Page 31 - Southwell School Year Book 2020

YEAR 8 CAMP : TESTING YOURSELF IN TURANGI
OVERWHELMING ABSEILING
As I stand at the bottom of the Abseiling wall,
I tremble and shake thinking “How could I ever do that?!”
Being afraid of heights makes it so much worse,
Thoughts rushing around in my head.
I start to feel light-headed and I tell myself I can’t,
But if I don’t try, how will I ever overcome my fear?
I’m the last set to go up on to the wall,
It’s now or never.
My pulse coursing through my veins, sweat building upon me,
I shiver in fear, and I think to myself.
“If I don’t try, what will I be able to be proud of at this year’s camp?”
I breathe deeply through my nose, and say “I’ll do it.”
I walk up into the bush, and walk up the steps,
My legs wobble and shake the whole way.
I get to the top and look down,
It feels like I'm on top of Mount Everest, free-falling to my death.
Once I'm clipped on, I go down keeping my eyes in front of me,
Closing them every so often, my heart pounding in my chest.
I go down further and further,
Wondering will this ever nish.
My foot hits something hard and at.
I've done it! I went down the whole thing by myself!
The overwhelming moment of happiness and fear,
takes over me and I feel so tired yet proud. "Wow," I think to myself. “I just did that..."
Sinali Kuruppuge (8SC)
WATER RAFTING
The oar made a mighty splash,
To be rst we had to dash.
In the rapids we held on tight,
Only to reach a water ght.
People were being dragged into the water, Itwassocolditwaslikealambtothe slaughter.
Finally we were in the lead,
We were the knights, our raft, our steed. We drunk the water with no debris,
To me it tasted like victory!
Dominic Freyberg (8SC)
THE TONGARIRO CROSSING
The time has come.
I stepped off the bus shaking - nervous, scared and really excited all at the same time. I felt condent at the start.
“I can do this, I can do this,” I repeatedly chant in my head. My strategy was to stay near the middle with my friends and have completely unrelated conversations to keep my mind distracted from the treacherous trek.
Half-way there, and I feel fty percent. That should be ne, fty percent of my energy for about half of the walk. I’ll survive. I hardly did - by the end I felt like an oven - insulated and BOILING!
I ate the baking lazily, unable to enjoy the full avour, tired and weak. I could do with a shower. I returned to the bus and within minutes it was lled with the terrible stench of sweat and feet, but I couldn’t have cared less, I had done it.
I didn’t love the Crossing while we did it, though. Without that thermal I might have been able to enjoy the real beauty! Now, a couple of weeks later, I have come to a new perception and I’ve decided that I really did enjoy it, - even with that thermal - I just didn’t know it at the time.
Nikash Lanka (8SC)
Southwell School Yearbook 2020
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