like the way we live in many ways. I’ve learnt to understand different cultures and ways of life, according to different customs. Different food was also an eye-opening experience, and the whole trip was a way for me to improve as a person and learn to do bigger things properly.” He says the highlights were taking part in a community project with local villages and experiencing the jungle climate, but the toughest part was experiencing heat exhaustion and the long day tramps in the extremely humid and hot conditions. Graeme Christey says it was one of the best professional development exercises he has ever completed. “Helping organise a 23-day trip like this was a major step out of my comfort zone. I wondered how the young boys would cope, let alone myself, with the ordeals that lay ahead,” says Graeme. “Watching these young men develop was a revelation. The purpose of the trip was to give them the challenge of organising it themselves, running it themselves
and learning from the experience. They just got better and better. I’ve always been proud when I travel with College teams on sports trips, but being with this group, I can safely say I’ve never been so proud of the boys in this school. I saw boys digging deep at times when challenged. Some were a bit unwell at times or in environments that
were physically challenging, but they stepped up for the group and for themselves. What I hope is they continue developing the Round Square ideals and College virtues they learnt on the trip.” He plans to lead another World Challenge adventure in 2021.
College Issue 38 2020
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