Xancordis ARP: Our final journey

By Dahlia Ahmad Zulqarnain

On the 4th of June, the students of Xancordis set off to Taman Negara, Pahang, to complete their final stage of the Anugerah Remaja Perdana (ARP) Program. The students have been participating in this program for the past 4 years, awarded their Bronze Award in 2019, Silver Award in 2021 and last but not least, the Gold Award, which they are currently wrapping up.

Upon arrival at 3pm, students were separated into groups and welcomed by the facilitators at the camp base who roughly briefed on the activities they will be experiencing for the next four days. After the briefing, students were brought to the campsite where they unpacked in their respective tents and got ready for the next activity.

In the evening after having dinner and completing their prayers, they headed off on their night walk in the jungle. Students were shown multiple species of flora and fauna including scorpions, phasmids and assassin bugs. Unfortunately, the walk was cut short as it started raining heavily and it was unsafe for them to continue.

The next morning, students enjoyed their breakfast and prepared for their day activities. They crossed the river using a boat and into the jungle of Taman Negara. Students set off on their jungle trekking journey and even got the opportunity to go on the Canopy Walkway which is 40m above ground and 530m long.

They then had an hour-long hike up Bukit Teresek, as far as 1.7km and 334m high above ground. Everyone was sweating buckets by the time they got to the top but the breathtaking view they saw made it all worth it.

After the exhausting journey, students were given two hours to refresh themselves and have their lunch before continuing their next activity which was visiting the Orang Asli Village. They gathered at the village where the Orang Asli taught them about their culture and even demonstrated how they hunted for food.

Before heading back to the campsite, the students experienced Rapid Shooting where each group entered boats and raced each other around a river with a strong current making the ride very bumpy and wet, however everyone enjoyed this amazing activity.

After a long day, students winded down with a barbeque dinner by the river. After finishing their meals, everyone gathered around the campfire and told ghost stories as well as reminisced the past five years spent together as a batch. It was a heartwarming moment that each member of Xancordis will be sure not to forget.

On the morning of the third day, students had breakfast and packed up to go to Gunung Senyum. Once they arrived after the three-hour long journey, they had lunch and headed off to their dormitories. After settling down, they set off to explore the multiple caves located there. Students were mesmerized by the thousand-year old caves which each had its own story.

The night with the most anticipated activity finally arrived : Malam Kebudayaan! Students had arranged performances with their groups ranging from singing, dancing, acting and even martial arts. Every group had wonderful performances, however, Group 4 had won overall best performance. The night went on with motivational talks from the facilitators and sing-a-longs.

After a good night’s rest, everyone packed up their things the next morning and headed to the hall for the closing ceremony. Speeches were given by teachers, facilitators, as well as the project managers of the program. Everyone then boarded the bus after the ceremony ended to head back home.

Everyone went home with a heavy heart, knowing that this was the final trip they would have as a batch all together. Five long years of experiencing new things together had come to an end. Many memories were made during this trip, both happy and sad, however it was the perfect way to wrap up these five years.