Venture Challenge Course 2019

 This was honestly the most challenging camp I have ever attended. It is no surprise that the term "challenge" is in the title of the camp itself. There are s many learning points from this camp itself that i really do not know where to begin! To give an overall introduction to this post, i will say that i struggled throughout. all three days and was fighting to push myself every step of the way. 

Day 1: 

The day started with us falling in at terror sea scout campsite. All the other candidates were prepared and ready to take on all the challenges the camp had to offer. No one talked much but fear was in the air. For all of us, this was the final and major hurdle that we had to cross in order to pass all our components for the PSA. We started off with the BWM. i was very surprised at myself in this component, as I managed to completely cook all the ingredients that were given to me. I had never managed to cook rice perfectly every-time i was given it. However i placed the rice into the coconut that was provided and managed to cook it well. I wrapped the fish in the banana leaf and placed it in the soil. The vegetables were roasted and cooked till crisp. Next came the SnF component. I managed to pass all the SnF components. All the notes that I had studied came in useful. The hours of practice of the various knots came in handy. My morale was high and this gave me confidence that I could possibly pass the camp.

Then came the trouble. As time passed, We built our Basha. I had to do it twice as my shelter failed the first time. The second time they said that i would be given 5mins and if i failed again, i would have to leave the campsite. I tried again and was successful this time round. This taught me that anything could happen in this camp and that i should be prepare to fail and manage my expectations. Moreover, it started raining on that night itself. The rain was strong and powerful. We all were completely wet. 

On the first day, the thing that could have been improved were my scouting skills. I realised that my skills were not up to standard and that i needed to train more. I could have managed my time better as well and slept a little longer to prepare for the next day. 

Day2:

The next day my products/ the fruits of my labour were ready for inspection. I proudly displayed the fork that i had carved in the night. It managed to pierce and pick up the banana. I also managed to separate sand and salt, made a wallet out of banana leaves and duck tape. I used the metal coil to make a clothes line and made a tea-light candle holder that was portable. I was thankful for being physically fit the next day despite the heavy rain. The highlight of the day had to be being able to win the special task. I had to write the scout law with natural materials. I burned a twig with a sharp end and wrote with it on a piece of paper. I also made new friends in the camp, Their presence lightened the mood and made me happy.

The inspection period was disastrous for me. I was stressed as my products managed to fail. My mallet could not knock in the second nail as the handle was too long. I had to break it in order for it to work. On day 2, i could not complete certain tasks because I ran out of time. I was confused and disoriented. The effects of sleep deprivation started to kick in.

I could have improved in the sense that i should have done my products once and well. I should have kept my morale high as well and pushed myself till the end. I was scared to fail. This fear was difficult to manage as my surroundings further scared me.

Day 3: The last day came. I was positive that I could make it till the end of the camp. I was on track to getting 60% of the points through the tasks. We managed to avoid the hike due to heavy rain and cat 1. I also managed to observe things around me better. 3 edible sources of food, natural materials for gadgets etc.

Things that did not go as planned was the egg incident. I was given an egg by another scout in order to pass the component. However upon the collection of my results i found out that i did not collude and this was spared. Moreover, i developed foot rot from the water in my boots. This made it difficult for me to even walk around. We were down from 13 people to 7 people. All the others had left the assessment due to various reasons. 

I could have improved my overall attitude to the camp. I could have been more prepared and avoided getting foot rot. I could also have avoided my mistakes by practising more.

At the end of the day i managed to pass VCC and came out tougher and more resilient. I asked myself: "IS all of this even worth it?" The answer is yes! I am happy to have learnt all of this. The PSA is an attitude. This saying proved to be true, as at the end of the day no matter how prepared you are, the attitude you portray in the face of difficulty, defines you the best.