(Picture: Group photo with Christ Church Sec. Sch.)
Just as we were finishing our lunch today, there was a knock on our dining tent door. To our pleasant surprise, we found ourselves face to face with students and teachers from Christ Church Secondary School! They had come a long way, beginning their journey from Gorak Shep to come visit us. The students and teachers were in good spirits as we hosted them in our dining tent. This journey was meant to inspire and instil confidence in the students and as a gesture of encouragement to the team.
We were immensely touched and inspired by their visit. Each of the students adopted a member of the team as a mentor, and we were presented with little notes they wrote for us throughout their journey here. We were very encouraged by this and impressed by the strength and perseverance they have displayed in making their way here. Their notes were written on song sheets which contained songs we’ve learnt as students in Singapore. They said that this was their little way of reminding us of Singapore, but to us, their presence have already brought ‘home’ to us, right here in the Himalayas.
The Singapore Women’s Everest Team formed in 2004 and aimed to send the first team of Singaporean women to the world’s highest peak. Following a rigorous 5 year training schedule, we successfully reached the summit of Mt. Everest in May 2009, placing 5 Singapore women on the top of the world.