On the 28th of September the class of 2024 (DP1) embarked on a trip to Kitulgala to work with Borderlands and experience a team-building adventure in the stunning natural surroundings of the Kitulgala river in the center of Sri Lanka. This trip is a way for the Overseas School of Colombo to help create a more cohesive and supportive DP1 class before embarking on the daunting journey of the last two Diploma years. The Borderlands company focuses on conducting outdoor activities across the nation; they are well known for their rigorous safety precautions and international professional standards, making it suitable for our international school. After finishing the first day at Kitulgala we were told to reflect on our day and write a letter to someone, explaining our thoughts and impressions of our experience so far. I chose to write to my mother, telling her about how I felt, what I learnt through the days’ experiences and the positive mindset I gained that would probably benefit me in the future.
“Dear Mama,
My experience so far has been so memorable! I have been able to work alongside my peers and form impressions that will last me a lifetime. I just loved the white-water-rafting down the river and canyoning down the waterfall. What a feeling! I have really pushed my boundaries through these activities. They were new to me, yet I tried everything without much fear. I was able to understand that not all things in life are as they seem or visible to the naked eye … behind every rock is another. This made me reflect on life as a whole, it made me think about my future and the countless obstacles that will surely lie ahead when trying to achieve my goals. Nevertheless, after guiding everyone down the waterfall, I went last and we all sat in this blissful pool of pure water, surrounded by raw nature. I felt so at peace and touched by all this beauty around me. Just for a few seconds I really internalised where I was, I really felt at one with it all! In general, there are times when I get demotivated and think that making the effort is not worth it. However, the waterfall showed me that the feeling of personal accomplishment is really worth the hardship it takes to get there. This day also showed me the importance of trust and supporting one another. I thought that I’d be worried when having to jump down a 3m rock, but not once did I feel nervous or scared. That is because I trusted the level of safety the Borderlands team provided; I trusted them, so I felt comfortable to try out new things and gain new experiences. That’s something I’ve learnt today and now I understand the importance of having a support system around me like friends and family. As a result, I think that this trip will help build great trust and mutual support among the class of 2024 and bring us all together to get through the struggles we are going to face during the IB course. Overall It was such a great experience, it opened my eyes how powerful nature can be. It simply gave me a lot of joy and perspective for my immediate future.
See you soon
xoxo, Maya”
In conclusion, this entire trip taught us as a class the importance of trust, working collaboratively with others, how to face challenges and personally grow as a result. For example, we were given the task to climb up a ladder with a partner; the higher we went, the further the steps of the ladder would become, making it almost impossible to climb up alone, without the help of our partner. This activity really demonstrates the idea of collaboration. Once I stopped at the 4th step of the ladder. Lara, my partner, could not make it to the top without my help anymore, hence she was unable to proceed any further without me providing support.This example in itself shows how much we helped each other to make it to the top together. The value of trust is an aspect I already mentioned in the letter to my mother. This is something – I think – OSC wanted to achieve among us as a year group. By organising this trip it would help build and establish that trust among us as peers. The IB Diploma Program pushes boundaries on many levels, hence we all have to trust and support one another in order to feel comfortable enough to overcome the hardships we are going to face during this program.