“Jakub has a big long one” –Sophia Wu
Okay, I know how that looks, but let me explain. That statement was taken out of context by me, and is not nearly as suggestive as it seems. However, you’ll have to keep reading if you want the full explanation, after all, this all happened much later in the story.
Image Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uoR1LIYttU
Speaking of said story, hello and welcome to another post, one where we talk about a far more interesting topic than usual, our first overnight trip in a long time. About an hour away from our school, and belonging to UBC, the University of British Columbia, loon lake was a place with exhilarating attractions and ravishing untouched wilds. In this place, we actually, despite what one might think, actually learned quite a bit. Now you, dear reader, may or may not, depending on who you are, know too much about PLP, but if you do, you’ll know that we can’t just have a vacation, we absolutely MUST learn something from it. Anyways, we focused specifically on goal-setting, and becoming better people, which, I daresay many of us undoubtedly achieved. I noticed people, specifically some of the more “popular” kids, actually holding and initiating conversations with people they wouldn’t normally go out of their way to talk to. Regardless that habit has in many ways persisted, and I can safely say I enjoy the newfound relationships I’ve formed. In brief, I’ve known these people for years, but until recently it felt like I didn’t even know them.
Image Source: http://workfos.com/10-tips-to-better-manage-your-conversation-skills/
My goal had been to be a more agreeable person than I normally am, and be more proactive when it comes to starting conversations, as I could really stand to work on that, and it’s safe to say that I, and several others, truly believed that I improved. How do I know this, you may ask? Well, near the end of the trip, we were read out anonymous comments from our peers, both our partners and any others who wished to comment, and, as much as if not more than anyone else, I got comments. It was quite nice to receive feedback about how I had been doing better at self-control, friendliness, and reading the room. Thanks to the mutual monitoring and advice of my partner for this exercise, Indy, it all worked out pretty well.
Image Source: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/goal-setting-the-first-step-to-achievement-2947147
Of course, there were plenty of fun activities as well, as could be determined from my earlier statements. To be more specific, I tried out sharpshooting in archery, though I still got beaten badly by Liam, who was actually quite practiced in the art of the bow, along with plenty of other people. I went canoeing out on the lake, partnered up with Ryder, and enjoyed both serene, calm padding and fast-paced races. I faced my fear of heights with great encouragement from my peers on the climbing wall, although the high-ropes course proved to be a little too much for me! Earlier on, we visited birds of prey such as the peregrine falcon, baard owl, and Harris Hawk at raptor’s ridge, and learned many stunning tales and captivating facts about these magnificent creatures, and finally, the last thing I will mention is the shelter-building competition, when we worked together to construct wooden structures to withstand the elements, and since wood was involved, and we needed large pieces of it, I think you can see where my earlier quote originated from.
Well, that wraps up everything here, and I must say, it was a marvellous trip, filled with adventures and intrigue, yet also rife with academic instruction and learning. A true balance of happiness and education. I hope you enjoyed this post, as I’m gonna enjoy what comes next…
*brofist*