Loon Lake Learning Advance

“We travel. Not to escape life, but for life to not escape us.”

~ the first (anonymous) quote that pops up when I google “quotes about travel”

Hello there internet stalkers! If you didn’t know already, one of the most interesting things about PLP are our yearly trips. However, last year, we weren’t able to go on one.

Despite all odds, this year we were able to tag along with the Grade 8s on our very first learning advance! Although we still aren’t able to leave the country, we decided to spend a couple of days at a closer location; the Loon Lake Lodge and Retreat Centre in Maple Ridge.

The purpose of this trip was to strengthen our PLP teamwork skills!

Before I start, obviously I won’t be able to cover ALL of the activities we did… BUT be sure to check out this “digital scrapbook” I made to get a more “in depth” experience!

Learning Advance 2022

Click to read this book, made with Book Creator

https://read.bookcreator.com

This trip was proposed back in December, during the Winter Exhibition (when we were presenting Revolutions on Trial). Also note, this was before we knew much about the Omicron varient. I was very nervous about travelling. The last time I’d gone on a trip, it was Outdoor School in December of Grade 7.

I was also worried about my allergies and other medical conditions. Luckily, when it came to Outdoor School, the kitchen was very careful about it. However, I’ve had experiences where I was stuck eating apples for a day. Thankfully, I was fine this time around, but I still had to be cautious.

Speaking of Outdoor School, where we stayed for 4 nights, I’ve had my experiences with overnight school trips. I was hoping it wouldn’t rain this time, because last time, I had to endure the freezing cold in wet socks. Yet again, I was lucky, because it didn’t really rain during our stay (although the weather forecast predicted otherwise.)

I was looking forward to spending some time away from the classroom setting. The lake looked gorgeous, and the forest was practically untouched. From the website, the cabins’ wooden architecture was also pretty cool (haha, my dad’s a structural engineer and my love of cool buildings comes from him.)

Here’s some pretty photos of the landscape and nature:

ALSO, if you want a fancy tour of the grounds, check out this video my fellow adventurers made! (Fraser, Faith, Nolan, and Carter)

After we did some introductory activities (including a lovely photo walk), we were introduced to our cabins. At the start, I was very uncomfortable with sharing living spaces with other people, especially during the pandemic. Although I continued to be cautious, I gradually became more comfortable.

I got lucky enough to share Thunder Inn with some of my friends (Ariane, Sabrina, Teva, Fraser, and Alfie), which was fun!

At times, it was very tiring being around so many people with different lifestyles from my own. Also, I feel like the pandemic has made it harder for me to be in social settings (beyond family) for too long without “alone time”. My greatest regret was that for most of the trip, I wasn’t able to recharge, and I was too emotionally tired to enjoy things to the fullest. Even 2 weeks later, I’m still recovering from the terrors of socialization.

Ah the problems of an introvert.

I was also very worried about things beyond my control (like allergies.) As I always say, I’m the self proclaimed “mom friend” of the group. Perhaps, it was a sign that I should start listening to the “7 Habits” more often…

Anyways, after we were settled and unpacked, we enjoyed a tasty dinner of lasagne. Nothing beats home cooking… but it was pretty good considering they had to cook for two classes of hungry PLP students. Afterwards, we enjoyed a chill evening activity. We played amonia, but I was so tired that I was spacing out every thirty seconds.

Before I knew it, it was lights out, and I retired to the comforts of my sleeping bag.

Sleeping definitely was the strangest experience of the whole trip.

I had so much trouble sleeping, but not for the typical reasons. It was very quiet at night… too quiet. It made the crinkling of my sleeping bag so incredibly loud that I tried to stay completely still so I wouldn’t wake my cabin mates. Anyways, I’ve come to realize that I like sleeping with some noise. Somehow it reassures me that I’m not completely alone, and quiets my thoughts (which are louder than physical sounds.)

In the following days, we still had to work on some school related things. We advanced through group sessions where we continued our learning on the “7 habits” and even got together in our DI teams.

Our group, Up Close and Personal, was able to accomplish many things during the DI sweatbox, and grew closer together as a team. We established which ideas we might be able to use, and divided the work load.

I was even able to present some of our ideas to Ms. Willemse. Bad sleep does wonders for my confidence…

However, we weren’t working the whole day! I’d be a shame if we didn’t take advantage of the wonderful environment around us! We enjoyed many activities, including battle archery, shelter building… AND SOME INTENSE LASER TAG!

(Me going to go beat the Grade 8s at Laser Tag)

Anyways… we lost… in both laser tag and battle archery… BUT THAT DOESN’T MATTER! These activities were very fun to participate in, and I had a blast! I’ve realized that it didn’t matter that I got killed 4 times in laser tag and battered with arrows by small children; I still had a ton of fun with my friends!

At the end of day 3, we were admitted to evening fun again. However, this time, we only had two choices; watch a movie or the olympics. Obviously, if you’ve followed my blog, then you’d know my decision.

…Especially since I heard rumours that the movie would be “Back to the Future”…

AND IT WAS!

I absolutely love this movie, what else can I say? The set design and the subtle hints in the first 10 minutes of the movie are genius. They manage to tell you everything in the exposition without dumping too much information at a time. I can’t even think of many plot holes, and that’s difficult to do when dealing with time travel. It’s incredible!

Also, everyone cheered when they got together. (Yes, I’m lightly spoiling a movie that came out in the 80s)

And finally, after not sleeping well for a couple of days, it was time to say goodbye.

Goodbye shower that randomly screams when you use hot water.

Goodbye friendly and dead(?) spider that lives in the bathroom.

Goodbye boiler room that makes random noises throughout the night.

Goodbye fridge whose door is slammed against the wall so you can’t open it.

Goodbye stupid mirror that wasn’t made for short people…

You could say these things were inconveniences and imperfections. I’d say that these strange things gave our cabin personality.

In the morning, we packed our bags, and stuffed them back into the seycove bus. During this process, I thought I lost my magenta velvety hat. I checked everywhere, but I just couldn’t find it. I realized how much it meant to me. However, the 7 habits also came to mind. Maybe loosing a hat isn’t the worst thing that could happen.

In the end, we went on the bus, and bid our final goodbyes to Loon Lake.

I FOUND MY MAGENTA VELVETY HAT!

Anyways, there is a reason why PLP trips are called “ADVANCES”. Through these adventures, we learn to build skills as a team, and discover more about ourselves. I believe I’ve advanced as a learner. The competency I’ve developed the most is communication and collaboration.

This trip involved a lot of social interaction, which is something I haven’t done to this extent since the pandemic started. Through the whole advance, I had to work together with others and communicate beyond my comfort zone. I think it was a great opportunity to see how far I could push myself in this aspect.

I’ve learned that it’s ok to not take things too seriously, and that it can greatly help with my fear of socializing. It’s acceptable to “be yourself” with others beyond your family, no matter how weird or strange you are. Recently, I’ve tried to be proactive in accepting things beyond my control, and maintaining healthy habits (like taking deep breaths and calming myself).

Although, things can be scary, I’ve learned to face them. I’m certain this advance has helped me accept that.

In conclusion, this advance has helped me in many ways. I’m proud of my growth and I believe I can maintain it. I’ve faced my fears and worries, and was able to enjoy the trip despite them.

Most of all, this trip was definitely better than Outdoor School and soggy socks! I look forward to future learning advances with PLP and more growth as a student!