It was very refreshing, to be honest. I now wish I spent more time with my classmates throughout our 3 years in Monash. Thank God Monash has decided to do something nice like this for us else they were going down my list as overrated and a waste of money :p
I can say that now I am beginning to love and appreciate the environment. Staying at an eco-tourism resort showed me that being environmentally friendly can be done, and saving our environment is crucial. Staying at a resort without televisions and swimming pool was good because all we could do was go jungle trekking, swim at waterfalls and be one with nature (and the leeches too! I still have one leech mark at my neck!)
I think the best part of the trip for me was the visit to an orang asli village at Sungai Tiang. They've created a toy library to teach the orang asli children education through play. Danny brought his baloons and began to make toy animals and swords for the children (thanks danny for teaching me how to make em!). Development is slowly being brought in to the kampung, with huts built, water systems and solar panels. Hygiene is taught, as well as education, health among others. They also teach the mothers how to read and write in order for they to teach their children. This opened my eyes to the fact that reaching out to the orang asli's is achievable, although it may appear as affecting their way of life
All in all I have come to believe that sustainable development is crucial in saving out planet, how to balance between preservation of the environment as well as bring development is crucial. I have also learnt to really appreciate people who are caring, friendly and care for the environment + orang asli's.
Good trip. Thanks Monash University Sunway and the business school for organising this. I can finally say that my term in Monash was a worth it one.
