Rites of Passage

4B Albert Yeung Ming Ho

The Rites of Passage was a unique 28-day outdoor education programme whereby we were immersed in a completely different lifestyle.

Living in a community required us to take care of ourselves as well as others. We had to clean our dormitory, wash our clothes, wash dishes, set the tables and clean up after meal. There were also lots of challenging activities, like jumping into a lake where the water was below 10 degrees!

The most difficult task was the hike on Mount Edwards. We walked on steep slopes and loose stones carrying a heavy rucksack for a whole day! Whenever people in the front decided to stop, those in the back had to stop too. At first, someone grudged but it only made the hike even more tiring and frustrating. However, with lots of encouragements and the support of each other, we walked more persistently and managed to climb to the top at last.

The Leap of Faith required us to climb up a wooden pole and jump off to touch a ball hanging in the air. When I was up there, my hands were full of sweat and I stood there like a statue. I had come up with some dumb thoughts: Would the rope suddenly split into two? Is the belayer really ready? I could in fact choose my own level and could choose not to jump, but I didn’t because the girls could do it. They overcame their fear and I didn’t want to look weak. I had to trust others and myself. I must move! When I finally jumped off, the level of excitement of that particular moment was beyond imagination because I successfully conquered my fear! It didn’t matter anymore whether I could touch the ball.

I have become more confident and came to understand it is our mind controlling our body. Move one step forward and we will be able to overcome our fear.

A fruitful and invaluable experience indeed, the programme marks a milestone in my journey to adulthood!

4C Kelly Lui Hoi Lee

In the 28 days, we had learnt to toughen up and be independent, both physically and mentally. We had to face new challenges every day and we could not afford negative emotions that would affect our performances. We learnt to open up to each other, to relieve our emotions; we also learnt to listen, encourage and support each other.

There were high and low points in the programme. In fact, it was from the low points that I learnt the most. While it was fun having different kinds of exciting and challenging activities, there were also times when we couldn’t reach our goals or destinations, when there were quarrels in the group. There were distressful moments when we felt that our group would fall apart and negative emotions such as homesickness and loneliness began to surface. Those had been dark times for us, but we learnt to cope with them, face the problem, and deal with it. In the end, not only did we survive the hardships, but we also matured, and the bonds between us in the group were strengthened.

Through the numerous activities, expeditions and group interactions, I have discovered more about myself. Most important, I am now brave enough to admit and accept myself: my strengths, my weaknesses and fears. I have become more willing to open up to others and to voice out my true opinions – important for one to become truly self-confident.

The best part about the programme was not the activities, but how the 14 students in each group had turned from strangers to buddies in merely four weeks. As we could not choose our group mates, we had to learn to accept each other, which is a valuable virtue that we all should learn. We came to know about each other, we went through hardships together and watched each other grow, and the friendship between us deepened day by day. This wonderful experience has enlightened me on the wisdom in the quote, “There are no strangers here; only friends you haven't yet met.”

4A Sonia Cheung

We can now proudly say that we can identify a spotted gum tree, canoe in a lake for two hours, and cross creeks after walking up and down a mountain with an 18-kg backpack, all despite the tiredness that we felt and the cuts that we got from the thorny plants along the tracks.

It still makes me smile to recall how we ‘freaked’ out when we knew that we had to use the same sink of water to wash the dishes and pots of all the groups at our first campout. We got over our mysophobia at last and gradually stopped caring about whether there was grass or little insects somewhere in our bowls, as long as they’re out of our sight.

One thing that I will never forget was the Australian skies and the spectacular sunrises. On the last morning of our expedition in Cooloola National Park, we got up at about five-thirty. We walked into the freezing lake which was at most 2 degrees Celsius in our shorts and stayed there for half an hour, watching the first sunrise I’d ever seen. Our legs were all numb and frozen, but we couldn’t have been happier.

A lesson on trust was also something that I will remember. We realised the importance of trusting both others and ourselves the hard way. The hikes taught us how trusting in ourselves gave us the strength and will that enables us to do anything. The Spy Game taught us how easy it was to hurt people and get hurt when there wasn’t trust in the group. The game had once made our group upset and disappointed with each other, and at last we learnt more about the importance of trust and the damaging impact of discrimination.

The Rites of Passage programme wasn’t just a camp of fun—it was an experience that pointed to us the path towards becoming confident individuals, responsible global citizens and life-long learners.