Four groups of NTU students ventured to Laos during their university break and came home with valuable life lessons

by Coen Sim

Be adaptable in the face of language barriers

In June, 15 NTU students from community service club University-YMCA travelled to a village in Laos with a plan to teach the local schoolchildren English, science and music, and to help their school construct a wall and play area. Despite extensive research and preparations, they soon faced a problem.

“The village children had varying levels of exposure to the English language and distinctly different personalities, from rowdy and over-energetic boys to shy and reserved girls. At first, we struggled to gauge how much English they understood, unsure whether to proceed with our pre-planned lessons,” says Toh Li Ning, a biological sciences student.

The team shifted tack to focus on keeping the students’ interest in the subjects taught.

“By interacting with them as friends rather than just teachers, we not only delivered content in a flexible and fun manner, but also formed strong bonds with them,” Li Ning explains. “Some of us exchanged contact details and plan to visit the children again, during our own trips.”

We can harness the power of the media for many reasons

When the volunteers from NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information received permission to shoot a documentary with sketching group Luang Prabang Sketchers, they were ecstatic at the opportunity, despite warnings from the group’s founder that only a few sketchers might show up for the session.

But they needn’t have worried. Nearly 20 Laotian sketchers, eager to have their artform documented on film, turned up to sketch the Wat Siphoutthabath temple in the historic centre of Luang Prabang, the capital of Laos.

“Witnessing this showed me the power of the media – that the community believes in its impact and its ability to give their stories a voice,” says volunteer Savanna Tai.

To their surprise, the team also learnt that unlike much of the media world today, virality, views and likes were not the primary goals of the Laotians who participated in the documentary.

“For our partners, including the sketchers and other social enterprises, their priorities were not to raise awareness of their causes, but to create memories and preserve Laos’ cultural landmarks like its temples and local artforms,” says Edgen Teng, a trip leader. “Our documentary work is also a way to honour their culture and traditions,” he explains.

“By continuing to work with these Laotian partners in our school’s annual volunteer programme, we hope to foster self-sufficiency within their community. We bring perspectives from Singapore to support their growth, while also learning from their unique outlook on life in Laos,” reflects Edgen.

Build community wherever you go

For communication studies student Foo Yan Ning, a member of Hall 5’s volunteer programme, her first trip to Laos marked a daunting first step with a team who were initially acquaintances. But when faced with a challenge, their true colours shone through.

“We took turns cooking in teams for everyone during the trip. One night, after a particularly tiring day of work, the cooking team accidentally burnt our dinner,” recalls Yan Ning. “It was disappointing, but instead of getting upset, everyone was incredibly understanding and pitched in to make instant noodles.”

“In that moment, I felt a strong sense of camaraderie that made me more appreciative of my teammates,” she adds.

For chemical engineering and biotechnology student Jovin Leong, who volunteered at a Laotian school with an energetic bunch from Saraca Hall, working together in a foreign land showed him how consolidating friendships also amplifies team impact.

“The volunteers are hallmates I interact with regularly, so it’s easy for us to communicate,” says Jovin. “Being comfortable with one another is crucial for our productivity as a group, allowing us to focus on creating positive change in the Laotian community.”

But of course, any volunteer trip comes with its challenges. The Saraca Hall team sometimes found themselves out of their depth in tasks like building shoe racks and painting school walls. But the locals were warm and understanding, working with them to get the job done.

This reminded Jovin of what he loves about his hall community. He says: “Despite being in a different country, it felt like home. This is something we can practise at NTU too – taking the initiative to help others, whether in academics or organising events, and always encouraging one another, so that hall and school feel like home.”

This story was published in the Jul-Aug 2024 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.