Written by Mr. Ethan Earl Perkins
文 ／ Ethan Earl Perkins 老师
Our high school students recently steeled themselves for an end-of-semester adventure without comparison: The Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE). The prestigious ‘silver’ programme in which they participated consists of developing four principal skillsets: training and completing an expedition, planning, the development of a new skill and becoming physically fitter. The DofE awards that these students will achieve are going to serve as highly desirable qualifications when applying to universities and jobs in the future.
期末之际，青浦协和高中部学子参与了一场记忆深刻的活动——爱丁堡公爵奖户外探险“银奖”计划。该项目旨在培养青少年户外徒步、路线规划、技能学习、强健体魄四个要素。爱丁堡公爵奖项还能为学子的海外升学、未来职业规划增色。
On day one, our high school students alighted on Changxing island and immediately set out for the campsite with full backpacks. Upon arrival, each of the six groups selected an area to set up tents before testing their outdoor culinary skills by cooking dinner with specially prepared ingredients. Day two was even tougher as the route was longer, not to mention the wind and rain hounding our young trekkers! On the final day, groups were greeted at the endpoint with well-deserved pizza and a rest for exhausted legs. All said, each student traversed a total of 65 kilometres within three days!
户外探险为期三天。首日，高中生们打包好装备，兴奋地来到长兴岛。到达营地后，六个小组分别支起帐篷，开启徒步之旅，晚间则自己生火做饭。第二天的活动更具挑战性。徒步路线延长，梅雨季的天气也考验着我们的“探险者”。当最后一天的徒步计划也完成后，等待着大家的是美味的披萨和精疲力竭的双腿。“探险者们”三天共穿越了65公里！
As an accompanying teacher who fully participated in the physical activities on all three days, I can attest to the willpower required from each student to finish the silver award. All students exemplified the mental and physical strength that is expected of high students of this calibre. This experience was undoubtedly gruelling for them; there were complaints (‘I want a shower!’), restless nights, leaky tents, aching feet and backs, burning sun followed by relentless rain. Most importantly, there were tears, not only of frustration, but also disbelief – a discovery that they were capable of more than they imagined. We should all be proud of our students for overcoming the obstacles during this trip, but crucially, the students should be proud of themselves for taking another step towards maturity.
作为随行老师，我看到了每位学生为了坚持到底所具备的意志力。这段经历对他们来说无疑是充满挑战的，有抱怨（“我想要淋浴！”），有夜晚的不安，有漏水的帐篷，有徒步带来的身体酸痛，还有烈日和雨水。然而最重要的是，在眼泪、沮丧之后，学子们发现自己的能力超出了原有想象。我们都应该为“探险者”在这次旅行中克服障碍、迈向成熟感到自豪。
肖舒予 Sophia Xiao:
在两天的相互认识和培训后，我重新拿起了曾经以为有了手机就用不上了的指南针和纸质地图，也从来没有想过要如何在没有GPS和他人辅导下，在陌生的环境找到正确的路线。走进超市采购食材时，不再随心所欲地挑选零食，而考虑起了必要性和是否便携，回到营地包里物品重量的分配更是考验了团队合作。第一天去到长兴岛，下了大巴，晕晕乎乎地跟着小组走走停停，于天色将暗之际抵达营地时，我才意识前两天的准备和培训都是为了此刻的实践。说实话，徒步挺累的，一直走在队伍最前面也挺累的，想到接下来还有两天需要如此度过，我决定不再将到达目的地看做一个任务。我试着让自己享受这个过程，给自己争取到了最放松的环境，把完成任务的心态调整为一次旅行。于是在接下来的旅程中，我将注意力更多地放在了眼前的花草树木上，篱笆那边尚未成熟的蔬菜水果上。就这样一天下来便不再难熬了，和instructor成为了朋友，一路聊着天、开开玩笑，不知哪里吹来的一阵凉风都能让我心情变好。印象最深的还是在海边，路程很长但很凉快，太阳被云遮住了，偶尔落下些雨来，那一天的二十五公里路吹着海风走得还算得上轻松。临走之际不得不和我们的新朋友告别，以后不知道还有没有机会再见，有些不舍，谁还能想到第一天时我还满心期待着回家的这一刻呢。回顾下来，我始终庆幸这段旅程我有参与其中。
After two days of training, I picked up the compass and maps that I thought I would not use if I had a mobile phone. I’ve never thought about finding a route without GPS or other people’s help. When I was in the supermarket for buying ingredients, I no longer chose snacks as I wanted, and considered the necessity and portability.
To be honest, it’s tiring to hike. I decided not to regard reaching the destination as a task anymore. I tried to let myself enjoy the process and the environment, and regarded the task as a trip.
So I focused more on the flowers and trees on the road, and the lovely vegetables and fruits on the fence. In this way, I made friends with the instructor, chatting and joking all the way, and the hiking seemed no longer tough.What impressed me the most was the seaside. It was cool. The sun was covered by clouds and occasionally it rained. It was easy to hike 25km in the sea breeze.
Finally, we had to say goodbye to our new friends. I don’t know whether I have a chance to see them again. Who would have thought of the moment when I was looking forward to going home on the first day. Looking back, I am always grateful that I have participated in this journey.
顾竹漪 Joy Gu：
一天之内，徒步行走六、七个小时，身心疲惫，但同时我也收获到来自朋友们的陪伴和鼓励。晚上回到营地还需要团队合作搭建帐篷、煮饭，对体力和精神可谓是双重挑战。好几次我产生想要放弃的念头，但最终还是坚持下来了。支撑我的不仅是想要得奖的决心，更多的是来自朋友们的鼓励，让我有了信心。
It’s exhausting to walk six or seven hours in one day, but I also got the company and encouragement from my friends. Every night when we returned to the camp, we also needed to set up tents and cook. I had the idea of giving up several times, but in the end I persisted. What supported me was not only the determination to win the prize, but also the encouragement from my friends.
王浩卓 Jack Wang：
三天两夜的徒步让我变得更有毅力，提高了面对不同环境的适应性。每天负重前行十几公里可谓是一个大挑战。到达营地后还需要自行解决饮食、搭建帐篷。这次活动让我受益匪浅，学到了许多新技能。
Hiking for three days and two nights made me more persevering and improved my adaptability to different environments. It was a big challenge to travel more than ten kilometers with weight every day. After arriving at the camp, we also needed to cook and set up tents by ourselves. I benefited a lot from this event and learned many new skills.
周晨辰 Lily Zhou：
徒步一天后，回到营地搭完帐篷，我们便开始生火做饭。劳累了一天，能吃上自己做的美食是一种幸福！
After a day of hiking, we returned to the camp and set up a tent, and we started to light a fire and cook. After a tiring day, it was a kind of happiness to be able to eat the delicious made by ourselves!
徐之曦 Karis Xu：
三天两夜的徒步非常辛苦。虽然之前在学校接受了两天的训练，但在第一天的实践中还是出了不少岔子。队员之间的互帮互助令我很感动，也正因为这份凝聚力，才得以坚持下来了！
It was very hard for us to finish the three days’ hiking. Although we had received two days of training in school in advance, there were still a lot of problems on the first day of hiking. What impressed me was the mutual help among the team members. And it was team spirit that encouraged me to persevere!
洪小乔 Helen Hong：
我原以为自己是方向感和动手能力都不强，但在旅程中我学会了使用指南针、理解地图、搭帐篷。更重要的是，体会到团队合作的重要！
I thought I was not good at telling direction and doing hand-made. But during the journey I learned how to use the compass, understand the map, and set up a tent. More importantly, I realized the importance of teamwork!