A lot of people think that educational trip is just a fancy name for sightseeing tour. But nothing could be further from the truth. Perhaps the educational trip is a carefully planned combination of tours, site visits and hands on learning opportunities, build around clear learning objectives.
After all the thrills and spills, it was decided that the NC senior section would be travelling to the coastal paradise of Cox’s Bazaar. This was the first such trip for many of us. We were told that it was going to be an adventurous trip and we were definitely smelling adventure.
On the morning of 8th February, adrenaline was pumping high among the students as we eagerly waited for the bus to arrive. Our bus for the tour was a luxurious Hyundai Universe Express operated by Saintmartin Paribahan. By 10:15 am we were all onboard and the wheels started rolling. Soon we were cruising on the CTG-Cox highway. Bus journey to Cox’s Bazaar was nothing new for us but this particular journey was out of the ordinary. On our way we took some light refreshments at Chunati. Soon we could make an eye contact with the beautiful ocean, it felt like the bus was going to drive into the ocean but for no we were driving into Ocean Paradise, the hotel where we were going to stay for this trip.
After all the excitement of the journey our tummies asked for more. We had a delicious lunch at the restaurant of the hotel. After a short rest it was mission time. It was time for the first duke activity which was to clean Kolatoli beach, which was done by dividing the students into groups. It was a competition among the groups to see who could collect the most garbage. The sunset at Kolatoli attracts many people from both home and abroad. So we were definitely not going to miss this sunset. Besides watching the sun go down into the Bay of Bengal, we also put our cameras to work. As the sun set into the Bay of Bengal ,we set into the hotel swimming pool. The pool session was full of fun. As the last activity of the day ,we were at a BBQ party. We sang and danced at night.
The next morning began very early in the morning with a session of physical activity conducted by Atiq sir. After that we all rushed to breakfast. Our next duke activity was a genuine adventure. We started our 1 km trekking towards Inani beach. It also included a football match where everyone took equal part. This was an adventurous trip with surprises and unique experiences. Our visit to the Ramu rubber garden was definitely an unique experience and without doubt a surprise. At the rubber factory we learnt how rubbers were extracted and manufactured but we failed to learn how to rub the amazing memories we had created in that tour.
As the tour was nearing its official end we gave ourselves a flashback of the tour. It was a once in a lifetime prospect for us. Travelling to a paradise like place with friends is not something we get to do everyday. The heart asked for more but time was over for this time. If this kind of opportunity comes knocking at us again we will definitely take it without thinking twice.
This trip taught us the genuine meaning of a study tour. We learnt that a study tour was not just a mere picnic from school. Rather it was a classroom that was not limited within four walls. It gave us a completely different stage of education.
This was a wonderful initiative taken by our school and Duke of Edinburgh because we always talk about leaving the limits of the black and white pages of books, but this would be a dream far off reality if opportunities like this was not created for us.