Raffles Hall — Hall of Opportunities
Before I began University, I told myself that this would be the last time I would be in a free and easy school setting and wanted to experience University fully. Naturally, one of my options would be to stay in Hall as it was a unique opportunity that I will never be able to have once I graduate, and therefore, I applied for Raffles Hall together with my Army friends.
Looking back, joining Raffles Hall became one of the best decisions I had made in my University life.
My Hall Experience
My first contact with Raffles Hall was mostly with the Freshmen Orientation Programmes. The first one being RHEX (Raffles Hall Engagement Camp), a short 3D2N camp meant to expose potential freshmen to the hall, followed by RHAG where I made great friends + had exposure to dancing, and also RHOC (Raffles Hall Orientation Camp), a large-scale orientation camp to introduce the Freshmen into Hall.
Even before school started, my June and July holidays were already jam-packed with RHAG practices and countless amount of freshmen camps. However, it was a refreshing and enjoyable process cause it was the first time I socialized with so many people ever since ORD (We had suppers almost every day I think LOL but what’s hall life without supper right?). Practicing until 11 pm and having our friends offer a ride back home were some of the common things that happened.
RHOC was one of the more interesting camps I had attended, and I was amazed by the unique programs and traditions that were planned out by the committee, it was no easy feat to pull off. This was also where I met with my OG (also had supper for all the nights and barely slept too).
Living in Raffles
Raffles Hall was different from the other halls, it had a very ‘kampung’ like environment, which gave it a real homely feel and you being able to shout across the block to wake your block mates up for breakfast (with the exception of Kuok Foundation House, which is more of an apartment-style, but with its own advantages of course).
I was allocated to Block 6, one of the more ulu and small blocks, and coincidentally, my army friends came into the same block as well. I guess one of the advantages of being in a small block is that you get to know your neighbors quickly. I was also interested in joining the Block Committee.
During this period, I also wanted to spend my time in Hall doing something useful. I figured that having supper jios was a good way to break the ice and gather people together, but ordering supper every day was simply not sustainable (expensive y’know). So my friends and I decided to cook our own supper and invited the block down. We started with something simple such as Char Kway Teow since it can be cooked in bulk to feed the hungry mob. It also helps that there’s a 24/7 2-storey Sheng Siong outlet that’s a 15mins walk from Raffles Hall with everything you need. We did random midnight runs to Sheng Siong just to restock our groceries and have Mookata around the area. As a result, we managed to cook food such as fried chicken, chili crabs, and many others.
Other than cooking, there were many block events planned out for the block to bond and interact. We usually have mini-games to break the ice within the block community, and it does help that the seniors here are very friendly. We also planned for external events, such as Block Chalets, Picnic @ Marina Barrage, Staycations, and even an Overseas trip to Penang during the summer break.
Eventually, I felt that my time in the block was fulfilling, and wanted to recreate this experience for the incoming batch of Freshmen.
Winter and Summer Breaks?
There was something different about staying in hall without any academic pressure, life was so much more easy-going and you could hang out with your friends almost 24/7. Most of the time spent in hall during the breaks consisted of going out to eat good food, playing games in hall, cooking dishes (since there was no meal plan), and also planning orientation programs.
I had an interest in planning for a freshmen camp, partly because it is a unique experience and also cause many of my friends wanted to join this committee. I applied for RHOC and was given the opportunity to be one of the Program Heads. There was a steep learning curve at the start, as you need to familiarise yourself with the games and the flow of the events (We also had a great team yet). We had multiple game trials during the winter and summer breaks to test the feasibility of the games and gather feedback. I would say RHOC took up the bulk of my Year 1 Summer, but it was an unforgettable experience having to stay in Hall and do CCAs without any academic pressure.
Planning a camp required us to have many contingencies in case something doesn’t work out, that is why the planning phase is very important as you can sieve out potential errors. Also, executing a camp involving around 300+ participants isn’t as easy as it seems, but we are all here to learn from the experience.
Hall Events and Opportunities to try new hobbies
RH’s Board of Photography offered an opportunity for me to hone my photography skills by loaning us their high-end cameras to provide media coverage for events within the Hall. I enjoyed most of the shots I took and it made me more confident with my photography skills.
I got to learn many tips and tricks from my seniors in the CCA and this helped me learn fast as well, something that is invaluable in one’s photography journey.
There were also Hall and Block Events organized by our committees weekly so that you’ll never be bored in hall. The majority of these events can range from Sports’s Inter Block Games and Inter Hall Games to Culture’s performances from each of the cultural groups, such as Dance Uncensored and CHEC. If you feel like you want to contribute back to society, you can join Raffles Volunteer Corps as well.
Being a Senior
With the end of our first year, we became Seniors and are now responsible for guiding the new, incoming freshmen into Hall. With that, many of us took up leadership positions, in the hopes that the residents in Hall can have the same positive experience we had when we were Freshmen.
Juggling between multiple CCAs was not easy, and it was tougher if you are the head or vice head due to the amount of responsibility you have.
I was given quite a number of opportunities, and it helped me to see the bigger picture of how most events are organized and conducted. I was quite familiar with planning special projects and felt that it allowed me to learn a lot due to the unconventional nature of the event compared to other activities.
I was given the chance to vice-chair our annual Bash Event, which was held at Zouk and I must say we helped form a tight-knit group of bashies. Endless nights and weekends were burned prior to the event but the finale was definitely worth it. It was rare to see a few buses transporting our residents to Clarke Quay to watch our bashies perform and finally dominating the club (I think the whole club was full of Rafflesians LOL it’s a sight to behold and I would love to do experience this again).
Ultimately, I felt that one of the unofficial responsibilities of a senior is to welcome freshmen and make sure to create that sense of belonging in hall. This was to facilitate and ensure that traditions are passed down to our descendants and that the Rafflesian Spirit lives on.
One More Time?
The second year of my hall stay was about to end, and I was thinking of not staying the following year due to not having enough finances (I was paying for Hall using my own money, which I could only stay for a maximum of a semester if I didn’t earn any income). It was only when I asked my friends if they were staying that I considered. After a long discussion (not really a discussion, we just went back and forth with our decisions LOL), we decided to run for JCRC together.
It was a bittersweet feeling because although the JCRC team was motivated, COVID had kicked in and many restrictions put in place. RHOC had to be converted to a fully online format, but with that came many innovative solutions from the committee. We managed to come out with a Minecraft Replica of Raffles Hall, to ensure that incoming Freshmen could orientate themselves without having to be physically here.
Leading a team through COVID times was tough, having to think and formulate new unconventional strategies for events, constantly keeping up with the new rules and regulations while trying to maintain the activities within the hall. Thankfully, the leaders this year were one of the more dedicated bunch which made the role much more enjoyable and fulfilling.
Overall, I feel that this hall experience is something that can never be replicated once you leave University and head out to the working world. Raffles Hall had given me many opportunities to improve myself, form new relationships with everlasting friends as well as teaching me some life lessons. This article may be bite-sized, but I assure you that hall life will be much more fulfilling than you can imagine.
PS, if you are a Freshmen matriculating this year, do sign up for RHEX’21 if you want to experience how hall life is like!
Start your university life on a high note with RHEX. Sign up now @ https://forms.gle/LnjeSZiDetcCLeJt9 !
