44th District Interact Conference (D.I.C)
With the newly-installed Board of Directors fresh from the Interact Leadership Training Seminar, it was time to take it to the next level, the holy-grail of all interact events: The 44th District Interact Conference. The whole of Malaysia. District 3300. 330 people. 4 days. No sleep. The Commander. Yes, that was pretty much the summary of what took place, but lets get into the juicy details.
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| One Big Family. |
Day 1
The Interact Club of St. John's Institution was represented by 7 Interactors ; Huey Hum (President), Bryan Ang (Vice President), Alden Ang Tzi Yuen (Treasurer) Young Ming Wei (I.U. Director), Jeremiah Anand Lawrence( Asst. I.U. Director), Mahdev Singh (Publicity Director) and Tan Vei Xhion (E.A.M = Extremely Active Member). The fee was subsidized by the ever supportive Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur Diraja by RM150 leaving us paying RM200 for the 4 day event which took place from the 29th of November 2012 till the 2 of December 2012 at the Eagle Ranch Resort, Port Dickson. Some of us took the KTM to Seremban, Van (Provided by Rotary Club of KL Diraja) and the rest by personal transport to Seremban before later being transported to the venue by buses arranged courtesy of Rotary Club of Senawang. Due to unforseen circumstances we were made to wait at the Seremban Bus Stop for 3 hours but during that time we had to opportunity to make friends with the Interactors of St. Paul's Institution. Soon after reaching, we were divided into groups but more importantly introduced to the ever daunting but friendly Commander Nick who spearheaded most of the activities. We had dinner and the sessions began with a talk on Foreign Exchanges.
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| Mahdev 'lifting' Benjamin during 'Raise the Flag' |
Day 2 and 3
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| Picture with the Royal Family! |
With everyone already lacking of sleep, we began the days with warm-up-sessions. Unfortunately, not all could join us as some were already falling ill. But the show must go on! After breakfast, oh just to add, every group was in-charge of one event be it during eating time or during a session. Many found it burdening at first but it soon became clear that this was to improve our managing skills seeing how many events every club had to organize. We has speakers from all sorts of backgrounds who shared a common bond, being a Rotarian.
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| How fun was that? |
They came from all over the country, taking their precious time off judging by how established they were in their respective careers. We had talks on the 'IS A LEADER BORN or MADE' by Harri Singh as well as 'TAKING THE LEAD' by two Rotarians from Senawang itself. The sessions made us aware on leadership qualities as well as placed us in 'trusting your gut' exercises such as the plane crash simulation we had. The afternoons were spent with treasure hunts, obstacle courses and tele-matches. Everyone got down and sweaty, digging deep for energy to support each other as well as to complete every challenge. We supported our teammates like friends who'd known each other for years. Oh and we also had a visit from the Yang Di-Pertuan of Negeri Sembilan who graced us with her presence and guess what, the Royal Family of Negeri Sembilan are committed Rotarians! Nilai University also co-sponsors dropped by to carry out several group activities and presented a flashmob for all participants. The best part was the BBQ PARTY on the 3rd night! Everyone got dressed in their sexiest pair of outfits ready to look good and to enjoy what was left of the conference. We had splendid food and were entertained by each group's performances. Some danced, sang and even acted! A special surprise for the 'December babies' was also part of the night where several Interactors had their birthdays celebrated not to mention even our E.A.M, Extremely Active Member, Tan Vei Xhion who then got a special birthday bash from us Johannians. The best part for everyone would be the 'AFTER-PARTY' where we danced the night away to the beats of 'Q & Dev'. The night ended with everyone suddenly realizing it was all over but still wanted to enjoy what was left the next day.
Day 4
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| Green Commandos! |
The final day. This was somehow different as most of us did not end up falling asleep during the last 2 sessions as the best was saved for last. We had Criminal lawyer, Gerrad Lazarus and also the Co-Founder of Brickfields Asia College, Dr. Siva give us separate talks on their personal experiences as Rotarians and in their careers. Everyone would agree, it was the best 2 sessions. It was ended with a special Q & A Session for the Interactors to ask the Rotarians who gave constructive answers. Lunch was provided but of course with everyone busy packing up to leave, some couldn't even eat. What's worse is, some even forgot to return their room keys! Oh well, souvenirs! By 2.00p.m. we had our last share of pictures taken, exchanged contacts and parted ways.
We'd like to thank the Organizing Committee, Rotarians of Senawang and Interactors of St. Paul's for putting up an amazing 44th District Interact Conference. We took home a lot of new experiences ready to guide our respective clubs towards the motto of 'Service above Self'