Each time I walked past The Istana on the way to do some window shopping at the Plaza Singapura mall, I can’t help but wonder what’s beyond the guards at the entrance. My curiosity was satisfied when I had the opportunity to join the Istana Scout Hospitality Team, to serve as a guide and usher during the Istana Open House on Chinese New Year last year (9 February 2016). Past the iron gates was a steep, winding hill which led to the main Istana building. The Istana is the residence of the President of the Republic of Singapore, or as I like to candidly call it, Singapore’s White House. Scouts are affiliated to this organ of state through the President, who is the Chief Scout of the Singapore Scout Association. In efforts to educate the general public on the heritage of the place, the Istana hosts open house events throughout the year, attracting throngs of people each time. As a Venture scout, I was assigned to delegate and facilitate the younger scouts, and look out for their well-being while they performed community service in answering questions of guests, maintaining crowd control and even assisting disabled visitors. It is no stretch to say that looking out for the scouts among the mass of people was difficult, and more so when gathering them to disseminate information. Yet, the light at the end of the tunnel was when we took a group photo, and I saw my fellow scouts smiling, feeling satisfied after serving the community, what more on Chinese New Year – a day to come together, and appreciate those around us. The compliments we received from members of the public were also testament to how positive the public perception of scouts in Singapore are. The experience reinforced in me that service is not just direct – it could also be in the form of empowering others to serve to the best of their potential. Moving forward, I see myself returning to help ensure that our delivery of our service proceeds smoothly. I’m interested in diplomacy, especially in the context of Singapore’s status as a small state in a larger, hegemonic regional and global security architecture. As such, a potential idea would be to lead a group of scouts on a tour around the State Room, which contains gifts from Singapore’s diplomatic exchanges with other states, to highlight that even though we may be just a little red dot, we have a carefully-crafted, strategic foreign policy. In line with this vision, I see my scouting journey developing into one that brings international relevance into our local Singaporean context, be it in helping our scouts become more global-minded or sparking them to think about how scouting could help create a better world.