a day at interact.

hi everyone! now that we have juniors visiting our blog, we should write something nice to make it worth their visit, lol! then again, anything is better than listing homework-to-be-done and tutorials-to-be-finished-before-lectures >.<

hmm. today i was at mcyc doing peer tutoring. i was teaching this malay student from yusof ishak a math. we only managed to do, like, two questions in an hour, but we covered plenty of ground, from completing squares to rationalizing... after the session, he was telling me the reason why he chose to go for the tuition at mcyc. he said that external agencies provide a math tuition at $80/hr while a math tuition at mcyc is completely free. although we (the volunteers) have no qualifications to speak of (no degrees, no diplomas, and no o level cert for some of us!), they trust us to deliver. and they are really enthusiastic about learning, saying "thank you" after every sentence you utter, asking questions after you have explained everything!

from these encounters, i really felt that i was making some positive difference in them, that they were really happy to have someone to teach and guide them. although there's no pay for us, we don't feel "overqualified but underpaid". rather, it warms your heart to know that someone out there has been touched by you, and that satisfaction (that roots from some form of altruism, i suppose) is really the THING that keeps interactors going... ok, i'm not trying to give some propaganda speech on behalf of interact exco! but seriously, this form of contribution to society is way more meaningful than some one-off cip or bonding with friends during cca...

i guess, for everyone, there is a point when we actually realise how much more we can do. for me, i started out doing interact stuff because i wanted to accumulate cip hours. but now, it's really about helping people who need you and appreciate your work... cip and achievements are just bonuses along the way...hmmm... does that sound like something that i said last year? anyway, my point is: don't take things for granted! these students may not be able to afford the best tutors in town, but they have the best learning attitude! on the other hand, some of us keep on whining about how this-and-that is not going well, despite having all the resources at the back of our hands.. perhaps, less is more?

heh heh. i use much much much fewer emoticons this year! haha, now caitou has nothing to say about me le :P

well, for now, juniors, please enjoy yourselves for the remaining few weeks... the roller coaster ride is about to begin.

random: i heard two people talking about philosophy on the mrt! so cool! haha... kids, take some time to think and reflect. it's good for your mental well-being :D