In her 90th year, she still carries a bright shining light, a Scouting Light founded in 1922 that had metamorphosed, transformed and changed many young people. This is the Gan Eng Seng School Dragon Scout Group, an extended family and alumni mater that I am proud of and still to be a part of them since my Dragon Scouting days.
As part of her 90th Anniversary celebrations, DSG was going to Hawaii for an overseas exchange program with the Hawaiian Scouts, a friendship that was established sometime back in 1992. It was a 10day adventure trip to Hawaii, camping, hiking, a Scouting exchange program and sightseeing. This wasn’t just a long needed and awaited overseas trip that I had been craving for, it was also a time to catch up with the Hawaiian Scoutmasters and Hawaiian scouting friends. This is also a great time for me to catch up with the Dragon Scout Group, since I had limited time and opportunities to interact with the young boys and girls of my alumni mater Dragon Scout Group.
Throughout the 10days, it was really fun, great to be with the young ones (not that I am very old) and also some older folks, making new friends from the Dragon Scouting and Hawaiian Scouting. Even though it was just 25 boys and girls from Dragon Scout Group, I wasn’t able to chat with all them during the 10day adventure. Hopefully, I would be able to do so when I am back for Dragon Scout Group events throughout the year in the future.
Being a small cohesive group of 25 boys and girls, 4 teachers and 1 old boy (that’s me), this allowed all of us to be closer since we were together for 12 days (10 days in Hawaii and 2 days of flying + transit). We all definitely learned and grew friendships within this small group and with our Hawaiian hosts. Each group (patrol) worked together during meal/cooking times, building their Scouting gifts for exchange program. Our Hawaiian hosts helped and guided different groups daily with their cooking and meal serving duties for the whole group and Hawaiian hosts.
Every night, there would be a debrief, to reflect and recap on the day’s activities and events, to prepare and update for the next day’s activities and event schedule. Thereafter, each group had their own session for more personal insight sharing and reflection, whereby every Scout was writing down their thoughts, stories and reflections inside their daily reflection booklet. Their respective teacher in charge for each group supervised this session and it was a daily quiet reflection time for the young boys and girls.
For the 25 boys and girls who were part of the Hawaii overseas exchange program, I hope the entries you wrote inside your reflection booklet would help you look back at the wonderful and beautiful memories that you experienced during your 10days in Hawaii. Add in the photographs that you took during this trip, this booklet would even be more precious and valuable. Do share these experiences with your family, loved ones, fellow Dragon Scouting friends and with our Hawaiian hosts too. Remember that you have been a part of a special history and bonding between Dragon Scouting and Hawaiian Scouts. Your thoughts and reflections would be a role model, a shining bright light in the future when Dragon Scout Group visits Hawaiian Scouts again for another exchange program. The memories that you wrote and the photographs that you shared with all would form a part of your Dragon Scouting memories that you can fondly looked back on, many years down the road.
To the 25 boys and girls from Dragon Scout Group that went for the Hawaii Overseas Exchange Program, remember to Pass-It-On and Pay-It-Forward to your fellow Dragon Scouting friends, share your stories, memories, thoughts, reflections and photographs.
As an Old Boy from Dragon Scout Group, I would also be sharing my huge number of photographs (approximately 2,442 photographs taken) and writing our travel adventures in Hawaii (from Day 1 to Day 12) for the Dragon Scout Group, Old Boys and Girls from Dragon Scout Group, our great loving friends from Hawaii and people who loves the Scouting movement worldwide.
I would like to say a Big Thank You from the bottom of my heart to our hosts, the loving, caring and friendly Hawaiian Scoutmasters and friends. Mahalo! Thank you taking such good care of us, the warmest hospitality that you showered upon all of us. To the 25 boys and girls of Dragon Scout Group who traveled for the Hawaii overseas exchange program, thank you for making it fun and exciting for all of us and allowing me to be part of this wonderful exchange with everyone of you.
Happy 90th Anniversary to Dragon Scout Group and it was an awesome, exciting and fun traveling overseas exchange program in Hawaii with all of 25 of you!