Day 6 and 7 of Hong Kong International School

By Ali

March 11 Wednesday

Today was mostly a traveling day from the center of Sri Lanka to the southern coast. We skipped morning stretching, the river bath, and running and went straight to breakfast. Then we did some last minute packing and got ready to leave the camp. We were all extremely melancholy to leave the place because we had started to fall in love with it. 

Next, we hopped in a small minibus type of car that fit everyone, but was a pretty tight squeeze, and drove off. Three, almost four, hours later, we finally arrived at the Udawalawa National Park to see elephants and other types of wildlife. Before we began, we went to the bathroom where Serena dropped her phone in the toilet accidentally. 

We rode in four different jeeps and it was a very bumpy and dusty ride, but was very much worth it to see the ox (Editor’s Note: The ox are actually Water Buffalo), around 100 species of birds, crocodile, elephant families, and some random that nearby locals had released during the day. Afterwards, we drove another two hours to our camping location. There was a lot of singing on the bus ride there. 

As soon as we arrived, we ate a very good dinner. The restaurant was very luxurious and had fancy desserts and drinks. After dinner, we settled down in our tents, while the adults got to sleep in very nice rooms with air conditioning. 

March 12 Thursday

We woke up at 6:40 this morning and headed off for yoga at the local beach. Ms. Young led the yoga and ensured that we were all stretched out for the upcoming whale watching. After enjoying a light dip in the beautiful ocean, the group ate breakfast at the restaurant. Breakfast was great with the chef serving up delicious dishes of fried, scrambled and poached eggs. As soon as breakfast was done, we had a few minutes to change and head off to the whale boats. 

There was a 10 minute bus journey and quite a lengthy wait for the boats to arrive, but eventually they did and we were off and running! Boys and girls were split into separate boats, and we both thoroughly enjoyed hanging our feet off the boat’s edge and feeling the fantastic sea spray. After 20 minutes of surfing the waves, the boys’ boat had learned via radio that the girls’ boat had spotted a whale shark. We scampered over there and were lucky to see a very photogenic creature. The whale shark was stunning, with spots all over it enhancing its true beauty. There were underwater viewpoints taken from numerous GoPro’s, and we hope to share the videos soon. 

This sighting filled us with true optimism and we thought that we would see a blue whale, but unfortunately it was not to be. The waves proved to be too much for us to handle, and the Borderlands lads sensibly called it off. (Editor’ Note: The waves were not large at the time, however there was wind picking up which indicated that there was a storm and larger waves coming). We were disappointed but understood the situation, and were happy to know that we were going to a small beach to snorkel and swim. 

We got off at the beach and had a delightful lunch, then headed off to swim and snorkel in the perfect ocean. After chilling in the water and bonding together, we headed back to camp on a bus, then to a turtle conservation centre. At this point, rain thundered down on us. Fortunately, we were able to put the rain behind us by witnessing a live hatching of many turtles. This was a great experience, and the whole group found this really cute and interesting, especially as we gave them their first swim. We engaged in many activities in the conservation center, including cleaning turtles, tanks and taking part in an interesting tour of the site. At the end of this tour, we felt lucky as most of us had seen things that we’d never witnessed before. We then headed back to camp to shower and relax before eating a fantastic dinner cooked for us by the Café Ceylon chefs. At this moment, many people are playing cards and most are about to go to bed. Night!

Day 5 for Hong Kong International School

By Heidi Kwan, Brent Hensley, Amar Bhardwaj, and Rachel Chiu

March 10, 2015

Day 5:

Today we learned a new game during our morning stretches and marathon, a game that revealed the inner aggressions and survival instincts of some of our group. The game involved three lines of people with a tail tucked in to the pants of the last person. The lines got shorter and shorter as the tails were stolen until only two remained. They fought and it was glorious.

When we got back to camp, the group split into three teams: Yoda’s Bitties, Unpeeled Bananas, and the runt of the litter, Ali’s Angels. The teams had an hour to build “boats” out of cardboard, tarp, and the glue of the heavens:  duct tape. Each team came up with a unique design that reflected the team dynamic and personality. 

The boats were set aside for later and the teams embarked on a series of five leadership building challenges. It was a grueling race to the finish as the teams untied knots, built ramps, climbed under and over ropes, boiled eggs on open fire, and plugged up holes in a water pipe. These challenges tested each team to the limit and many members had to step up and take leadership positions. 

 

In the end, Yoda’s Bitties came out victorious, breezing through the challenges with Rachel’s serendipitous success in untying the knot, Amar’s sheer fire master genius in boiling the egg, and the culmination of the entire team’s efforts in the water pipe challenge. Team Yoda left the challenges feeling uplifted by their incredible teamwork and determination that led to their eventual victory. They learned the value of leadership and how much a harmonious team can truly accomplish. 

After lunch, the group piled into jeeps to travel upriver to the rapids. After a safety briefing, the teams climbed into their rafts and began their journey down the river. At the first rapids, one member managed to fall out. To everyone’s surprise, it wasn’t Melodie. (Editor’s Note: Everyone is safe and uninjured from the experience). Under the instruction of the guides, the teams tackled rapid after rapid. It was an exhilarating experience for all. As the rapids died down, the real excitement began as the boats waged war with one another. People were kidnapped from rafts, paddles were thrown, ships were boarded by other teams, and people were left flailing in the water.(Editor’s Note: The 3 boats/teams did all of this to each other). Needless to say, it was a lot of fun.  

The teams arrived back at camp only to return to the water once more with their cardboard boats. Heidi of the Unpeeled Bananas took the lead upon departure while the other two struggled with buoyancy. Although the race was hotly contested, the Unpeeled Bananas finished first, Team Yoda second, and Ali’s Angels last. 

The group then gathered around the campfire to enjoy their last night at the Borderlands base camp and engaged in a very meaningful discussion about leadership styles. The ultimate consensus was that leadership is dependent entirely on the situation and that a leader should be adaptable and employ a dynamic leading style. The mood around the campfire was significantly different from the first campfire discussion as the group was significantly more engaged and comfortable with each other. We had truly become a family.

Hong Kong International School Day 4

Brent Hensley and Matthew Levy

Continuing the pattern from the previous day, the 21 HKIS students and leaders went on a morning run and stretch at the reasonable hour of 6:55 am. However, instead of just a “mild” jog (Author’s note: Some might even describe it as a prolonged sprint), we added in a game of Duck, Duck, Goose and naturally, much slipping and many laughs ensued. This morning, breakfast was a protein rich scrambled eggs AND fried eggs, plus fruit such as papaya and pineapple (Author’s note: It turns out Rachel is NOT allergic).

The bulk of the day was spent at the local village school, engaging with the children, painting the library, and trying to remove the previous days’ farmer’s tans. Upon arrival we were greeted with a small ceremony that included us being presented with leaves that when eaten are both soothing and spicy. Once we were given time with the children, we started off by breaking into teams in the courtyard and played a myriad of games such as cricket and keep away. As the heat became stronger, most moved inside where HKIS hosted multiple rounds of Musical Chairs (it was a crowd favourite). More physical and tiring activities ensued, until (finally, thankfully) it was time for lunch.

Lunch was definitely one of the most memorable parts of the day, as we dined on rice and chicken, prepared in a Tamil manner, all without the extravagant luxuries of utensils and napkins. The food was hot (in both meanings of the term), and culture shock ensued when the local students gave us strange and semi-aggressive looks as we licked our fingers. Lesson learned. The afternoon was full of dancing and singing, before returning to basecamp and taking much needed showers.

We dwindled away the evening hours with a movie that inspired us to be more environmentally conscious, before turning to a magic trick that became hilariously frustrating when even the smartest of us (such as those that have been accepted to Harvard) were unable to crack the magician’s secrets.

Hong Kong International School - Arrival, Day 1 and 2

By Rachel Chiu and Amar Bhardwaj

Day 1:

The HKIS group decided to eat healthy at the airport in preparation for such a physically strenuous trip. The obvious pre-flight meal choice was the one and only Popeye’s fried chicken. The group boarded the plane with high hopes and satisfied appetites. 

After a five hour flight of watching Whiplash and other Oscar winning movies, the group arrived in Colombo as 21 awkward and sleep deprived individuals. Nirmal and Margaret greeted the group at the airport and took them to a hotel nearby. The group settled in for a short night’s sleep before truly embarking on their journey the next day.

Day 2:

The group stuffed themselves for breakfast before piling into a bus with conveniently pre-reclined seats. After the usual listening to music, card games, and gossip, the group fell into comfortable silence as they caught up on some much needed rest. 

After about three and a half hours, they arrived at the Borderlands camp but did not settle in, for there was much excitement afoot. The group trekked to a eat lunch under a bridge and engage in the first of many team building exercises. The “Magic Stick” was a deceptively difficult exercise that required all members of the team to lower a long stick to the ground by resting it on their fingers. It was a lot harder than expected but the group eventually pulled through and worked together to achieve their goal. Which begged the question: “What makes a good team?” Through subsequent discussion, guided by Nirmal, the group learned the importance of communication, trust, leadership, and strategy.

After some simple sandwiches, and encounters with the local dogs (that the group named after famous historical figures), it was time to head to the canyon to be blessed by the river god. Carrying all their gear, and the blessing of the river, the group settled at the top of the canyon. The atmosphere was one of excitement and anticipation as canyoning was a foreign concept to most of the students. After a safety briefing, they took the plunge and started jumping through the pools of water. It was incredibly fun and freeing and the group enjoyed themselves while sliding, jumping, and diving through the canyon. Bonds were made over pulling off leeches, flipping off of ledges, and huddling together in the cold pool for warmth. The 21 individuals were coming together to become one team. 

The group then proceeded to a larger river and, in groups of four, started to float peacefully downstream to the Borderlands camp. Laughter echoed down the river as the groups encouraged each other. Lying on the river was a relaxing and serene experience. 

Later that night, the group bonded over amazing food, river baths, camp fire discussions, and from just hanging out and enjoying each other’s company. They retired to their tents tired but excited for the adventures ahead.

Day 3:

The group rose bright and early and met at 7 for a morning stretch and jog in the surrounding area. After a delicious French toast breakfast, all 21 of them packed into the back of two incredibly spacious, shock absorbing, non-suffocating, and comfortable jeeps. So comfortable in fact that one group had to wear helmets in the vehicle so as not to be concussed (Editor’s Note: It was completely safe to go without a helmet, wearing a helmet was the easiest way to carry it). Nonetheless, the group bonded over the bumpy ride and took the discomfort in stride. It’s all part of the experience. 

Next, everyone had to pitch in and carry equipment up a steep and rocky hike to reach the top of a breathtaking waterfall. Heart rates started to raise as some saw how steep and high up the waterfall was. After a safety briefing, a brave few volunteered to be the first to abseil down the rock face. This constituted being harnessed to a rope tied to a tree (Editor’s Note: There are multiple anchor points for each abseil) on the top of the waterfall, and “walking” down the virtually vertical cliff at a 90 degree angle. As this was a new experience for many of the group, nerves were running high. One by one, they slowly descended amidst encouragement from their teammates and instructors. Although it was undoubtedly frightening and somewhat challenging to do, they were all able to successfully abseil the 160 foot waterfall with the support of their team. They left the experience feeling uplifted and exhilarated.