Our school takes us to educational trip annually. Our trip in Grade XI was no different. These educational trips involve various topics about our studies to help students understand global concepts better. Our last field trip was to Mount Abu, a hill station in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It lasted less than a week and during that trip, we had many exciting activities and important educational concepts to learn as well, not to mention loads of fun! There were only 20 students, including me, alongside 2 teachers and 1 guide during the entirety of the trip.
LO1-Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
During the trip, we had to undertake various activities and adventures such as rock-climbing and rappelling. This seemed intimidating for me at first but I felt that I actually had the potential to complete the tasks. After viewing a couple of my friends actually trying the task, I myself tried them and found that I could easily complete them. These areas, which I at first felt were my weaknesses, turned out to be my strong suits. Therefore, I successfully found areas of growth and exploited them for my gains. The main aspect being worked upon here is my physical prowess which I feel was a good aspect to work upon.
LO2- Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.
As mentioned before, I had found that activities like rappelling and rock-climbing to be good tools for training. I am not a huge fan of taking big treks but while walking and chatting with my friends, time passed by rather quickly. Another rather hilarious point to be mentioned is that on the very first day of the trip, we had to quickly vacate the camp we were residing in because of the fact that the area was built on an illegal land site. This sapped the trip of its essence of being ‘natural’ and something ‘outdoor’. Funnily enough, the main challenge was packing my bags quick enough and climbing down the site in almost pitch darkness, while simultaneously helping a friend not fall down the slippery rocks.
LO4- Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
During the treks and hikes, I was not too keen to completing the entire trek. This was majorly caused by my own laziness and this was a serious issue which I really wanted to work upon. After completing various treks and climbing many rocks, I started feeling thrilled at my accomplishments and was absolutely satisfied with myself. This was to be a turn for the better as I have, since then, slowly reduced the habit of procrastination and my trait of crippling laziness. At various points of the trip, I was feeling unwell but I still persevered and managed to end my day on a good note.
In the end, the entire trip was one full of happy memories for me and one that I will definitely remember. I demonstrated the learner profiles of being ‘Risk-Takers’, ‘Balanced’ and ‘Reflective’. At the end of our trip, we were all asked to mention what we took back from Mt. Abu and I noted that I took back a new, holistic self who won’t falter in the face of new challenges.
