Intro:
It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted and a lot has happened! I am now in grade 9 and my class and I have just recently travled to Alberta! There were ups and downs throughout this trip and I’m here to tell you all about it!
For every field study we do (this is the second one I’ve done, the first being our trip to Oregon) there is a driving question. This trips driving question was, “how can we become the best version of ourself?” Let’s dive right in!
Driving question:💯
The driving question of this project was “how can we become the best version of ourself?” Since these blog post are different for everyone, how I become the best version of myself is unique to me.
Throughout the Alberta trip there were many long hikes where I wanted to quit, I was tired at times and just wasn’t up to it. However, I learned to preserveir through these hikes, sometimes with the help of my peers, and other times I was able to help others preservere as well.
I learned becoming “the best version of myself” doesn’t happen overnight, and still, even after this trip, im not the best version of myself. Because become the best version of yourself is lifelong process and you don’t always have to do it alone.
Banner in the Sky 🧗♀️
This brings me to Banner in the Sky. Now, you may be wondering, what is Banner in the Sky? Banner in the Sky is a book, (a very old one I might add) by James Ramsey Ullman. This is a project we did leading up to the Alberta trip. Banner in the Sky is about Rudi Matt, a young boy in the Swiss Alps, as he dreams of climbing a peak no one dared to climb but his father, who lost his life in the process. Rudi’s courage and determination drives him to chase his dream and prove himself as a climber. Since this IS a blog post I’m going to be completely honest. For me, this book was too slow paced which I dont do well with, so it wasn’t the most entertaining read to me (there were some pretty interesting parts though.) However, it definitely ending up relating to our Alberta trip! I remeber looking back on Rudi’s preserverence and strong mindset while climbing, and pushing myself to do the same. ⛰️
My book note taking!
https://s.craft.me/XwqAmTC3OQu127
Here are some photos from the hikes we did!: ( I apologize it’s not the clearest photos)
Interviews
Interviewing was a large part of the Alberta trip and something I can tell you I was not looking forward to!!!! Now, my dislike for this really had nothing to do with the project. I’m the type of person that isn’t naturally comfortable talking to people I dont know, let alone interviewing them!😬 This field study pushed me to step outside my comfort zone, and learn how to become more comfortable talking to people I dont know. Our task throughout and after the trip was to combine the interviews we made into one big clip about the “Ten Essentials of Life.” These Ten Essentials of Life questions were originally based off of the Ten Essentials of Hiking. For example, one of our interview questions was “have you ever been stuck in someone else’s shadow? This was (loosely) based off sun protection (an essential when hiking.) These interviews were quite freindly and conversation-like, starting off exchanging names and asking if we could interview them for a school project. A big part of the interviewing helped me grow on my core competencies, for example, in the “questioning section” I gained a better understanding of asking questions and researching information! Once my final video was made, I loved how I could see all my hard work coming together! I’ll put it down below if you are interested in watching what I made when it was all put together?
My group members blogs:
Siena: https://www.blog44.ca/sienaj/
Ian: http://www.blog44.ca/ianw/
Marcus: http://www.blog44.ca/marcusr/
The Ten Essentials of Life Video:
Silent Video
Along with the viral video (which I’ll talk about in a second) the silent video was my favourite to make! Siena, Cloe, and Maya were my group members and we did a pretty rad job if I do say so myself! The goal of this silent film was for it to be, 1. Black and white, and 2. Without any words! This video was filmed in the ghost town, at three valley gap and it turned out amazing! Unfortunately we made this after a VERYY long drive, so we were all pretty tired, however the comedy in our film kept us going! Throughout this video I learned how vital it is to exaggerated facial expressions when you don’t have any words to show your feelings!
My lovely group members blogs:
Maya: N/A
Siena: https://www.blog44.ca/sienaj/
Chloe: http://www.blog44.ca/chloer/
The Silent Film:
Viral video
For the viral video or “TikTok trend” our goal was to create a viral travel video of places we saw throughout our trip! Even though this was an individual video, you could choose if you wanted someone to be in it. I chose the love of my life, Elsa😍
copy_825F4E75-873A-49DA-B82D-2EFE991976F9
Reflection throughout the trip/everyday activities
Throughout the trip we made reflections every day, about how we felt. It was a good way to reflect on our mood and learning throughout! To get ready for the longs days we need to get up early, to get ready obviously but also. To have breakfast. Every day a new group was on breakfast duty, and this said group needed to get up even earlier! I am NOT a morning person so this definitely tested my ability to adapt to new situations!💤 I adapted to this by setting up MULTIPLE alarms! ( my favourite was the Brooklyn99 intro)
Conclusion
In conclusion, this field study was a great learning experience and I had lots of fun along the way, learning (or improving) many new skills, like interviewing strangers, or simply getting up early! I hope you enjoyed reading my journey in Alberta and stay tuned for more posts!🫶