A strange, but instructive journey.

Plan nr.1:

Going to Java, Indonesia, to a multi-activity trip including rafting, rock climbing and hiking. We had a good team, an agreement in terms of what we’d like to do. We researched our project, collected details, wrote our proposal and submitted everything in time.

Then excitedly waited to the outcome….

To get a letter about that our Project Week group’s (group 73) plan was rejected.

So we had some meetings with Agi, talked through the things and started to search for something else.

Plan nr. 2:

A hiking tour in Vietnam. Not exactly what we were planning to do, but since by the time we got the letter about the rejection of our first project, almost all the activity possibilities were booked, we were happy to at least have something we can do outdoors. The PW leading team accepted our plan, we contacted the company in Vietnam, everything seemed to work out so well.

And then, an other letter came saying that the company in Vietnam does not accept students without teachers anymore due a structural and legal change the organisation went through recently.

It wan our second rejection so far on the way of our PW journey. My rational part knew that it is neither our, nor the school’s, and not even our activity providers’s fault… But it felt really bad to sit at a PW assembly in the middle of the crowd of people who has almost finished plans, ready to book without even having an idea about where to go and what to do there.

The time was ticking, so we had to swallow all our sadness and bitterness and start the planning again.

Plan nr. 3:

Doing rock climbing in China. Because of the kindness of Agi, we had a chance to do what we originally wanted to, rock climbing. We did almost all the necessary planning, kept in touch with the activity partner, did our budget… Just to see that it is  too high, and not in proportion with the value we would get out from our trip.

So our plan was cancelled, 6 days before the final submission deadline, and we had to start again everything. Again.

Plan nr. 4:

By this time, most of my group mates lost their enthusiasm about PW. We did our best 3 times before, we tried hard, believed in each of our projects. Jus to be rejected.

Since we had a really little time to have everything done, and my group generally was a bit devastated, I felt I have to take initiative so we could get our energy back and finish everything before the deadline. I took the leadership, and we found a project really similar to our original one. It contained rock climbing and a various list of activities outdoors in the Indonesian mountains. We got our forms filled, the signatures needed, we were ok with our budget. The things finally started to came together and form a picture we loved to look at.

But then, something bigger than any of us came. The virus. And all the trips were cancelled.

For sure, this is just a really-really minor consequence of what the outbreak brought, and in the bigger, worldwide picture the fact that 250 high school kids cannot go to travel in June is insignificant. For us, however, it means a lot. We were working for it, we were dreaming about it, we were fulled with hope to finally have the experience every grade 12 is talking about.

And it was taken away for sure, for ever. Project week is not something we can do in grade 12. We have to admit, it is gone.

But at least, on a personal level, I can say that I’ve grown from experiencing what I’ve experienced.

From all the rejections and restarts.

From the teamwork and group effort we put into the things.

And from accepting the final and biggest NO what just cannot be changed.