Being a DP student under the IB curriculum is taking a healthy risk in our lives. There’s too much work that needs dedication and effort. But more importantly, students must build up a good connection with other colleagues. The orientation trip was the greatest idea for this. 

Day 1 :

On 24th of October 2021, as the new DP students, we were taken on our orientation trip to Kitulgala, a small town in the west of Sri Lanka. It was a 3 day and 2 nights trip combined with the Science field trip. So as planned, on the first day, we engaged in water activities such as rafting, canyoning. It was actually my first time experiencing that and it is one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. Surprisingly, I wasn’t scared at all. Instead, I was super excited. In the very beginning, before we got into the water, we were requested to think about nature, especially the water and how it will build an interconnection with us. We were reminded about ‘yin-yang’ and how nature could be very aggressive at times. Hence, we were taught to obey the water to make it protect us. However, white water rafting was pretty much of a fun learning experience, yet a bit spine-chilling. But if anyone asked me what my favourite part about it was I’d definitely say white water rafting. 

Moreover, we also got the opportunity to engage in rock sliding as well as jumping. Everyone, including myself, was ecstatic about this. We were also instructed to somehow take turns leading others, which was another fascinating learning challenge. 

In fact, I was and still am grateful that I got to live through this experience in my life at least for the very first time as now I have got the capability to look back and explore my strengths and weaknesses and evaluate myself if I’ve evolved through time.

Day 2 :

The following day began with some warm-ups led by two of my classmates, followed by some enjoyable activities. It was a fantastic way to start the day feeling revitalized. After breakfast, we went to a tea and rubber estate to collect data for our Biology project. Because of the number of leeches crawling on me, our experience there will be remembered for many years. The rain made things considerably worse, but it was an excellent location for unexpected leeches to pop out of nowhere. Dasha, my Biology companion, and I were gathering data from a couple of the rubber plants that were on a lower ground than the main side walk, making it the reason for us to get more leeches than any of the others. The good thing was that none of us wanted to quit up until we were completely satisfied with our collection.

However, after having our lunch, we returned to another rainforest after crossing a small stream. We also took data there, and the day was done. We returned back to eat dinner. That night, to enjoy our stay there, especially since it was the last night, we had a DJ session while dancing till they called us for bedtime. That was a lot of fun.

Day 3 :

The last morning in Kitulgala started with another warm up session followed by fun team games. Then , after breakfast we headed back to where we were on the first day. There, we collected some water samples such as the temperature, pH value, turbidity, etc. It was all going well until the sole of my shoe started to break off. It was easy to remove on its own because of the water pressure. Nonetheless, I was able to retain it. I used a hair tie to keep it tethered to the shoe, which was much more effective. I wasn’t too concerned because I had two more pairs in my luggage in the room. Before we departed, we collected all of the laying waste and hauled it with us to the Borderlands to be disposed of.

After arriving back at the borderlands for the final time, had lunch and then packed ourselves and headed back to school. It was around 4-4.30 when we got to school.

Overall, it was indeed a great experience in my school life. I had great time with all friends and gained more knowledge about water activities and the environment. It also helped me reflect on my CAS journey, with the inclusion of Activities, Creativity and a bit of Service.