Trips & Expeditions
G9 Bonding Trip T
he natural environment and fresh, cool breeze surrounding us gave a new feeling that we don’t normally get in our busy lives at school. The sparkles that glimmered from the reflection of the sun on the pond’s surface filled our hearts with gratitude. For our most recent bonding trip, the class of 2024 travelled to a meditation center in Khao Yai for 3 days and 2 nights and had a very enlightening experience.
CONCORDIAN IMPACT - ISSUE 30
30
First of all, we spent time in a natural ambience meditating, walking around in nature, and bonding with each other. We were guided by a meditation expert from the Himalayas, who taught us different uses of meditation and mindfulness coupled along with a variety of styles in meditation (eg. walking, sitting, standing in a specific position). For example, walking around in nature and enjoying the breeze opened our minds and relaxed us, since being outside just to enjoy nature is something many of us don’t do in our normal lives. We were able to sense and appreciate the little things, which made us increasingly aware of our surroundings. The teacher also taught us about energy, how there is positive and negative energy and how Apart from that, we did activities with each meditation helps bring forth the positive energy other to be able to work with new groups of we have within us. people, talk to different classmates, and form new friendships, which further deepens the bond we have within our year group. Some of these activities included a group performance where we had to perform in relation to a word we got (e.g. responsibility, gratitude, acceptance, empathy). This activity was very unique because we worked in groups with people we may not usually talk to and the different performances showcased creativity which was very exciting and humorous to watch. Another highlight of this trip was when the boys and girls were separated into 2 rooms and had deep conversations along with the sharing of ideas between us. This activity brought many of us to tears, and created an exceptionally positive mood for all of us for the rest of the day. I think this activity really helped strengthen the bonds we had and many of us were able to honestly speak with each other in ways we couldn’t before, which made us all increasingly open.