G10 & 11: Okinawa Overnight Trip
During the last week of April, from Monday the 24th to Thursday the 27th, the grade 10s and 11s were able to enjoy an overnight trip to Okinawa organized by some of the staff and faculty. The purpose of this trip was to establish positive relationships between students, as well as between students and teachers, so that learning and teamwork can happen back in the classroom.
To put this into motion, the students were put into randomly assigned groups with which they would complete various team-building activities, such as a food race and brief skits. They were additionally given free time in between these activities and the other scheduled activities to spend time hanging out with each other.
These other activities were planned ahead of time and aimed to teach the students more about Okinawa’s culture and history. For example, on the first day, they went to ‘Kaigungo’, better known as the Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters.
Day two consisted of more water-based activities: the students passed around various aquatic organisms (which resulted in quite a few hilarious reactions) and planted coral.
They then went snorkeling in an area that allowed them to see many different types of fish.
On day three, the students and teachers went kayaking with a guide. The guide seemed quite frazzled at the fact that about a dozen different people—students and teachers alike—were trying to flip one another’s kayaks… So, sorry to him!
The next stop after kayaking was the hiking trail at Daisekirinzan, where there were picture stops for a beautiful view overlooking the ocean or a rock shaped like a rhino (weird, yes, but still cute; can you see it?).
On the final day, students were able to participate in activities at Okinawa World that allowed them to learn even more about cultural practices. The glass-making group were able to each make a drinking glass for themselves with the help of Okinawa World staff while the cloth-dyeing group were given small tote bags with a design to color in with dye provided by staff.
Okinawa World is also home to a national monument, Gyokusendo Cave—the biggest cave in Okinawa and the second-biggest nationwide. It has over a million stalactites and glowing pools of water; when you walk through them, it feels like a movie set.
Unfortunately, this was their last stop before the OYIS visitors had to return to Osaka. But it seems everyone had lots of fun and found it to be a memorable experience!
