JOSEPHIAN ANNUAL 2016 • LEARNING JOURNEYS 41
programme where they learnt about communal living and interacted with the H ’ mong , an ethnic group who originated from China but found asylum in Vietnam after the failed rebellions against the Chinese dynasties .
At Shangri-La , our students had a chance to spend a week with Tibetan families as part of their homestay programme . During this homestay , students learnt how a typical Tibetan household operated and experienced the value of family togetherness . The next part of the programme saw them on a 5-day trek ( either guided or self-guided ) on the mountainous region of Shangri-La . This tested their perseverance and endurance ,
giving them much room to learn about their personal abilities and tolerance level . The last stage of the ORP allowed the students to specialise in an authentic Tibetan craft such as carpentry , pottery or Tibetan music , song and dance . The boys also visited the Songzalin Monastery where they learnt about Tibetan Buddhism and had the experience of riding a horse .
The ORP was an opportunity to bring many school subjects to life while providing experiential opportunities for authentic learning . While there is no limit to the experiences and curiosities that the world can stimulate , the students returned home with a broader perspective towards life .