How this charity expedition nudged her to unleash growth and a new self. [Beyond Limits 4]
When Allegra came onto the ZOOM, I immediately felt lighter. That’s the thing about Allegra; her energy is one that bubbles and uplifts all others in the room. We proceeded to have a 45 minutes conversation, where I got to understand her better and also her greatest insights from our most recent charity expedition. Allegra is one of 19 participants who conquered 50km of trekking on an icy lake over four days, at temperatures plunging below -20 degrees celsius, in efforts to raise $100,000 in funds for the Singapore Cancer Society.
A shot taken during a ride in the van, and also a glimpse of Allegra’s playful side.
Allegra trekking across Lake Khuvsgal.
Read on to discover more of who Allegra is, snippets of what became her most memorable trip overseas ever, and I’m willing to bet that you’ll be inspired by the way she chose to show up amidst the various challenges of Beyond Limits 4.
“CHANGE IS CONSTANT.”
This was the one statement that Allegra felt best summarised her Beyond Limits 4 journey with us. Something I’ve always believed is such an easy thing to say, but much harder to truly embrace. In my experience, not many people fully accept that change is consistent, and often find themselves barrelling through change without making changes within themselves to adapt. They’re like circular blocks trying to barrel themselves through triangular holes and rectangular tunnels. But Allegra, I think she is one person who wholeheartedly embraces change and molds to adapt well. This was something that came to me after I listened to the entirety of what she has to share.
“During the expedition, there were so many challenges. It made me go into solution mode, and I was consistently thinking of ways to better the situation.” Curious, I prompted her to share about a challenge they faced.
“One example is the cold. It is so cold that even your scalp hurts! There are many challenges throughout, but the cold is the constant problem we want to fix, especially at night. I gym a lot, so the physical challenge of the expedition is still okay. And I thought I knew what winter was because I come from China, but no… The coldness here made me realise I do not.”
Allegra animatedly shakes her head, in what I assume to be a display of how unbelievably cold it was for her. She laughed, and continued, “The firewood runs out every night at 2 am because of the dry and cold weather, and each time we top up, it can only last 1.5 hours. There were three nights we stayed on the icy lake itself, and on the third night, it was the coldest at -35 °C. So a few of us came up with this strategy where we take turns to wake up and top up the fire.”
Allegra and her favourite trekking buddy, ‘Teh-Bing’; a stray dog who unexpectedly followed the team throughout the entire 50km trek across four days.
Allegra’s enthusiasm was contagious at this point, as she continued to share how they assigned different people to top up the fire throughout the night; someone would wake up at 3.30 am, and then Allegra herself would wake at 5 am. “This last night, we all had such a good sleep, which felt like such an accomplishment! None of us were cold when we woke up!”
I found myself smiling at the joyful pride evident on Allegra’s face, and then wondering what kind of person Allegra is. It’s only been 5 minutes since I met her; I already had my guesses, but it’ll be interesting to hear from the woman herself.
“ALLEGRA, WHAT ARE THREE WORDS YOU’LL USE TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF?”
Her answer came pretty soon after.
“Happy-go-lucky. Open-minded. Curious!”
“Were there instances during the trip, where any of these three parts of you came in as a strength?”
There was a slight pause, and Allegra’s eyebrows furrowed. “Hmm… I feel all three did, and what I realised is that most members in this trip have quite similar personalities! Especially ‘happy-go-lucky’, for the members I’m close to. When things get tough, we come together and brainstorm to find the best solutions. We don’t dwell much on how tough it is.
I feel these ‘happy-go-lucky’ parts of us bonded us together.”
The BL4 team.
In that moment, I was once again reminded of one of the greatest beauties of Beyond Expeditions’ experiences; there’s something about the expeditions that draw in people of similar personalities. (Read my conversations with Cherry and Kaili, Chai Tyng and Ee Ming here!) Be it the willingness to embrace change despite the challenge, the desire for unconventional adventures, or curiosity about the world beyond what they already know, these shared similarities have, time and time again, created strong bonds within the participants.
I wanted to know more about Allegra, and how different parts of who she is interacts with elements of the expedition experience. So I nudged forth with the next question, which, surprisingly, eventually invited her to share another memorable experience.
A shot of Allegra during the trek.
“WHICH VALUE IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU IN THIS CURRENT SEASON OF YOUR LIFE?”
The answer came immediately.
“Growth.”
“There was so much to grow during this trip. I’ll reflect and start to understand why I have certain thoughts when I see other people’s behaviour. Also, observing which kind of people I find myself drawn to on this trip also allowed me to understand myself much better. The many changes we had to go through also taught me that sometimes, when things don’t meet my expectations, I should seek solutions instead of dwelling and wondering ‘Why is it like this?’
Allegra and her fellow participants in the BL4 team.
Allegra went straight on to share about a specific situation where she felt growth was loudest for her. “Throughout the trip, there were so many moments that added up towards growth, but there’s this one night where we realised that we had to (sleep in a) tent on the lake. I found myself having this negative thought, ‘Wah, this is so so tough. How are we possibly going to sleep with so many people in the tent?’
Then Scott (expedition leader, also the founder of Beyond Expeditions) came to talk to me, asking if I could help take care of people’s emotions because several others were voicing their discomfort with the situation. I wanted to turn to him and say, ‘HUH, but I also have my negative thoughts!’
But, I tried. I used my ‘happy-go-lucky’ side, and people began to shift in the way they feel about the situation. I feel like this made me grow as a person.
During the feedback session on the first night, there was some tension in the room. I chose to bring myself out of my negative thoughts and see that, ‘Hey, actually, everyone is trying to come up with the best solution. Everyone has great intentions and wants to make it best for each other. But because everyone believes in what they believe, so conflict arrives.’
So I said this aloud and told them we all come from good intentions. So why not we try different solutions and see which works best? I never expected myself to say that, since I myself was having negative thoughts too. But bringing myself out of my own negativity allowed me to grow, to see the bigger picture, and also help the team come together and change the way they see things.”
Stunned, I stared at Allegra and exclaimed, “Wow, that is amazing!” Allegra chuckled, and shot back a huge grin. “YOU SHOULD GO!”
Having negative thoughts during the most challenging of times is not wrong; it’s only human, after all. But what matters is to know that we have a choice. We can choose to fall victim to our thoughts, or choose to act beyond them in a way that better supports the situation. Allegra’s story here showed me that the intensity of Beyond Expeditions’ trips presents opportunities for people to grow out of their narrow-mindedness, and to see beyond their own limiting thoughts.
Excited, I jumped into the next question.
“WHAT’S YOUR PERSONAL PURPOSE IN LIFE, IF ANY, AND DO YOU SEE ANY ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE PURPOSE OF BL4 AND YOUR PERSONAL PURPOSE?”
Allegra hesitated for a second. “Before I joined Beyond Limits 4, I already had a purpose. I want to give back to the street dance society in Singapore in a meaningful way. Beyond Limits 4 showed me how I could link ‘hobby’ with ‘charitable purpose’; people come here wanting adventure, and while pursuing adventure, we also get to raise funds for a good cause. I shared with my expedition members about this idea, and they all expressed support, which encouraged me. Being able to talk about my purpose and what I want to achieve to like-minded people, helped strengthen my own resolve to get things done and make things happen.”
“It reminds me of how important my purpose is to me, and inspires me to actually just take a step forward and go do something about my purpose.”
I couldn't help but nod my head in agreement as I listened to Allegra. This one individual’s experience displays how remarkable this charity expedition series is. Beyond Limits proves how adventure and purpose can intertwine to create a truly empowering experience. The impact of Beyond Limits extends far beyond raising funds and awareness for cancer survivors; it also leaves a profound impact on the expedition's participants. The fourth edition of this phenomenal event has spurred someone else to make a positive difference for the street dance society in Singapore. Witnessing such a beautiful ripple effect is truly heartwarming and serves as an amazing reminder of the profound impact that we can make on the world, when we choose to show up for a purpose we care for.
To close up our conversation, there’s one more question I felt compelled to ask.
“I believe that when a challenge arises, we bring out certain parts of us that may not usually be accessed…”
Q: WERE THERE ANY PARTS OF YOU THAT YOU DON’T USUALLY TAP INTO, BUT DID SO DURING THIS TRIP?
Allegra chose to be walking buddies with one of our cancer survivor participants.
Her answer came quickly.
“The ‘giving’ part. I don’t usually give so much. (We both laughed at this.) On the first night, we realised that one of the cancer survivor participants needed to trek at a slower pace. So with the team leaders, we concluded that I’ll be the one who stays with her and follows her pace, so everyone else could move ahead at their own pace.
Initially, the outcome I wanted from this expedition was to clear as much distance as we can each day, but when Scott brought up how the distance is lesser of a priority compared to everyone’s safety and comfort, I immediately changed my intention from ‘distance’, to ‘care and safety’, and focused on taking care of my new walking buddy and also everyone else. I felt like I brought out the ‘giving’ part of me, which I don’t usually do so in Singapore!”
Allegra laughed, and I smiled along with her. I am absolutely fascinated by this woman’s willingness to adapt to change. I don’t know if she realises, but this conversation itself has shown several instances where she made a choice to adapt to change, in the most uncomfortable of situations; from willingly waking up in the middle of the night to top up firewood and resolve the ‘cold’ situation; to rising beyond her own negative thoughts to see (and then name) what’s actually going on in the team; and then to letting go of her initial intentions for this trek when the situation calls for someone to take care of another participant. In the midst of challenges presented by Beyond Limits 4, Allegra chooses to mold and flow with whatever comes her way.
“Also, in my tent, there were two cancer survivors. I just felt like I want to take care of them. In my personal life in Singapore, I don’t do this. But from this, I caught myself by surprise, and i learnt that, ‘Hey, I can do this!’
I have this ‘giving’ part, and I CAN take care of people.”
Allegra seemed to be on a roll, as she continued sharing about how she truly feels about Beyond Limits 4. “This trip is one of the most meaningful, inspiring, and memorable of all my trips. It’s different from the usual holidays. When I returned to Singapore and shared about stories from this trip with my friends, they were all like, “Wah, I won’t go.” They resist, because we are so used to the typical comfortable holidays, like flying to Japan, eating nice food, seeing the culture… but this is something very different.
When I was talking with other members during the trip, we concluded that whatever we have experienced on this trip is something nobody else will be able to understand unless they’ve come and tried it themselves. There are memories and experiences we made that will stay with us forever; for me, I don’t want to eat lamb for the next 4 years.”
Both of us burst out laughing. “These stories we lived through are so hard for others to understand. They really need to come and try it themselves.”
Q: ANY LAST WORDS FOR ANYONE CONSIDERING JOINING THE NEXT EDITION OF BEYOND LIMITS?
Her answer came in a split second.
“Just go!”
Allegra’s personal advice for anyone considering to join in the next charity expedition with Beyond Expeditions.
Just two words. There was no further explanation.
Caught off guard, I clarified. “Just two words?”
“Ya! HAHHAHA just don’t expect anything. Expect nothing. Trust that you will figure it out.”
If my interview with Allegra has piqued your interest, you can read more about the upcoming Beyond Limits charity expedition here. If you are unable to make it for our charity expeditions but wish to see what else we have to offer, head over here; we offer local tours at hidden heritage sites, and even survival workshops for you and your family, friends or colleagues too!
And regardless, here’s a parting message from this article to you;
“Just go!”
Article written by: Valerie
Valerie, a freelance writer with a quirky infatuation with steamed buns and slightly bizarre food combinations.
(“Try soft-boiled eggs and hot milo!”)
She wishes to keep writing stories that bypass typical food reviews and appreciation of scenery, stories that inspire readers to pursue curious conversations about the unique cultures and lifestyles of every country.
