The Rain

The Rain

I had to keep with my patience. The process was menial - I poured, patted and shaped as according to instruction. I competed with the sun throughout the day, resisting each ray's urgings for me to take a break from toil, and also each one's tendency to remove the precious moisture from the sand. After all, that was all sandcastles were about - the right proportion of sand, water and pressure. Too much of any, and the painstakingly composed structure will crumble at your fingers. I had to work fast, though, as the clouds perched above, gazing down in dark fury, waiting to descend.

Penang became my home for a week, and its people my family. The initial barriers were there of course, but my patience paid off in waiting for them to fall bit by bit. The program was relentless in its activities. They were understandably a manifestation of the committee's intentions to fill our experience with equal parts wisdom and fellowship. However, being the social oddball I am, I have never understood the need for tasks and games twisted painfully out of shape simply for people to say hello. Time often makes for my favourite icebreaker.

The warmth of my newfound friends up North were every bit as intense as the unfortunately scorching weather we had most of the trip. Their eagerness was what made me tear down my reservations, making way for the much more appreciated friendships and relations. Daily surprises and revelations kept me engrossed in observation and watch; I learnt so much more about my group in my silence at first, and then through the countless directionless yet comforting conversations with them. Till the last day, I wished I had more time to continue enjoying and appreciating their presence in my life.

My group wasn't exactly outstanding in any aspect. A mish-mash of personalities, a rojak of psyches, a blend of attitudes - It was so amazing to see how all of us banded and complemented one another, differences synthesizing into a common gel. I have them to thank for making my trip one of the most refreshing and insightful, but most of all one that I don't regret coming for.

To my group leaders, I would like to give you my greatest gratitude for the worry, panic, anxiety, stress and exasperation that you have went through. Thank you for what we have seen you do, and thank you for what we didn't see you do as well.

I was disappointed with our campfire initially. The slumber we had burned through, the ideas we had to painfully shoot down and rebuild over and over all seemed to culminate to a huge, amazing cloud of... nothing. It was agonizing to see it all fall apart. Though I know that no one was at fault, I foolishly let negativity take its gleeful reign, dominating my thoughts and wishing for things that can only remain impossible dreams.

However, the gloom was chased away by the announcement of the sandcastle winner. It'd been quite a while since I felt a high, and those few cherished moments are something that will be on heavy rotation in my memory. Leaping there with these rag-tag group of now close friends, the depth of our friendships caught me off guard, and for a moment there I almost let a tear build. Almost.

I will definitely miss Penang - its food, people and most of all the memories it has so kindfully given me as keepsakes.

My mind often drifts back to those short, sharp images - Toiling away under the near-engulfed sun, working fast to bring the structure from our imagination into our hands. I hauled water, and carefully distributed it on each mound of sand, pressing, shaping, molding. After all, that was all sandcastles were about - the right proportion of sand, water and pressure. Too much of any, and the painstakingly composed structure will crumble at your fingers.

And when we finally finished, we were ecstatic. I restrained the urge to prance around in celebration, and we gathered round quickly to capture what few images we could before the threatening rain finally broke. As we hurried away into the safety of shelter, my mind stayed behind with the pyramid and castle we had created together.

All I could think of was each rain drop that splashed onto the magnificent but brittle creations. Each rain drop, disrupting the fine balance that took whole hours and continuous care to form. Each rain drop, battering away at the smoothed, refined edges we had created, creating their marks on them. The shape slowly gives way to the relentless assaults, collapsing and fading away till there was none, and the waves claimed the shore as its own.