2025 CAS Trip
Reflection: 11L Daniel Wong
Poem: 11G Milton Chan
Photography: 11L Aska Hung
Location: Chiang Rai, Thailand
In the beginning of December, our cohort went to Mae Kok River Valley Resort in Chiang Mai, Thailand for our CAS Trip. We engaged in many events, all challenging our creativity, physical skill, and willingness to serve. My peers have gone at length on these. However, as for me, I’ve written a few poems reflecting on these experiences. I hope you’ll enjoy it.
Ode to Orion
by Milton Chan
O Man in the Sky, who walks in haste,
I see bright buckles around your waist;
I aim for you at the end of the challenge
Of Chains, Swings and Balancing Bars.
I fall already at Chains; and in the murky waters whence
I try again, and fall again, swinging away from the stars
That make your belt, on which I cannot hold on
By fear of falling and being bewitched with begone
So I try again
And fall
Again
Again served on a platter
To cushion my fall into the sea
All love to you, Orion!
And woe to you, O Sea:
You shall grow by my tears.
Day 1 (30/11/2025)
Community Project / Archery / Rock Climbing
Today, my peers and I helped a local education center with a community project. From Ms. Rosie's talk, I learned about our school's huge contribution to this education centre. I recognized that we were actually building the foundation of a new canteen for the community school in a local village. I thought this was really meaningful, as I can help people in need while strengthening the bonding and teamwork with my friends.
I also went rock climbing today. It was really challenging for me at first because the rocks are smaller than I thought, but after trials and errors, and the encouragement of my peers, I eventually reached the top and rang the bell hanging on the ceiling, proving my perseverance has led me to success.
Day 2 (1/12/2025)
Fang Hike / Sala Games 1
Today, I went hiking. It was challenging as the route was long and rugged. We entered a dark cave, which was steeper than I thought. We were told to bring torches, but I forgot to bring one, so I ended up having to follow my peers’ footsteps closely until we eventually reached the exit. I learnt that we should always be prepared and cautious before doing anything,
Also, throughout the hiking journey, my friends helped me a lot by pulling me up cliffs. From this, I recognized the importance of teamwork, especially that everyone's safety comes first and can only be ensured when we all work collaboratively.
Day 3 (2/12/2025)
Cooking / Cycling
Today, our group made Pad Thai for lunch ourselves. I didn't believe we even had to buy the ingredients at the market as I thought everything was already prepared in the kitchen. This made me recognize and appreciate more the tiring work my mom had done for my family every day, which I had taken for granted. Today's experience also made me realize how precise it is to cook, whether it was the measurement of how much fish sauce to add or the duration of how much time is required to cook the chicken fillets.
After cooking, we also went cycling, unlike the usual cycling tracks in Hong Kong, we were cycling on the fields, therefore the road was more rugged and muddy. I realize we have to be cautious at all times.
Day 4 (3/12/2025)
Hiking / Kayaking / Night Line Activity
Today we went on a short hike for around two to three hours. The road this time is easier than the one we went on a few days ago. During this hiking trip, we walked past local villages, where local tribes moved into the forest hundreds of years ago. Even though there is a huge communication barrier between us due to speaking different native languages, we still communicated successfully through hand gestures and body language, which made me recognize the importance of using different types of language other than verbal communication.
Also, I attempted kayaking for the first time this afternoon. At first, I found it really difficult myself on the raft, which made me fear falling off the boat. However, the instructors encouraged me and provided me with useful tips to balance on the boat, and I ended up picking up kayaking easily, which made me realize the importance of support.
Day 5 (4/12/2025)
Confidence Course/ English Teaching / Sala Games
Today we had a 'confidence course', which is basically a parkour course consisting of multiple obstacles. Instead of the usual sponge blocks below the obstacles, there is a giant pool filled with water. I was really afraid of falling, which made me really nervous during my first attempt, and eventually led to my fall into the water. This made the name of the source self-explanatory, as the key to successfully passing the course is to have confidence in myself. I tried to believe in my strength and successfully passed the course without stopping in my second try, which serves as a lesson for me, as having confidence in myself is one of the important things to success.
We also taught kids in a local school English this afternoon. We had prepared cards and colorful visuals beforehand. However, during our preparations this morning, one of our instructors mentioned that the kids may have slightly poor eyesight, which made us realize we should make the visuals bigger and more obvious. We then created new card sets using brighter color pencils. This serves as a meaningful lesson, teaching us to think from others' perspectives as well. I am glad to say that our teaching went really well in the end.
Day 6 (5/12/2025)
High Ropes / Abseiling / Community Project / Team Technology
This morning, our group tried the high ropes and abseiling activity at the gym. As a beginner to both activities, I hesitated to even wear the helmet and step up at the waiting line. However, my peers encouraged me to be brave and step out of my comfort zone. I recognized that opportunities like these are really rare, just like how life works: you wait for opportunities to strive, miss them, and you fail. Eventually, I attempted both of the activities, even though it was tough for me to pull myself up with just a rope. I went for the high ropes for a second time as I found it really exciting, and hence I learnt that not trying something new will lead to missing out a lot of fun and meaning.
After lunch, we went to a local school for the Community Project for the second time. The last time we went there, we were just digging holes, which made me question the purpose of the activity. However, I finally found out the meaning of the holes we had dug beforehand, as I saw concrete pillars standing in front of me, reminding me that I was assisting in the construction of a new canteen for the kids, which made me motivated to help out with full effort. This taught me that it is crucial to do things while knowing the meaning and purpose of them, or else you will never do better.
Day 7 (6/12/2025)
Team Challenges 'Finale'
It was the last day of our unforgettable CAS trip, and we had one last activity in the morning session before we took the long 3-hour bus ride to the International Airport. The cohort was divided into four groups. While I know some of my groupmates well, I have never talked to some of the other groupmates. I realized one of the purposes of this CAS trip is not only for us to fulfill my CAS strands, but to build stronger bonds between my cohort and to create long-lasting memories.
Reflecting on the previous days of this trip, I spent most of the time playing and doing work with my close friends, but the better thing to do in this trip should be making more friends instead. Therefore, for the whole morning session, I tried to communicate more with people that I was not familiar with, and tried to introduce them to my close friends. We were glad that we had made more friends on this trip, and we had worked collaboratively during this activity, where groups tried to gain the most points by completing various tasks such as lining up in order, balancing both sides of the see-saw, and many more exciting games, which served as a testament to our communication skills