Where I begins my journey

In 2018, I joined the 21GTS Scouts and began my scouting journey. Back then, I was a newbie, still unsure about many things, but my love for adventure helped me quickly adjust to the rhythm of the troop, and soon I began to love it. I learned many new things and skills that I had never encountered before, which have helped me a lot in life. Through 21GTS, I met many scouts from other schools during badge exams and quickly became friends with them. Together, we worked towards a common goal: the highest honor in secondary school scouting — the King Scout Badge. Over the years, we participated in many fun activities and badge exams. Although it was tiring, it was also very enjoyable.

When the pandemic hit, all physical activities were suspended, including our scout events. Being a scout but stuck at home doing dull online activities made us feel frustrated. As time passed, we reached our fourth year and were ready to take on leadership roles. We thanked the senior scouts for their service and responsibilities, taking over their positions. It felt surreal how fast time had passed, we were now the seniors who once taught the younger scouts. Finally, in 2021, with the end of the pandemic, we returned to school and could resume offline scouting activities. However, many of our seniors had graduated, and we were left with unfamiliar faces of the younger scouts. Compared to the seniors we had camped with, we didn’t have as strong a bond with the juniors, but we still tried to build friendships with them.

During my year as a committee member, I was in charge of the Multimedia tasks for the troop, such as updating the website and social media pages to increase visibility and designing bulletin boards and posters to encourage scouts to join our activities. I really enjoyed this job, but after the seniors who once mentored me graduated, I began to feel isolated and stressed, doubting if I could handle the responsibility. Thankfully, my friends from the same year helped me, and their support made me feel less alone and gave me room to breathe. The year ended, and I passed on my duties to the new committee, hoping they would lead 21GTS to greater heights.

On the day of the handover, I thought about how quickly time had passed. In the blink of an eye, I had taken on my position, and now, I was stepping down. I wondered if the juniors felt the same way, if they, too, felt suddenly entrusted with big responsibilities, just like we did when we were new. In any case, I wished them all the best. I can’t help but think that if not for the pandemic, my scouting journey in 21GTS would have been even more exciting.

As graduation approached, many of the friends I once stood alongside successfully completed Kem Penarafan and proudly received the prestigious King Scout award. I, however, could only watch from the sidelines, having lost the chance to attain that honor. What pains me most is that it wasn’t because I failed the assessment but because I chose to give it up.

In the final years of secondary school, as SPM Examination drew near, I was overwhelmed by academic pressure, responsibilities in multiple co-curricular organizations, and a lack of support from both friends and family. Faced with all that, I ultimately decided to step away from the path toward the King Scout. At that time, all I wanted was to focus on my studies and find brief moments of rest. Little did I know, that decision would become one of the few I would come to deeply regret.

Every time I see my former peers donning that uniform, a wave of sadness washes over me. I often wonder: what if I hadn’t given up? What if I had just held on a little longer? Maybe the outcome would’ve been different. At the very least, I would have tried. But the past is set in stone, and no amount of regret can rewrite it.

After graduating and leaving both my school and the 21st Scout Troop, I began distancing myself from anything related to scouting, trying to walk away from a place that now only brings me sorrow and regret.