The trip started with an early morning flight to Southern China, to the city of Zhuhai, Guandong province. Over the five day trip students were fully self-sufficient and cooked all their meals within their journey groups. They were also responsible for planning and carrying out all the navigation and route planning that was an essential part of the sea kayaking, biking and hiking they did around the island of Q’iao. This year we also added another element to the journey which involved the students studying the human impact on the island.
Due to bad weather at the start of the journey camping was not possible, but the students were excited to camp and enjoy the outdoors towards the latter half of the trip, with many choosing to sleep under the stars without their tents! Everyone joined together on the final night around the bonfire to roast marshmallows and reflect on their hard work.
All in all, the groups did a fantastic job: they displayed team work, perseverance and dedication in each aspect of the trip. Our students boarded the plane on Monday evening definitely ready for their own bed but with many good memories and also some impressive tan lines!
Hear what the students thought of the trip:
“A very rigorous, challenging trip, but brought us all together as a group & showed us a different way of living” – Barbara Wildmann
“A completely different lifestyle to urban Shanghai life” – Daniel Watters
“Definitely a worth while experience, challenging us both physically and mentally” – Alessa Voigt
“An incredibly challenging yet fun experience to remember” – Hannah Remde
“I was born and grew up in a city, so it was very fun and exciting to experience something completely different to what I am used to” – Ayaka Izumi
Find out more about the International Award and get involved yourself!