16
LUMEN | EVENTS
A
Trip to
Remember by Reuven Cheng
As part of
International Education , a group of Secondary Four students ventured to Bohol bringing back with them a wealth of memories and experience .
Day 1 : Excitement
We arrived at Manila International Airport in the wee hours of the morning , having lost half a night of sleep but not feeling any fatigue . Parched , yet not able to drink from the tap , and the heat of the non air-conditioned airport prolonged our wait for our next flight . Nonetheless we were excited as we looked forward to the renowned beaches of Bohol .
Finally when we set foot on Tagbilaran in Bohol , the warm smiles of the natives amidst the rustic settlement greeted us . That and the predominant laid-back atmosphere were very welcoming compared to the anxiety-filled ‘ O ’ levels that we had just experienced .
Day 2 : Apprehension The lectures on vermicomposting at the nature reserve farm house were hardly appealing to urbanites like us . Thankfully we found joy in
the simple things of our trip : the fellowship we have , fiddling with earthworms , feeding pigs and our delicious meals .
Day 3 : Action barrier
Today was our first day at the Bohol Deaf Academy ( BDA ). All initial thoughts of a fruitless end-of-year trip disappeared . What struck me was the youthfulness of these kids ; they look half our age but are actually older than us ! How do they prevent aging ?
We were organised into groups ; each consisting of two other BDA buddies whom we interacted with only after being tutored on the alphabet in sign language . We learnt about their habits , favorite food and fruits , greatest fears , their likes and dislikes and even if they were in a relationship . It was challenging due to the language barrier but at that point in time , we were the ones looking like complete fools , so of course