polite conversation was also punctuated with instances when the man paused to offer a prayer for our well-being, such as when we asked what life advice he would give us. Beyond feeling touched, his warm actions filled me with shame. Time and time again, I witnessed individuals with less opportunities, less privilege than me express sincere gratitude and could not help but wonder, why? These simple experiences prompted me to switch up the lens with which I view my life— from the material things I have such as a stable roof over my head and air-conditioning, to the intangible: having a full family, access to quality healthcare and the opportunity to study. These things that I view as a given, as a basic necessity, may not be so for others.
Do you like travelling? No, I should ask if they have travelled abroad before. Throughout my conversations with the Vocational Training Centre students and YUM farming interns, I was constantly checking my words for insensitivity, constantly reframing the way I approached topics like finance and lifestyle. The seemingly innocent, “Why do you want to learn English?” was met with a heartbreaking answer from a 14-year-old boy, who wanted to start an agricultural business to support his family. Others wanted to work on cruise ships, to become doctors, to work in finance. It really struck me then, that all of us can dream, but not all of us get the chance to chase those dreams.
We often covet what we do not have, but how often do we appreciate what we do? I have read this sentence countless times in my life, but only now do I truly empathise with it. I genuinely hope that all of us will take back what we have learnt from this CAS trip to start making ripples in our own communities.
- Books Down, Fun Up!
- Eye-Opening And Enriching CAS Trip