Hong Kong meets Australia

Colin and I got into Australia in early July. We were scheduled to start work on July 8th with SPCC, a christian school in Hong Kong. We would spend 28 days with 15 students, teaching them about nature, how to be better and more confident leader, and teamwork.  This is our home...

The Kenilworth Homestead. A beautiful place with a great bit of character...and puppies.

We had three days of training in which we learned about the programs and got to meet our fellow staff and instructors. My co-instructor was Wes. He is in the orange jacket below. Wes grew up in South Africa and Dubai. Working with him was a joy and we were able to laugh a lot and learn from each other. 

And this was our team. Bunbulamma. The greatest team on earth! How I have learned to love these students! Bunbulamma is an aboriginal word meaning rain and wind goddess. 

Colin worked with one of the Aussie locals, Dot. Dot grew up in Australia and was a great co-instructor for Colin. She is a good friend to have and we are glad that we have gotten to know her. Dot will be working two more month long courses along with us, so we are excited to not have to say goodbye to her yet. 

Colin and Dot's team was named Alkina, meaning "Moon".

During the 28 days we did a number of group activities that aimed at teaching the kids how to become confident individuals, life long learners, and responsible global citizens. 

This is some artwork that the students created to represent their journey.

We cleared some invasive plants from the forest on the property. 

Throughout the program, we went on three expeditions. This was where the major growth and team bonding happened. We dealt with very tough weather, the idea of canoeing with bull sharks, and using the bathroom for the first time outdoors. We saw student rise to meet challenges. And some of the quieter, more reserved students in the classroom stepped up to take leadership roles while out in the bush.

Solo time back at the homestead

Our third expedition was the most challenging, despite having beautiful weather. We had more injuries, group storming sessions, and long days. This led to the best group debriefs and bonding of the whole course.

learning how to skip rocks

LEECHES! We dealt with literally hundreds of leeches on our 3rd expedition.

After our third expedition we returned to the homestead and started wrapping things up. The students spend a great amount of time doing reflective activities both as a group and as individuals.

The "Leap of Faith" is one of the programs final elements. A terrifying and rewarding experience for many of the students.

We were given Chinese names by our group. Mine is Ha Yin. Ha means Summer. Yin means Nature.

We had the students create a journey map of their experience. They drew pictures of things that they will always remember. I can't help but laugh at the picture they drew of me!

Saying goodbye was quite hard. After 28 days with the same 15 students, we had seen a lot of growth and development. This is a letter that some of the students wrote me in Cantonese. 

The different groups all came together on the last night and gave small presentations about their time in Australia. Wes and I were given cards and origami flowers as a token of thanks.

I am so grateful to have had this experience. Although I have been in the outdoor education world for many years, I have never been given the chance to work so closely with a group for this long of a time. This group has become a part of my heart and I already miss them. 

Colin and I were both blessed by our time with our groups. This was a culturally rewarding experience for us and we hope that we will someday visit them in their home. Hong Kong or bust! :)