a lesson in the rain

we set off at 9am on the second day. ready to conquer the mountain. Gunang Pati. They call it. 534 metres tall. a four and a half hour trek up, including a trecherous rock wall. the kids were divided into two groups- major A and major B with about 150 students in each group. my class made up the last group of major B. the kids made the trip of up a thoroughly enjoyable one with jokes, songs and stories. being the last group of the entire column meant we could take our own time, soaking in the surroundings and admiring every spider web and unique flower we came across and analysing creepy crawlies along the way. three hours later, we reached the rock wall - the summit just above. the climb up will take each major an hour and a half. With major A ascending the wall, major B started on their outdoor cooking of maggi mee, sausages and baked beans. my eyes popped at the weird concoctions my kids came up with. after a satisfying meal, major A had successfully reached the summit. it was time for Major B to ascend. At that moment, the first droplets of what was to become of a heavy downpour fell. our hearts sank. No it couldn't be. Confirmation came. We had to return. Dark clouds were descending, we had no choice but to turn back. I was disappointed... for the kids but i think even more so for me. With the summit in sight, the phrase "so near and yet so far" had never felt so tangible. i was really sad. But the kids really surprised me. when the instructor asked them how the felt, one went," we're ok but i think miss lim's really sad we couldn't make it to the top." For the journey down, the kids were so thoughtful and positive, making sure i was ok and helping one another to manoeuver down the steep, slippery mud which by that time were filled with leeches. I was so proud of them and so grateful to Mr Chng for catching me when i almost slipped and finding me a hardy stick to stabilise myself. They truly lifted my spirits and when we reached our base camp 5 hours later at 7 pm, i was so proud to declare that we had completed a 8 hour trek and covered a distance of 30 km. They've taught me it's really the journey that matters and i'm glad we had a good one. Most importantly, i'm thankful that we all made it back safe and sound.