Recently came back from a camping trip with the grade 11 class. It is meant as a bonding retreat for the entire grade as they enter the IB program and begin to think about the different ways we learn and acquire knowledge. "Roughing it" allows them to think about their own habits and how they come to trust the skills and knowledge of their peers and teachers.

The camp was located about 130kms south of Bangalore on the Caulvery River - a very famous river which has Masir fish...they can weigh up to 100 lbs! They make a big splash when they jump. Not only were there fish in the river, but there were also crocodiles. Other wildlife at the camp included leopards, elephants, scorpions, snakes, and all sorts of bird life. Here are some pics from the weekend...

A pretty scene as we walked down into the camp at dusk......

This is where we hiked in the morning...incredible beautiful watching the sun rise over the rocks and water. The two pictures on the right show the cliff that we rapelled (climbed down with a rope and harness). You can see the people at the top in the third picture. It was pretty scary...100ft drop! Still, it was pretty neat when I was about halfway down looking to my left at the rocks and water - felt like I was a stunt woman in a movie....

In the last day of the retreat, we had to switch camps because of scheduling conflicts. The second camp was about 30 kms away, and then we had to get onto a boat. Here I am riding the waves, guitar in hand.