It is that time of year again, residential. The students in year 7
are buzzing with excitement. Sadly after typhoon Manghut we
had to change our trip and the new destination was, Yangshuo.
After packing our bags and taking a relaxing weekend to rest
we were ready.
Day 1 Travel
The first day was traveling and we all were slowly nibbling on
our lunches with our bus buddies. We learnt that however many
song, games and naps you have you will always end up bored.
After a 6-7 bus ride we got of to meet the Indier staff.
We stoped, got our bags, went to the bathroom and got onto
different smaller buses to get to the hotel. After arrival we
dropped our bags in a lobby and met up with our leaders ( this
review is from perspective of group 2 , Maggie and Ms. Clark).
We played games and got to know our leaders. After dinner we
grabbed our bags met our roommate and went into one of the
three hotels. After organizing our things for tomorrow everyone
had a shower and went straight to sleep.
Day 2 Camping, Orienteering, Zip-lining and Abseiling
Most people woke up at six and got dressed. We got our
camping stuff together for tonight. Then we went down to meet
our leaders. After having a delicious breakfast we set off to Zip-
lining and Abseiling but before that we had to drop our stuff at
the campsite.
We started to climb up the mountain to get to Treasure cove.
After we were up there we got on a harness and zip lined to the
other side around 30 meters off the ground. Then when you
arrived there you would have to Abseil down the side ,which at
that point was about 40 meters , to reach the bottom. It was an
exhilarating experience, one of a lifetime.
After that we went back to the campsite to do orienteering with
was very fun. In groups we split up to hide prices of paper
around the field and using a compass marking how far away in
which direction was the next piece of paper. When we finished it
was time to set up camp before our roommate came.
Slowly, tents started to appear fully built but as we were halfway
though it started to rain. We worked faster and finished all the
tents. Our roommates arrived and we got ready to cook. After
splitting into small groups we cooked pasta and it was delicious
even though between 5 people one more pack of sauce might
have been needed. With full bellies we went back to our tents
and had a cold sleep as the rain continued but that was not the
worst because some people needed the bathroom and that is a
cold wet walk ( or run) to the bathroom in the pitch black.
Day 3 Hiking, Climbing
Waking up in the morning was very uncomfortable. Unlike the
first night last night we slept on the floor and a sleeping mat
didn’t make much difference. We all backed our bags but not
the tents because the next group would be sleeping this night.
We would have to walk back to the restaurant to earn our
breakfast. After breakfast we started to go hiking.
Hiking was beautiful because we were in an area were there
was no buildings and no people. The mountains were gorgeous.
This hike was about 2 hours long but we were not done yet
because we would still have to go climbing at the Swis-cheese
crag.
One by one we had to climb up the uneven rock face. Most
people reached the top and got to see the beautiful view. After
we had finished and eaten the lunches we packed this morning
after breakfast we went back to the hotel.
At the hotel we had been given new rooms. In the main hotel
the rooms were bigger but still small. Dinner was delicious as it
had been every night then we went back to our rooms and went
to bed.
Day 4 Biking , Caving
It is the final day. To start the day we all ate an amazing
breakfast and got ready to have the best day of the trip. We
buckled on our helmets and got ready to go biking.
Most people could ride a bike so be had no problems there so
we all practiced beforehand so we were comfortable on our
bikes. Then we got ready to start the ride. First we made a loop
then started going down a slightly uneven path. Then we
continued until we were back at the area were we had arrived
on the first day. We took a short walk and went to grab our
things for caving.
When it came to caving we had to all had head torches before
we ventured into the darkness. We all felt cold because the
water was icy but we were ready. After looking at all of the
stalactites and shapes they form we got to the mud pool and
got to walk past the year6’s on our way. As there were people at
the pool we got to go to the underground river. This river
involved a lot of climbing and helping each and helped in
building team bonds. After and exiting caving experience we got
to go back to the hotel and got cleaned up.
After cleaning up, we got ready for the BBQ. We went
downstairs and met with our group leaders. In our group we
split into groups of of 5-6 and got one person to get our food.
We all cooked our food and ate everything. When we had
finished we had one last game with our group leaders. After that
it was time to pack before tomorrow.
Day 5 Coming home
Waking up was sad for some because that meant we had to
leave Yangzhou, we had our last breakfast then went to a place
with a nice background for a group photo. After that it was time
for the first bus which took around ten minutes . Then we got
our lunches and got onto then bus. On some busses it was
quite but most were loud with riddles, singing, games and
talking. Most had a nap after the busy week and happy that we
would soon see our parents. After the long ride we arrived at
school , collected our passports and walked out with our
parents.
Conclusion
This residential taught most how to care for themselves by
themselves and how to cook and how to be responsible.
Residential is a very exiting time for most and nearly everyone
loves have a bit of time to do fun activities and be with their
friends.