Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Gunung Pancar Field Trip

Although there is no update on Dini and lots of rattled nerves about what happened on yesterday's field trip - Grade 3 went on their field trip to Gunung Pancar (Goo-nung Pan-charr). This place was comparable to a local national park that we would find in the States.

The basis of this field trip was to explore the area and find out new things (based on the scientific method). The kids had a blast and I have to say I did too. It was quite relaxing for the most part. The kids found unique plants, insects, and a monumental amount of rocks to climb and slide down.

After exploring the pine wood forests and valleys, we were able to go to some hot springs and unwind. I don't think I've ever felt water so hot - but it definitely was soothing. However there was one problem: we lost Ho Hyun - our Korean kid who speaks no English or Bahasa. It was suffice to say that Budi and I both freaked out (and that's an understatement). We hiked all over the surrounding area searching for him. We would call out his name and all the kids would echo. The kids were convinced we weren't going to find him. That was reassuring - NOT!

After nearly an hour, we found Ho Hyun. You'd never guess where we found him. Sleeping on the floor of the van. Apparently no one saw him and the driver just locked to car, thinking everyone was out. When we brought Ho Hyun back to the hot springs, one of my girls looked at me seriously and said, "I knew he was in the car the whole time. All you had to do was ask!" She didn't think to tell us this when we were looking for him - my goodness. I was so overwhelmed that all I could do was laugh.

Now, all accounted for, we could throughly enjoy the hot springs. There was one designated for men and one for women. All of my girls forgot change of clothes but wanted to swim. I just let them go wild and jump in with all their clothes in. Note to self: never again! When it was time to go, they all stripped and I wrung them out so they weren't a walking waterfall. When I wrung them out, I had them whip them against the stone wall to get every last bit of water out. We met the boys at the car and headed back home.

Aside from some minor "bumps in the road" it was a very successful trip. The kids enjoyed exploring the forest but also relaxing in the hot springs.

The Fearless Chaperones: Pak Haroon, Pak Budi, and Myself

Class Photo : Decked Out and Ready to Explore!

Going Wild in the Women's Hotspring

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