More Than a Trip: A Lesson in Life by Anavi Kannan, Navrachna International School, Vadodara

Our adventure to Nainital and Corbett started off with zero parents, zero phones – just pure human interaction. It was a masterclass in survival, time management, and figuring out how to work with four people, eight bags, and one bathroom, without ripping the space time continuum in half. Our trip not only allowed us to interact with our class and teachers about something other than schoolwork but also managed to be a great learning experience that we thoroughly enjoyed. Trying to live with no entertainment other than my own classmates was like a survival mission. Add to that spicy food that felt like a dare. Waking up without the help of an alarm, not losing any valuables (or our minds) – Basically Adulting level unlocked. We learnt so many things no classroom could have managed to teach us as effectively; how to manage our time efficiently (especially with the one bathroom; one hour rampage we worked through), settling into the train on time, managing our luggage and stops and checking into hotels on time. Another highlight was the shopping trip that helped me learn how to bargain and how to resist buying stuff that I do not need. We even got the experience of getting to see things we had studied about in real life like rivers and mountain ranges. A walk through the caves took me back to the I&S lessons we had about porous and sedimentary rocks. In the jungle safari, we got to learn about and see many birds and animals native to the region, as well as learn the rules and values of nature and its preservation. Overall, the experience was extremely rewarding. Even though we missed watching memes, the memories made up for it.