Having only known Joelle for a mere 29 days, I now found myself clinging onto her for dear life as we whizzed down the zip-line.
Whether it was jamming to pop songs of our childhood, or splitting the last Oreo, the two-day camp fostered unity, laughter, and comfort among our fairly unfamiliar class.
Being one of the newer students here at HBIS, my academic year started off with a couple of awkward interactions followed by an uncomfortable handshake-hug kind of thing. If someone were to tell me that in just a few weeks I’d be jammed on a spider-infested raft having the time of my life with my peers, I’d think that is pretty far-fetched.
However, this is the nature of a tech-free, outdoors environment. The bonds created through stargazing or toothpaste-sharing are far more powerful and lasting than those founded on WhatsApp messenger.
The diversity of our specific group of nationalities embodied and portrayed truly exemplified the many advantages of an international school. Being half Indian, my seventeen-year-old adoration for chilli sauce (that may or may not have called for a stop at the last spar to buy a bottle of Tabasco) was quickly converted to traditional South African Lappies sauce after the first braai. Similarly, we all found that cardgames provoke the fiery, competitive side of everyone, regardless of background. I am so excited to continue to grow as a grade, learn from one another in and out of the classroom and ultimately be each other’s support system in the years to follow.
Salome de Beauvois Carey
DP1
