Wafa – Ecoventure 2023
On the 5th of March 2023, some of my Year 7 classmates, along with Years 6 and 5 went to Ecoventure in Ras Al-Khaimah. We met at the airport at 5:30, and that’s when the journey finally began. We were split into airport groups, Mr. Kyle, Mr. Gerry, Mr. Phil, Ms. Karlien, and Mr. Jack and Ms. Agnes. We had our breakfast in Jamie Oliver’s Kitchen, and soon after boarded the plane.
After we landed, we went to collect our bags and took buses to our final destination. The bus ride there was a breeze, we talked, laughed, and ate our snacks, and then some of us fell asleep. When we arrived, most people were shocked to see Ecoventure and where we were staying for the next 4 days. But it’s amazing to think how much our mindset changed when we arrived and when we left, and how much we learned in this process during a simple period – but most of all how much we would miss Ecoventure when we came back to Bahrain.
We went to the Majlis and got assigned the rooms that we had to share with 7 other people. But at the end of the day, it was a way to feel closer to each other and to step out of our comfort zone. It also stood out to me among other people as an opportunity to be more responsible, because we didn’t have anyone to clean our messes, make our beds, or keep the bathroom spotless.
We had our lunch and got to know the staff at Ecoventure a bit more, then our activities finally started. We had been split up into groups 1,2,3 and 4. That’s where the fun began. We were introduced to so many new obstacles that we had to conquer, and we had so much exposure to nature, and completed challenges we would never do in our daily lives. It was such an encouraging trip and I felt motivated to try new things, even if not reach the top, and that’s okay as long as we tried our best and put our minds to it, and believed in ourselves. We also learned how to cooperate with our teammates, build a strong team and incorporate everybody and all of our ideas. A key to success within our teams and self is motivation. Not only did we motivate ourselves, but others around us. Those skills even followed us to the beach, where we raced in canoeing, put our minds to paddling the fastest in kayaking, and even created a healthier atmosphere whilst encouraging our teammates in raft building.
After hours of physical challenges and teamwork, we had night games. Our nights were filled with laughter and ambition. Some nights we had treasure hunts, and egg races. On other nights we got to try our best impressions of our teachers – the best impressions were the one of Mr. Jack-, and come up with role-play stories and team slogans and even watch our eggs get dropped from the climbing wall! Last night we had a campfire. We were dancing and singing, and we got to show off our breathtaking dance moves to everyone, and we even got roast marshmallows on the fire.
On the last day, we woke up and met on the basketball court at 7:30 sharp, and had our breakfast. We made sure our bags were packed and got to enjoy some basketball. Then we made our way to the airport, and as a treat, our teachers got us Mcdoanlds. We made our way back to Bahrain and that was the end of Ecoventure 2023.
Ecoventure was such an unforgettable trip, that will always stay with us in our hearts. We got to learn so many new things and skills that now we can’t live without. We had to adapt to no electronics and had to read a map to locate items. But with the help of our marvelous teachers, and brilliant eco venture staff that was a simple task. We also gained an important strength of teamwork, which we all used to the best of our abilities. As they say “Teamwork makes the dream work”. Thank you to Mr. Kyle, Mr. Gerry, Mr. Phil, Mr. Jack, Ms. Karlien and Ms. Agnes for coming along with us to Ecoventure, and thank you so much for always trying your best to make Ecoventure worth it, you had such a big and great impact on our trip.
by Wafa
