Reaching New Heights
On Day 4 of our journey, we woke to refreshing cool air and light rain at the Eco Lodge. We enjoyed some delicious Pho (rice noodle soup) for breakfast and then departed by bus for some limestone cliffs, where we met our rock climbing guides.
After a quick instruction session, the students— one by one— geared up and chose a climbing path that met their preferred challenge level. Supported by the belaying and guidance of our local instructors, each student ascended the rock face, taking in both a great view of the nearby valley and a great sense of pride in their achievement.
After lunch, we packed up and bid farewell to the lovely hosts (and friendly pups) at the Eco Lodge and hopped onboard a cable car back to the country’s mainland.
At the time of writing this, our team is en route to the bustling city of Hanoi, resting up and anticipating this evening’s visit to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, where we will have the opportunity to witness the ceremonial flag lowering and military parade in honour of Vietnam’s revered historical leader.
It is so lovely to see that after four busy days of travel and activities, the students are still filled with enthusiasm and excitement for everything we are doing. In my conversations with them and in the reflections they have written, I can see the positive impacts that these experiences are having on their identities and their outlook on the world around them.
STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
My time in Cat Ba and Viet Hai taught me to be more courageous and try new things. This experience taught me to enjoy nature and see how beautiful the world truly is. Seeing people live differently taught me to respect their cultures. This trip made me more confident and happier. I will always remember the peaceful and joyful moments I spent there (Haram)
My time in Cat Ba and Viet Hai taught me how to challenge myself. Throughout one week of this journey with 24 people, I had many times I needed to challenge myself to do something. One of the challenges was to be friends with someone that I didn’t know or with people in other grade levels. When I was the activities on the beach, I needed to ask someone questions or collaborate with grade 11s or 12s to do the games together rather than thinking only about myself. I needed to think about other people’s feelings and their perspective. Being friends with people I didn’t know before made me able to increase my social skills, and also being a risk-taker by putting myself outside of my comfort zone. Throughout this journey, I learned that putting myself into challenging situations and outside of my comfort zone helps me to learn a lot of new perspectives. Yeah! (Gaon)
