Week 15 - Part 2: Ohhhh, Deeeee, Eeeehhhh!

A big feature of Week 15 was our ODE trip to Escape. Here is a brief recount by me, Mr Donovan, of what we got up to.

Prior to boarding the bus the students had a quick lesson from Mr Adrian on organising their packs in preparation for the walk into Escape.

                          

Once the buses arrived at the destination we all jumped out, had some photos taken and started our hike.  For some students, this was a first and they certainly appreciated the advice from Mr Adrian as walking with a balance pack was certainly easier.  During this short trek it was great to see the students supporting those who were having difficulty due to the size of their packs in comparison to them! The sight of the lake was very much welcomed by all as this meant that we had finally arrived and could now get rid of the weight!

Pre Trek Energy!

After some well deserved food and a quick safety briefing the students, (in their groups) went about putting their tents up.  Some had clearly done this before, and for some, this was a first.  Next the students were organised into three large groups for the three afternoon activities.  Within each group, students had a partner for the activities.

Cooperation

Fishing
Well done to Lalaine who was the only person to catch a fish.  Also, a special mention goes to Iba for being a risk taker and touching the fish.  All was going well until Iba was slightly freaked out by the feel and somehow dropped the fish which returned it back to the lake.  No doubt the fish was happy with the outcome.

Perseverance

Sandcastle building
I was impressed with the creativity and team work during this activity.  The students included various water features with some of the structures certainly resembled buildings that I have seen in Dubai.  Looking back at what was created, it seems that we have a number of budding architects.

Creativity

Art project
For this activity the students had to use items from the environment to create an artwork.  Most groups decided to create sand drawing and, while others tried to create 3D sculptures.
Some of the creations included:

• A self portrait, both small and large.
• A mini 3D replica of the volleyball court
• A landscape sand drawing titled, 'Sunshine Over Mountain."
• Symbols & signs such as the peace sign.

The overall winners in what was a very closely contested series of events were Yusei and Lalaine.  For their reward, the received some delicious biscuits, honey and marshmallows for dessert.

After some free time, the students prepared themselves for the Cook Off competition.  There was a range of meals from the reheating noodles, to scrambled eggs and cheese in croissants, to the most popular meal, being pasta and tomato sauce.  The team that one the competition responded positively to feedback given by me, the judge, and add some spices in the mixes to bring out the flavours.  Congratulations to Andrew, Azziz and Ibrahim for their success and also well done to all of the students for successfully managing their evening meal time.  Finally the Cook Off clean-up was over and we were soon around an open fire roasting marshmallows and reflecting upon an eventful day.

Reflection

Next the students brushed their teeth and headed to bed.  Some slept well and some did not!  Infact, I remember waking up during the night to the vision of a silhouette outside of my tent which was quite alarming.

Morning breakfast saw some more creative meals with a mixture of fruits, museli, cereal and even pancakes courtesy of the ready-made mix.

Once again, after every meal time comes with the chore of cleaning up and it seemed that the Pancake Mix whilst rather delicious, was also pretty sticky and proved troublesome when cleaning.  Due to either lack of sleep, or that fact that the students did not want to leave, or maybe both, the packing up of tents and packs was pretty laborious!  As a result our trek back out of camp started a bit later than expected.  Eventually some tired students followed Mr Getnet on the hike out, and understandable, this was a bit slower than the previous day.  Kindly, Mr Adrian gave us all a reprieve by asking the drivers to come and pick us up so we did not have to walk as far.

After a very quiet journey back to school the students then returned all of their equipment and then found the energy to eat.  I believe that the students slept rather well that night!  A big thank you to Mr Chris, our medic, Mrs Olena for her support throughout, and to Mr Getnet and Mr Adrian for all of their organisation in making this experience possible.

The students had a memorable time and the events and experiences from ODE continue to be the topic of conversation today.