The end of the school year has finally arrived. The corridor is filled with voices and laughter, which only means one thing: it’s field trip time. Panting, I dragged my suitcase up the long flight of stairs and entered the classroom. Loud voices full of curiosity and joy filled the room. A few grinning glances are directed at me, and, as the mood becomes infectious, I start to get more and more excited. Our class is divided into four groups. Each group has a leader, a co-leader, and a photographer to record the day’s events. So, we go downstairs and listen to the opening speeches of the leaders of our school. When we heard the sentence, “We hereby start the class trip of the year 2024 semester 2, our hearts started beating like crazy. We all had just one question in our heads: What adventures are facing us? We boarded the bus full of excitement. Let the adventure begin.

 

Day 1: Nature and insects

The first stop was the Xixime National Wetland Park. We walked for a while. The birds chirped, the leaves blew softly in the wind, and the gentle currents of the river created a constant rhythmic melody. Chatting, we walked on and saw trees, shrubs, and flowers. The flowers exude a wonderful smell, the bushes present themselves with a bright green, and the trees rise with an imposing presence. I started to notice that every plant has its own unique characteristics: flowers, leaves, shapes, and colors. Just as every plant is beautiful in its own way, people also shine in their own way. Every person has their own individual characteristics, talents, personalities, and charisma. Like plants, which enrich nature with their diversity, the different radiances of people also contribute to the beauty and diversity of our world. Every person is unique and valuable in their own way, just like every unique plant. Exhausted from the journey and all the walking, we made our way to our accommodations. When we arrived we saw a gray and unwelcoming building, it was not what we had imagined. We webt inside and explored our rooms. Facing us was a room with six loft beds and a small washbasin. We quickly unpacked our things and put them away. I decided to go to the toilet. So, I open the door to the bathroom and see insects and mosquitoes crawling around the cubicles. I quickly tell my classmates, and at that moment everyone just wanted one thing: to go home immediately. After the bad news, we went to the community room. We started playing cards, and slowly the positive energy returned. At night, we talk, and then we all fell asleep at 12 o’clock, hoping something new and better will come up tomorrow.

Day 2: Tea and fan painting

We are woken up at 5 a.m. by loud noises from outside. Full of joy and hope, we got on the bus and thought about what we’re going to face next. We got off at the famous Longing tea plantation. Each of us was given a large hat and a blue apron. The operator of the plantation quickly explains to us how to pick tea, and everyone gets ready. The weather is warm, almost too warm, and the plantation was full with crawling with insects and worms. The tea bushes had a broad green color, and the delicate leaves smelled  very good. After picking the tea, each class poured its tea leaves into an allocated pot. The staff brew the tea. Slowly, the air was filled with the rich aroma of green tea. Each of us got a little bit of tea in a small tin, and we where on to the next station. We arrived in a huge room, which was filled with tables, each with a bowl of matcha powder and a whisk. We learned about the production process and the history behind it. Then everyone made their own matcha, and at the end, we got to decorate the tea with matcha powder and a little water. Even though the matcha was very bitter in the end, it was fun to prepare it. The next stop was another tea plantation, and we walked a few kilometers. We saw small stalls selling fresh fruit and people air-drying their fruit. In the evening, we painted fans, and everyone could carve their own stamp out of a stone. I thought about how much culture is included in our lives and how I didn’t even realize it. I am happy because now that I know what is behind the production of tea, I can enjoy it even more. I start to understand how culture is important because it defines us as human beings and connects us to our roots, traditions, and values. It influences our identity, our communication, our expression, and our values. In the evening, we talk for a long time, we make ramen, and a specific smell of ramen fills the room. Everyone is very happy, and somehow, it’s not as bad as we thought. We fall asleep with a smile on our faces.

 

Day 3: Hiking and talent show

On the third day, we quickly got ready and board the bus full of joy. Today we had a special task: our teachers had given us photos of specific locations and gave us the task of taking a group photo at each location. The path starts wide and gets narrower and narrower, and suddenly it’s all uphill. Mosquitoes are multiplying more and more, and the weather is disgustingly humid. At a certain point, the path is so narrow that there is a precipice directly below. With arms waving and loud moaning, we continue the hike, followed by a few more minutes like this. After the long path, the summit is already in sight. I looked down and saw the marvelous view. I saw tiny trees that looked so huge when I hiked up. I saw huge fields and the bright blue sky. I started to think again, and I started to realize something: the path starts wide and gradually becomes narrower, symbolizing that our journey often starts with ease but becomes more challenging over time. The diminishing width reminds us that we will encounter obstacles and difficulties along the way as we move towards our goals. During the trek, we encounter increased mosquitoes and humid weather, which reminds us that we are exposed to unpredictable circumstances and require perseverance and patience. Despite these obstacles, we should not give up but maintain our will and determination. The path becomes particularly challenging when it narrows next to an abyss. This encourages us to overcome our fears and leave our comfort zone. We must have the courage to face unknown territory, as this is often where the potential for personal growth and new experiences lies. Despite occasional frustrations and discomfort, we continue our journey. This shows that it is important to persevere even in difficult times and not lose faith in ourselves. Finally, after a long and challenging path, we reached the summit. The view from up there rewards us for our efforts and reminds us that hard work pays off. This experience teaches us that through perseverance, courage, and the willingness to accept challenges, we can achieve our goals. After a few kilometers uphill, we took our break at the bottom and then continued hiking. We crossed a small stream and had to step on stones to get to the other bank. Laughter resounded through our tired atmosphere, and slowly our group became happier again. Exhausted, we arrived at our accommodations. And the talent shows finally started. Singing and clapping filled the room. Students showed their talents, many of which remained hidden at school. And somehow it reminded me of the thoughts I ah don my first day. Everyone went to bed tired after this adventurous day. And everyone was curious about what would happen tomorrow.

 

 

Day 4: Departure and Memories

On the last day, everyone was standing in front of the bus with their suitcases ready to go. After storing our luggage, we went to the Hangzhou West River. A huge river awaited us, and we walked around it. The whole area was carefully planted, and music from dancing grannies rang in our ears. Then we went to a museum. Then we finally went home. Finally? On the bus journey, I smelled the handmade tea, and immediately the memories of the last few days came flooding back. I remembered the first day full of nature and the shock of the bathrooms, which turned out not to be so bad in the end. I also remembered the good tea we had made ourselves and how much culture and history were behind it. I also remember the day where we hiked endlessly and were rewarded with the most beautiful view at the end and great evenings. But in the end, the most beautiful thing was the cohesion of the whole class. We observed nature together, we annoyed the teachers together, we laughed together, we felt bad together, we ate together, we talked together, we hiked together, and we did everything together. This adventure only brought the whole class closer together.

 

Thank you for the great experience.

 

 

 

 

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