7/27/2019 Reading Lesson for Form 4

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SMK (P) SULTAN IBRAHIM, JOHOR BAHRU

NAME: _____________________________ DATE: _______________________

CLASS: _____________________________

Read the following extracts from the journal of Sara, a 16-years-old participant of the Malaysian

Youth Work Camp (MIYOCA) and answer the questions that follow.

1 Day 1Its our first day at the Air Keroh Recreational Forest in Melaka. The jungle setting is conspicuous with lush

trees. There are 200-odd youths here representing 15 different nations. We have been divided into 5 teams.

belong to Echo group. After registration we were assigned our tents, food rations, trays, blankets, pillows and

mosquito nets. Felt like an army recruit. At night, we had ice-breaking and group singing activities. Cant wait

for the actual thing to start tomorrow.

2 Day 2Awakened by a deafening siren at 6.00 a.m. Did a round of aerobics. Gosh, how my muscles ached! Breakfast

consisted of hot coffee and Nasi Lemak. Scrumptious! Next, we were herded together in a multi-purpose hal

for the MIYOCA official opening ceremony. A forum followed. 3 papers were presented; volunteerism

environmental issues and youth voices- all from the youths perspective. Im definitely going to become a

volunteer after this camp. Group discussions in the afternoon were substantive yet hilarious. We were dealing

with the topic of animals which were on the verge of extinction. Tiger, Asian Elephant, Polar Bear and Dodo

Bird were among the Top 5 of the most endangered species.

The topic volunteerism was dry but the facilitators spiced it up with cheers, songs and dancing. Finally it turned

out to be exciting. The mini-treasure hunt was another highlight. It was really amusing. The Echoes came out

tops---yeah! yeah! We adjourned to the hall for a mini-exhibition of youth social service projects. Exhibits from

Thailand and Bangladesh were poignant. Good to know many young people are making valuable contributions

to their communities. Had a good opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions. 10.30 p.m., the annoying siren

for the last time tonight. Good riddance! Lights out! Good night!

3 Day 3Today is a real working day. Everyone involved in community project work. It included cleaning toilet, blood

donations, tree planting and spring cleaning. I often feel that too many cooks will only spoil the broth but this

time around, many hands really make light work! Sneaked out to the nearby stalls and stuffed ourselves with

local food. The organizers werent too impressed. The International Cultural Night later that day featured acts

from Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, Brunei, Korea, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia of course! It was open-night---

--stayed up to see the sun rise. It was spectacular-----radiant, captivating!