Learning-from-Camping

It was such a wonderful and exciting camping trip as we not only made new friends, but we also learnt the importance of perseverance and communication. Mass games were the key for team-building. Musical chairs and arranging playing cards in a certain sequence and even cooking out in the wild were part of that experience. All were to prepare us for our second day, where all the exciting activities took place. After some stretching activities and grocery shopping, we embarked on our hiking journey. Carrying our cook sets and ingredients, we started hiking up steep slopes until we conquered the hills in the first quarter of our journey. It felt like a major milestone, as we all took a moment to lie down on the soft grass and eat candies to recharge before pushing on towards the Ngong Ping Plateau. As we continued, every muscle told us to give up, but we did not. The determination within us kept us going, step by step. Finally, we reached the vast plateau and were greeted by a few cows lazily grazing in the open fields. We hurried to the plateau and saw a stunning sunset over Wu Kai Sha, marking the end of our hike. This end meant the start of our main task – preparing dinner. Our ingredients were simple but we managed to produce some good dishes. Who would have imagined having satay beef, corn soup, and Sukiyaki in the wild? After cleaning up, we set off again using the lamps to lead the way back to our campsite. By that point, we were completely drained that soon as we reached the campsite, we all fell asleep instantly. On the third day, we set off for our last activity which was held at school. We did some origami and other handcrafts with the focus of communication skills. The debriefing that followed was time for us to see what we have achieved and to explore ways to do better. One big take-away from this camp was the lesson on perseverance during difficult times. Looking back, we realized that completing the journey was about us on countless occasions pushing ourselves a little further, saying to ourselves, ‘I just need to give it a little more.’ Another equally valuable lesson we learned was trust and communication. In the training camp, we needed to work together for our dinner, and to ensure that we did well in the many group activities. We also took care of each other during the hike. Never did we know how simple acts of encouragement can be someone’s reason to continue. Most of all, is the lesson on confidence. After this camping trip, I believe that no matter how many diffculties I will face in the future, I can overcome them!