After a long night of rest and waking up with the sun (or in this case, the clouds), two separate buses embarked on their journey towards Kitulgala. The road-trip proved worthwhile, as we got to a beautiful location fairly high in the mountains. The instructors were informative and well-versed in the process, and helped guide as safely during the rafting trip.
Upon sitting down in the raft, there was a sense of unity among the group. We navigated the raft in the direction of the beach as a group, on our way to the informed instructors who were going to go through the steps we had to complete to ensure our safety.
As an exercise, the instructors made us slowly go into the freezing water, it almost felt like I would die from hypothermia upon my descent into the water. The instructors made everyone hold hands and create a large circular chain. Our bodies eventually adjusted to the freezing water, making it much more comfortable.
The instructors informed us on all the preliminary information needed to embark on our rafting journey. They told us about different words and phrases they would say. All of them meant different things, for instance “paddle faster” meant we had to speed up our paddling, “stop” meant we had to lay the paddle on our thighs and firmly hold the paddle in our hands. Bearing all these instructions in mind, we embarked on our rafting journey with the group. The currents were strong, and we were dragged along by them as we progressed in the raft.
Despite this, it was a memorable and enjoyable experience. I feel that what I gained from the experience was the importance of team-building and bonding with classmates. There was a strong sense of unity and cooperation while paddling against the tides. This sense of unity contributes to a feeling of group and a a sense of self within the group.
After the rafting, we ventured further into the jungle into an area with many small rivers and cliffs. This was were we did the canyoning activity, which involves leaping from great heights into the water. The very first jump we had to complete was a small one, but since it has been a while since I last participated in canyoning, the jumpy feeling of a new experience was still present. After mustering up the needed courage, I jumped into the small pool of water in front of me. It felt refreshing once my body was in the water. It felt like a meaningful moment because not only was it a literal leap into unknown waters, it was also somewhat of a metaphorical one. I gapped the bridge between the nervousness and excitement, and managed to go past my comfort zone in order to experience something new.
The final thing we did on the orientation day was let our bodies float with the currents till we reached our huts. We had been out of the water for a while, so it was freezing when we entered it again. Once again, there was a strong emphasis on building teams and increasing the sense of group harmony. I was selected as the leader, so I decided that the entire group needed to stay within proximity of each other. When we were floating, we were taking in the beautiful scenery that surrounded us. It was in the afternoon and I could see the sun above the horizon, with vegetation and plants crowing the entire area. It was an incredible sight, and taught me about how it is important to sometimes slow down and gauge the beauty of what surrounds you rather than rush through everything life throws at you like it’s a challenge.
Through this activity, I felt that I focused on the learning outcomes of increasing my skills by experiencing new challenges through rafting and canyoning. Additionally, working collaboratively with others was essential during the process of this trip. The entire group relied on each other during the rafting as well as when we floated on the river to the huts. Developing these skills is helpful because in the future, it will be essential that you can come to terms with the group and know how to increase efficiency by collaborating.
