On August 28th our whole grade set out on our DP 1 Orientation trip to Kithulgala, Borderlands. This trip was about getting to know each other and working together to create new relationships and make old ones stronger. As a student, I always enjoy school trips especially ones that allow me to explore further into my own country. I find that although I am Sri Lankan, all I know are the ‘superficial’ parts of my country, I want to see the nature that I do not usually get to see. These trips give us a chance to bond with each other in exciting environments where we can step out of our comfort zones. Sometimes we are faced with unfamiliar experiences, the really great parts about these experiences, in my opinion, are the collective feelings of nervousness and uncertainty.
Wednesday, August 28th
We started off with a long bus ride from school, I love long bus rides. They give me a chance to find complete calm in the greatest chaos. With everyone very excited and chatting away, I was also very immersed in conversation but also very taken by the surroundings outside the window. There were a lot of trees, hills, people and houses on our way to Kithulgala.
When we got to our destination, we were greeted with amazing people, bright yellow (and VERY fashionable) helmets and life jackets. The action immediately began, we set off on a hike toward the river that we would be canyoning. During the hike, we all were talking, laughing immensely and… tripping over rocks. When we got to the river, we jumped into the freezing cold water and walking hand in hand. We spent hours doing crazy jumps off slippery rocks, although we did all of these same jumps in 9th grade, it all still felt exhilarating and scary. The jumps were not as high as we thought looking back on it but it was more of a mental and motivational journey. After the canyoning, we ate lunch altogether under a bridge by the river.
A day full of canyoning! Photo Credits: Mr. Duncan
The next activity was white water rafting, we headed back up the river to positions ourselves before the rapids. We did some exercises and games to gradually get back into the cold water. We split up into teams and jumped into one of the rafts,we went over some commands and made our way to the rapids! My group managed to stay afloat and get through the rapids with all limbs intact. After a very cold shower, we all met in the main hall for dinner and a night of card games.
Thursday, August 28th
On the second day, we started off with a long hike up a bumpy hill. As we got up the hill, I had a better view of my surroundings, there was a group of waterfalls placed on large rocks, there were beautifully coloured trees and birds flying over them. This was an important moment for me, I got to stop and truly take in what I was seeing. I found that my appreciation for Sri Lanka grew greatly in that moment.
Our hike was put on pause as we made our way to a cave for a mini theory of knowledge (TOK) session. We started by drawing free handed maps of the route up to the cave. After completing these maps, we shared them with each other so we could compare and contrast. It was interesting to see how similar everyone’s maps were. Some observations were: many of the routes started from the bottom left of the page and ended on the top right corner, almost everyone drew a bus, trees, and rocks, not many people added a key. I realised that schools and society really shape the way we see things. We all have very similar versions of maps despite a variety of ways that one can draw/look at a map.
After the map drawing, we headed a few meters up to another cave. We did an exercise with Mr. Leigh at the back of the cave, it was revolved Plato’s allegory of the cave. This exercise was particularly fascinating for me, it made me realise what TOK would be about.
When we finished our TOK session, we headed back down the hill and back up another. This was a difficult hike because it was very uphill, I realised how out of shape I am… When we got to the top, we had an amazing view of the rain forest. A few minutes of appreciating the view turned into an hour of finding shelter beneath trees from the harsh rain. We all sat side by side as we watched the rains pass, it was quite comforting in a way. After the rain died down, we started to get ready for an abseil down the large rock off the hill. As I abseiled down, I stopped for a minute, water splashed my face left, right and center but I took in the amazing surroundings. I still remember how everything looked and felt. Surprisingly, I wasn’t sick, the nature around was all too breathtaking, my distraction was completely taken.
Getting ready for the abseil with Alex. Photo Credits: Mr. Lockwood
Friday, August 29th
The morning of the last day was dreaded, none of us wanted to leave just yet, it was ending all too soon. Luckily, we had a few more hours to spend together, some time to explore the town was ahead of us. We initially planned to greet our morning with a hike but the rain did not agree with us. Instead, we immediately started to plan for interviews with the townspeople. After a planning session, we set off into our interview groups. My group was scheduled to meet a tailor at her shop, we got to see all of her equipment and materials. We asked her questions about life in Kithulgala, did she like it? She said she loves Kithulgala but there is not enough attention paid to small towns in Sri Lanka. I realised that a small series of simple questions were unraveled into complex issues that need to be addressed in my country. I am thankful for the opportunity to meet this woman, she was nice enough to be raw and candid with us. We, as young individuals who are blessed enough with the opportunity to stay in a place like Colombo, are blind to the cities in Sri Lanka that get neglected.
Interview with a Local Tailor. Photo Credits: Mr. Duncan
After a puzzling conversation, we headed back to the bus. We made a stop at a bridge that overlooked the construction of the dam, it took me a few minutes to take it all in. I wondered how this was affected the masses of people in Kithulgala, was it a good thing or was it bad? After completing all our activities, we gathered back at the borderlands base camp and collected our bags. This would mark the end of our trip, although it was incredibly exciting, this trip also brought light to the bad sides of rural communities. They are not being cared for enough and neither is the environment around them. All in all, this trip was a learning experience for me, I bonded with my peers and, I also learned so much more about my country.