Northbridge Grade 6 students enjoy excitement and adventure in Kep on their first ever MIA trip

Northbridge Grade 6 students enjoy excitement and adventure in Kep on their first ever MIA trip One of the many wonderful characteristics of Grade 6 students at Northbridge International School Cambodia is their ability to see the positive in any situation and make the most of it.

One of the many wonderful characteristics of Grade 6 students at Northbridge International School Cambodia is their ability to see the positive in any situation and make the most of it. 

They had all been looking forward to their first Secondary school MIA trip with excitement and anticipation, plans for sharing rooms and games to play were made and question after question was asked during advisory in the weeks before.

It was wonderful to see that the moment our buses pulled out of the school carpark new friendships were forming. It seems that the bus ride provided the perfect opportunity to get to know someone from a different advisory better.

We arrived in Kep ahead of schedule, the shock of handing in mobile phones was quickly forgotten as keys were given out and the hunt to find rooms began. The afternoon was spent playing games, swimming and cementing those new friendships.

Teambuilding games after a delicious dinner added to the fun, but no-one could have predicted that two lollipops and a couple of pieces of string could make everyone laugh so much while bringing out the teamwork in everyone.

After breakfast came a reminder about the importance of hydration and a few clothes were changed before we set off for a hike in Kep National Park.

Everyone had made a prediction about how far they would be able to hike and even though it was hot and uphill, it soon became evident as we reached the first checkpoint that all predictions would be easily beaten. The second checkpoint went past just as easily, by the time we reached the third almost every student had passed the distance they had predicted for themselves.

Mr Jack had scouted the route earlier in the morning and designated a point as being the place that only the most serious hikers could continue beyond. 

At this stage, Mr Stef selflessly volunteered to turn back, taking Ms Leakina, Ms Daneth and those students who had gone further than they thought possible back to the hotel.

Meanwhile, Mr Jack and Mr Tom continued on with seven fearless adventurers, after reaching the summit they headed back to the hotel feeling a justified sense of pride at having walked over 8 kilometers in total!

After more swimming and pizza for lunch we discussed the meaning of Service in Action and then went for a walk to the crab markets and along the waterfront so we could see if students would notice the damage that people have done by not disposing of their rubbish properly.

It takes time to see something that has always been there, Emily was the first to notice the rubbish everywhere, taking photographs to show the extent of the problem that Kep faces. Grade 6 students have been tasked with thinking of ideas to help find a sustainable solution to this ongoing issue.

On the final day we cleaned up the rooms, ate breakfast and headed to Kep Caves, it was interesting to see how many students noted the impact that tourism has had on the historic site as we wandered through the different caves.

On returning to Northbridge everyone was looking forward to seeing their families, (being away from their parents was the number one challenge written in many reflection booklets), and it was pleasing to hear many students comment on the fact that two days without a phone was not as tough as they thought it would be. 

Thank you to all the students who came on the trip, the parents who allowed them go, and to Ms Andrea, Ms Daneth, Ms Leakina, Mr Jack and Mr Tom for taking such great care of everyone, I hope all their MIA trips have been as much fun as this one was.