So I’m finally back from the Economics Camp which lasted from 3-6 July. To be honest, it was a lot similar to the Arts Camp – only difference was that there was a lot less enthusiasm and cheering, and my OG was a lot smaller this time round.
Anyway.
Day 1
Arrived for camp just right on time, and most of my OG were already there and sitting in a circle by the time I reached. As usual, played the same MRT game only instead of using the names of stations, we used our real names to help everyone remember each other’s names better.
Then we were brought to Temasek Hall to put our stuff into our rooms and where we were assigned roommates, unlike in Arts Camp where we were allowed to choose.
Right after that, we had wet and dirty station games, quite a few which involved water balloons. We also played another version of Dog & Bone which required all of us to slide around on a soapy – and I mean seriously soapy – mat.
And of course, SP time at night. I spent a whooping THREE hours talking to my SP. Heck, it was a way too long SP session – I don’t think SP sessions at Arts Camp even exceeded 2 hours a night. As usual, the councillors were doing their best to annoy us and forcing us to sing songs and trying to set us up on a date.
Initiation Night – aka Fright Night – was next, where we were split into groups of three. I was the only girl in my group, but also the only one who wasn’t the least bit scared. The two guys in my group kept screaming at absolutely nothing… yeah, the makeup of the ‘ghosts’ were very well done and all, much better than during Arts Camp, but it still wasn’t the least bit scary.
Day 2
Beach Day!! The weather was amazingly good, cloudy with no sun, so there wasn’t really a need to worry about getting sunburned again. Last time I was at Arts Camp, I got so badly sunburned during beach day that there were bubbles of pus on my shoulders and I had to go see a doctor.
Anyway. We played some games there, managed to win most. One particularly disgusting game involved eating a watermelon. We were given half a watermelon, and the OG who devoured every single red bit of the watermelon and crab-walked to the water together would win. So, everyone was pretty much digging into the watermelon with their dirty sandy hands and stuffing their mouths, and after that we passed the watermelon around so we could take turns drinking the juice from it – fucking nasty.
Another game required us to be blindfolded standing in a line, with a string threaded through the armholes of our singlets, and we had to pass unknown objects down the string from beginning to end. I think the 3rd item we passed was a squid.. my fingers stank for a long time after that, smelled really fishy and gross.
At night, we had another SP session, this time with a few SP games. Like giving my SP a facial where I had to rub some unknown substance on his cheeks and chin while we were both blind as bats, then clean them off for him afterwards. Another game involved us standing apart from one another, and I had to find him by following the sound of his voice. Tip of a spoon was in my mouth and I had to feed him syrup with the spoon.. and we did this all blindfolded haha.
Day 3
Amazing Race at West Coast Park. I don’t know why it was called the Amazing Race, because it didn’t feel like it. basically we played station games just like the first day of the camp. Nothing special, it was actually rather boring and tedious.
Afterwards, we headed back to NUS to get ready for finale night and SP revelation. As usual, our SPs were required to do stupid stuff before they were given a chance to try to identify us as their partners. I wasn’t sure if my SP would know who I was – I already had a pretty good idea of who he was, because during SP sessions I could see the type of slippers he was wearing from beneath my blindfold and so by simple observation I’d kind of more or less identified him during the Amazing Race whenever our OGs were competing with each other – but somehow, he did. He went up to me immediately as soon as the councillors said he could try guessing who his SP was.
Then my SP had to take off his shirt and do wall push-ups with me standing between him and the wall, and then we were both shut inside the closet for a minute. I had to help him wear his shirt back afterwards, and then we were let off to go for dinner together. I must say, the whole setup was terrible. We were seated at this long table with couples on either side of us, with loud music blasting in the background.
It was so difficult to talk – we had to practically shout at each other from across the table. Plus I felt uncomfortable being ‘closed in’ by the two guys beside me. I’d much rather have a separate table with just me and him – so much easier and less awkward to have a conversation this way!
After that we had to separate back into our respective OGs and played Don’t Forget the Lyrics, with everyone singing along. And a mini club/dance session at the end. I think this was the best part of the whole camp.
Day 4
FINALLY, the day to go home! Day 4 was super fail. EPIC fail. We had war games in the morning after breakfast – but everyone was basically standing around holding onto the water balloons and nobody was really getting into the game. It was fucking boring, to put it nicely.
After that, camp officially ended but my OG decided to go out for lunch together, and grudgingly against my will I followed because how the heck do you say no in those kind of situations? Finally after lunch ended I went back home and had a nice good long shower.
Conclusion
The Econs Camp was a disappointment. I went there hoping for the best but got the worst. Arts Camp was so much more enjoyable. I guess it was because I couldn’t really connect with the girls in my Econs OG.
Throughout the camp, I was closest to my roommate – but it felt like a forced friendship, because we were roommates. I talked to her a lot (because we were roomies) but I never felt any sort of strong bond or connection with her. Usually the more you talk to someone, the closer you feel to them, don’t you, but I didn’t feel this way with her.
As for the rest of the girls in my OG.. heck, I really tried. I tried initiating conversations, more so than I did during Arts Camp, but I just couldn’t click with them. Sure we could talk, but there was no ‘connection’.. I don’t feel like any of them are ‘close friend’ material. Just acquaintances, people you have superficial conversations with.
Plus, all the guys in my OG kept teasing and flirting – whether intentionally or unintentionally – with this one girl in my OG. Obviously, the girl in question was without a doubt the ‘prettiest’ one in my OG.. it sounds shallow to say it, but it’s true. It’s really quite obvious she was the most attractive girl in the OG. And because of that the guys paid A LOT of attention to her. Just hearing them tease and flirt with her all the time, whether they realised it or not, was all quite uncomfortable and annoying for me.
In conclusion, I really did not like my OG at all. I can’t imagine them as my lecture buddies, which is really sad because I went for the camp hoping to make friends who I could go for classes with together. But I really don’t see myself enjoying their company. Just why, why, WHY did I get stuck in this particular OG 😦
Also, for someone like me, the way the NUS camps are organised are really not optimal for me to make friends. It’s hard to explain. During the camps, friends are made through playing games and cheering lame cheers. You don’t get the time to sit down and just talk to someone one-on-one. It’s just games, games, games, and more games. The only time you get to really talk is during meal times, where the whole fucking OG is seated together at one big table. It’s really difficult for me to make friends this way, because for me close friends and bonds are made through one-on-one conversations where I can really get to know the other person.
I don’t see how playing dumb games help to foster any sort of real bond between strangers, but that’s just me. And even when I got some one-on-one time with the girls and some of the guys in my OG, I still didn’t feel as if they were ‘good friend’ material. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. There are some people you have chemistry with, and then there are those where you cannot form any sort of bond with no matter how long and how much you talk to them.
So, in all, Econs Camp was a disappointment. A big waste of my money and time. I just wanted to go home by Day 2, it was that bad. I was hoping to make at least one good friend, just like I did during the Arts Camp. Oh well – sometimes things don’t work out for a reason.
I really can’t decide. Spent over three hours looking through the list of GEMs offered, and googling for reviews on the modules that seemed somewhat interesting to me, and I have yet to decide.
theoryoflies 