The SMC Youths Hiking Library on Nov 5, 2022 was definitely one to remember. If I can use one word to describe this morning, it would be “passion”.

Passion for the nature

Despite the heavy rain in the morning, the team of mentors and mentees gathered and walked in the rain. Throughout the morning, I could not see anyone being less passionate about the astonishing scenery at Punggol Waterway Park. I personally was mesmerized by the therapeutic views of the greenery and the lake. Working in the CBD area 5 days out of a week, I sometimes forget that CBD is not all of Singapore. There are so many parks and gardens that Singapore has built over the years. And thanks to SMC Hiking Library, I realized that this beautiful country is not all about its CBD, just as life is not all about work.

 Passion for the people

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Everyone’s passion for connecting with the person they are paired with could not be less apparent, especially against the backdrop of the heavy rain. Participants were sharing umbrellas, offering their umbrellas to other pairs without one, but none of this stopped them from enjoying their conversations. I had the honor to be paired with 5 very inspiring mentors. 4 out of them just came to Singapore within the past 1-2 years after working or studying somewhere else for a very long time. I was very inspired by their courage to step out of their comfort zone that they have built somewhere else and to start anew in Singapore.

Passion for the cause

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Finally, I was deeply touched by every mentor’s passion for this cause of sharing wisdom and inspiring youths, especially Dr Ong and Zoe who have been consistently organizing these hiking libraries for aspiring youths and kind mentors. Passion is contagious and it goes a long way. As a youth who has learnt so much and was inspired by so many amazing SMC mentors, I am passionate to share about what I have learnt so that more aspiring youths can benefit from the wisdom of our mentors.