Residential Diary – Lily (Year 8)

For residential week our Year 8 group travelled up to Chang Mai. Here is Lily’s diary of her time there.

Monday and Tuesday

When we arrived at Chang Mai we went to the camping site and set up our tents, then we went whitewater rafting.

I really enjoyed rafting and having to work together. I think it helps us know more about other people. I also enjoyed sitting around the campfire, it gave us time to calm down and relax.

Sleeping in a tent was challenging. It was hard to sleep because of the noise, but it was still a good experience.

Wednesday

We had breakfast and then split into two groups. One went kayaking first, the other went biking first, then we met for lunch at the national park and switched activities.

I enjoyed both activities, they were challenging and exciting. Kayaking allowed us to work with new people and biking helped us to look after each other. Riding the bike uphill was very tiring, but I got to watch the beautiful view around me.

Thursday

Today we went to a rice farm. We learnt how to make charcoal and harvest rice. We then helped each other build a charcoal oven and cooked the rice! I really liked both activities, as they gave me a lot of knowledge, but I enjoyed the charcoal oven the best. It was very fun and interesting.

Harvesting the rice was challenging. Even though the sickle was very sharp it was hard to cut through the rice and separate the rice from the husks. The activity showed how much effort people have to put in just for a bowl of rice.