G11 DP Retreat

A Story by suuyuwriteyunu

A blurb for the school magazine about the G11 DP Retreat Trip

The first time I heard of the DP retreat, I was stumped as to what it was. I'd searched up the meaning of the word, and apparently 'retreat' meant withdrawing from 'enemy forces'. It made me chuckle knowing that DP was the 'enemy force' in this case, but still, no clear expectations popped into my mind. Fast forward to the release of the dreaded packing list, I was even more perplexed when I saw the amount of T-shirts and shoes required for this 3 day trip, because why would anyone in their right minds pack 5 sets of clothing?

The first day started off pretty light. We visited an orphanage and took care of the children. We also learned about the orphanage's history and how most orphans ended up there. It was truly eye-opening, and me along with the rest of my peers now hold massive respect for the sisters and volunteers who dedicate their time to take care of the orphans every single day. After that, we arrived at Pattana Sports Resort and, of course, were introduced to the (in)famous obstacle course. The twist, though, was that it was raining that day. We weren't going to be able to go out...unless we did it soaking wet. And so we did. And man was it fun! I had sand in my socks, dirt on my face, and the backing of both my shoes had peeled off. Everyone's legs and arms were scratched and bleeding at some point, but it didn't really matter. The rain made the experience ten-times better!

The fun didn't end there, though. We had a movie night (which shouldn't have been a stressful experience, but was. I swear I was contemplating quitting going to university), the buggy building challenge (our cart twisted in on itself), the gym session (mind you it was not a normal gym session), the kayaking (don't get me started on the amount of times I fell into the water), and finally, the bonfire! (a marshmallow stick caught on fire, and everyone was scream-singing into the microphone).

And yet, I would do it all over again.

Now, when I hear of the DP retreat, I still kind of am stumped as to what it all was. Was it to make up for having no PHE in DP? Or was it to scare us before university apps next year? Either way, one thing was for sure: I won't get to spend much time like this with my friends anymore after graduation. And man did that hit hard. So, thank you to the DP retreat for everything!