Venture North
The week without walls, which I was assigned to was Venture North, which was a thrilling and unique experience. This micro trip was centered around cycling, in which we did everyday averaging around 38 or so Km. Overall I felt that the trip focusing on the CAS elements of activity and service, in addition allowing me to grow as someone who embodies the CAS learning outcomes. Through the trip, it also allowed me to explore a unique place of Sri Lanka, which was filled with culture allowing us to explore a rural wonderland.
Day 1:
On day One, everyone on the trip met up on school grounds at around 5:30am, in which we embarked around 15 minutes later. We were set to go to a place known as Sigirya which was around 4 hours away from where our school, setting us on a long ride. Before going directly to our lodging, we were dropped 14km away where we would cycle the rest of the distance. This first cycle of the day was really enjoyable, allowing us to get a feel for the place which we were around. The roads we were on were mainly off-road, and the area we were in was very rural and underdeveloped. However with this there was a scene of beauty and tranquility as we were surrounded by fields and greenery all around us.
The ride felt very fast, and we made it to our camp relatively quickly. Un-ironically the name of the place was back of beyond, while literally being in the near middle of nowhere. This place which we would call home for the next 5 days, was actually nice in the sense that we were encapsulated by nature. We had wildlife all around us from monkeys and fish to even rats. We settled down in our rooms, had lunch and were left with 2 hours of free time, in which a couple of use played volleyball and badminton.
Getting on our second bike ride, the begging 2km was the same road we took everyday as there is only on entrance and exit to the camp we were staying at. After that point we took a new road and went on a cycle which was around 17km. We got back to camp around 5pm which concluded a very fun and unique day of cycling. Upon finishing this first day I managed to “identify my own strengths”, as I found the ride to be partly light in terms of difficulty. However a difficulty which I did find was adjusting to the constant insects and bugs which bit me.
Day 2
Day two was the longest day in terms of distance cycling. Something that made this day certainly stand out, was the gorgeous lake which we cycled past which had a jaw dropping view of the “sleeping monk” which is a mountain range that represents exactly that. The ride was a nice change of pace as we went through many scenic routes. Even though this day was the longest in terms of distance, for some reason it felt like one of the shortest. This could be due to the fact that we had many stops or due to the fact that it was more enjoyable.
As we were cycling something which I started to notice in the remote area which we were in, was the amount of poverty and inequality which could be observed with just one glance. It was disheartening to see this, however at the same time it outlined to me a “issue of global significance”, local to where I live. This was further observed when we saw people using the polluted river to do basic things such as wash clothes or take a bath. It made it evident to me how important this issue really was, and made me question as to how I can help resolve it.
Day 3
Unlike day 2, day 3 was the shortest day in which we ended up doing a lot of unique activities. The ride was tranquil, with us going through many magnificent landscapes of paddy fields over looked with mountains in the horizon. For lunch we experienced something unique, where we went to a small village hut, in which people showed us how to make authentic traditional rice and curry. Watching them prepare the meal masterfully was thrilling. Sri Lankan rice and curry was something which I already had an idea on how to make, however watching them make their dish showed a area for me to grow in terms of cooking this meal. Another thing which this experienced showed me was the challenge they faced due to lack of tourism because of Covid-19. One of our main guides told us that we were the first people to come there after two years, which for me was shocking and was kind of sad in a way.
As we left the place with our faces stuffed, there was a challenge which we as a group faced. When we were cycling we began to split up, not in groups, instead we were kind of scattered each going our own pace. This would later create a problem as normally during turns we would stop to signal to people behind which turn to take. A few of us in the front ended up, cycling straight back to camp, in the process causing a commotion as people got lost on the way. Luckily, them realized this they turned around and luckily met up with one of the tour guides who got them back on track. Through this it thought as that for the rest of the remaining days, it is crucial we stay as a group in order to not repeat this mistake. It was through this day, that the significance of the CAS learning outcome to “Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively”, making it evident how this skill may be applied in the real world.
Day 4 and 5
Day 4 ended up being the busiest day, and in my opinion the most tiring. We ended up going a relatively relaxed cycle ride which was around 20km to a famous rock in Sri Lanka, known as Pidurangala. The hike up to the peak of the rock was nice and engaging and the end result was worth it. We were surrounded by astonishing views, in a addition to another famous rock right next to this one, known as Sigiriya Rock. Another task which me and my group of 5 had to do on this day was cook dinner for everyone else. With this in mind, we got to engage with the local community in this area and buy groceries and food products from small side shops, as there wasn’t any proper super markets in this remote place. The day before me and my group planned out what we were going to make, with back up plans incase we couldn’t get what we wanted. Our group skills improved especially when it came to cooking in the night where we all worked collaboratively to complete this dish. Through this we as a group engaged with the CAS learning outcome to “Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively”. Furthermore, it showed how we “Demonstrated how to initiate and plan a CAS experience”, as this creative task was planned before hand.This ended too a very action packed day was followed with a hint of sadness of sorts, knowing that the very next day we would be going back home.
Day 5 in my opinion was one of the most enjoyable rides. Even though we new that this would be the last ride of the trip, I felt that was something which made it special in a way. The ride was enjoyable and was filled with off road scenery which was mesmerizing. From here we cycled back to where the bus had stopped which was around 32km, in which put a end to our WWW.