Let’s all think about school for a moment. Usually what comes first to our mind is sitting in a class room and listening to the teacher. Well, not always. Sometimes there are school trips, which are always the highlights of a year, right? And I was lucky because my first school trip happened to already be in the third week of school starting, which is amazing! It was a team building trip to Wicklow with an overnight stay in Glendalough for the students of the IBDP form V and VI to be exact.
But before I come to the fun parts, some general information:
• 13th - 14th September 2022
• Supervised by Mr. White and Mr. Hanna
• Wicklow, Ireland + Overnight stay in Glendalough
The trip was two days and we did a lot of fun things.
Here is a short overview for you guys:
• Powerscourt Waterfall
• Hiking in Glendalough
• Beyond the trees
• Visit to Wicklow Gaol
Powerscourt Waterfall
After 2 hours of driving on the bus to Glendalough and bringing our luggage to the hostel we strolled to the Powerscourt waterfall. It is Irelands second highest waterfall with 121 metres and it was truly impressing. There are a lot of stones in front of the waterfall, where you can jump around and get really near to the water. It is a lot of fun, but be careful because the stones are slippery. Spoiler alert: No one fell into the water. We took a lot of pictures and enjoyed the nature.
Hiking
After our more or less short trip to the waterfall, Mr. White and Mr. Hanna convinced us to go on a walk.
Yes, thats what they called it. A walk.
1 or 2 hours later, I was sweating and climbing up a mountain that seemed to never end. I mean, who likes hiking? The last few meters Mr. Hanna and Mr. White had to bribe us with snacks to keep walking.
However, when I finally arrived on top, it was a beautiful view. Everything was green and I could see the small lake that
we left behind us on our way up.
Some people decided to keep walking for a bit longer but you probably guessed it, I was already on my way back. Downwards was way easier and I enjoyed it a lot because Maya, a girl from Romania, Catherine from Thailand and me (Germany) were sharing our experiences about growing up in our countries, which was really surprising and interesting. When I think about growing up in Germany; things like going skiing in winter, playing outside with my friends, riding the bike and going to the "Octoberfest" - which is traditional fest in Munich with lots of rollercoasters, come to my mind.
What comes first to your mind when you think about growing up?
Overall I can just say that it was an amazing day with beautiful views, that made me like Ireland even more and new experiences that definitely fulfilled their purpose in building a team. For me Ireland is a country with a beautiful landscape, where everything is green and you can see cows and sheep everywhere. The people are warm and friendly.
Ariane Haas (2022-24)