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What’s OCIP ah?

If you need ideas or a brief respite from your daily grind, read on for a taste of the unforgettable and heartwarming OCIP experience. In this article, you'll discover its extensive impact. On the surface, OCIP stands for Overseas Community Involvement Project. Yet, to me, it signifies something much deeper.


Amidst our hectic schedules, most of us welcomed the opportunity to venture beyond the little red dot. For most of us, it was our first OCIP, and we eagerly travelled to Bintan, hoping to leave a positive mark on the local community. As we boarded the ferry, a mix of worry, fear, excitement, and happiness washed over me. Would I be safe? Would I get food poisoning? These questions flooded my mind, but they soon dwindled as I assured myself that I wasn’t alone on this journey.


The community and moments shared during OCIP were irreplaceable. From communal meals and reflective evenings to collaborative service projects and culminating in a campfire night, each moment left an indelible impression. The most vivid activity was the nightly reflections, where discussions and sharing our observations and lessons helped me better contrast Bintan and Singapore. For instance, during our visit to SMK Gunung Kijang, one of my peers realised that friendship can transcend language barriers. Despite our cultural differences, we forged friendships with the students, even exchanging Instagram handles. This experience taught me that by embracing diversity and actively communicating, bonds can be formed between people of different backgrounds.


One of the most valuable aspects of OCIP was the development of transferable skills. OCIP equips us with essential 21st-century skills such as adaptability, independence, resilience, and empathy. These skills are pivotal in our character development and readiness for this complex, fast-moving world. For instance, constructing the Safe Water Garden presented challenges that tested my resilience. For instance, the extremely humid and warm weather left me drenched in sweat and fatigue. This forced me out of the comfortable environments I was used to, where I would be pampered with either fans or air-conditioning. The incessant mosquitoes left me covered in bites. Despite all this, my commitment to the host family kept me going. With the support of our teachers, peers, and instructors, we completed it.


Furthermore, this experience served as a profound eye-opener. It exposed me to the realities faced by less privileged communities and challenged us to step out of our comfort zones. After a day of construction, I got a glimpse of the arduous work that construction workers do. Recognizing them as unsung heroes left me feeling more sympathetic towards them and deepened my appreciation for their contributions.


However, there are always two sides to every story. The lessons taken away from the OCIP experience vary widely among students. After all, everyone doesn’t think the same way. Some may have joined OCIP to build their portfolios, while others were attracted by the fun-filled stories shared by seniors. Is it their fault for having these motivations? I doubt it. These sentiments aren’t entirely misplaced, given that OCIP is a short, five-day project with no follow-up activities. Once it ends, that’s it.


This makes me question the true value of OCIP. How sustainable and scalable was our project? Were we really making a long-lasting impact? At times, during breaks, I saw our instructors undoing our work and redoing it, which made me wonder: Were we doing more harm than good? After all, the majority of us had never done any construction work before. It might sound cynical, but OCIP sometimes felt like a way to instill in us a sense of accomplishment, making us feel like we were making a difference. This makes me question whether we were helping ourselves or simply buying an opportunity to help ourselves. In reality, it may have simply been first-world privilege going to a third-world country.


In the grand scheme of things, the impact of OCIP is subjective. However, I can assure you that it undoubtedly fosters camaraderie among peers, instructors, and locals alike. If I could sum up OCIP in one word, it would be "memorable." While I speak from personal experience, it’s an opportunity worth seizing, especially if you seek to immerse yourself in a culturally enriching environment.


Thanks for reading :)

Written by: Leah

Edited by: Qianhui

Designed by: Cayden

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