My Guiding experience cannot be limited by words

My Guiding experience cannot be limited by words Ngim Su Juen, Queen's Guide, Melaka“ With my bare feet, I entered the rice field. I felt the ickiness of the mud surround my toes and a fear of leeches arose in me subconsciously. With much encouragement from my fellow guides beside me, I braved myself to finish the task at hand, looking forward, to washing up next. ” My Guiding experience cannot be limited by words hence I choose the highlights of my experiences to share with you, lest I bore you but to encourage you in your very own journey. My journey to being a Queen Guide, is like a boat at sea. When the waves are calm, the journey is smooth, but when the waves get rough, the journey gets tough. Joining the Girl Guides Association at 14 years of age, my knowledge about Guiding was rather shallow. My peers were already en route to their second or third logbooks, and then there was me, just testing the waters at merely being a Guide. Nevertheless, to cut the story short, I made an effort to learn the ropes from my friends and with great encouragement and help, I managed to catch up. Despite being tied down with other school activities and other commitments, I managed to finish my logbooks and practicals just in time for the Anugerah Pandu Puteri Remaja, which was a huge motivation for me to go on pursuing my Queens Guide Award.  Besides that, Queens Guide wasn’t my only commitment. Being a state representative in Gymnastics, training hours take up a huge portion of my time daily. Additionally, being a form four student in school, I had to familiarise myself with new subjects in classes. It was the most hectic period of my life where I had to learn to prioritise my commitments and manage my time well.Now that I look back and ponder upon my journey I realise that the hardship I went through actually helped shaped me emotionally and mentally, as this journey isn’t one where it ends when you get your certificate from the Queen—though that generally is the goal.  Other than that, this journey has provided me with various opportunities such as interacting with people of different backgrounds and experiences, participating in international camps in the United Kingdom and Langkawi, where I get to experience different cultures and last but not least, performing in front of huge crowds and leading camp sessions—a rare opportunity. Through these opportunities, I get to built up my confidence level, leadership skills, as well as my people skills. These are priceless skills that cannot be acquired from textbooks.  Next, I learnt great management skills especially when I was heading the three months project as my final Queen’s Guide project. It was no easy feat as I had to brainstorm and plan the entire project with my team. Although there were many hiccups, we managed to pull off a great project. We planned finances, gathered and exchange ideas and had meetings to carry out the project. It was a period of time that felt like a taste of adulthood.   “Strangers are just friends waiting to happen”. Throughout my Queen’s Guide journey I had the pleasure of making many new friends. Sad to say, I was the only one left from my school who took on this journey, My friends have dropped out and threw in the white towel. Hence, I often go for camps alone. However, I am proud to say that I have made many friends especially through camps that I am still in contact with, even though we live miles apart. They are the ones that made this journey sweeter and more meaningful for me.  Last but not least, I would end my article by expressing my thanks to my parents and brother who have been very supportive in my Queen’s Guide journey in all aspects. Next, I would like to thank all my teachers and fellow Guides who have been very helpful and patient to me. Moreover, I would like to thank my school, team members and friends who have been very supportive and dedicated in helping me come this far. Thank you.