Trips
Grade 9 Bonding Trip
Revealing Empathy Beyond Sight in Pattaya September 11 - 13, 2025
Each year, the annual bonding trip feels like a small journey During this trip, we were allowed to open up our hearts and to not only connect with others but to connect with and find ourselves as well. Going to Pattaya for this trip reminded me how even with the same people, same chaperones, and same community, new memories can always be made and shared.
From the activity sessions, I enjoyed it all but with a different and more mature perspective than the previous year’s bonding trip. We spent time doing service activities and helping the blind, showing how fortunate we are and how we shouldn’t take the simplest things, such as sight for granted. After that, we headed to Thaithani Cultural Village and Elephant Pattaya, which immersed us deeper into our Thai culture, as we made traditional Thai desserts and watched a traditional Thai dance. We got to spend lots of time together such as sports activities, reflections and on the bus chatting about little things meant a lot. Spending a relaxing weekend with my peers made me realize that we can take a moment to stop and live, instead of drowning in academic stress all the time.
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express what we truly felt, taking some heavy weight off our shoulders. We understood each other's struggles and instead of putting each other down for it, we uplifted each other and empathized. Instead of bottling it up, we just let ourselves feel. In the end, it wasn’t about where we went, but it was about the people we were with and the connections that we strengthened. That’s what makes these bonding trips so meaningful. Looking back, I can see how this year’s bonding trip really allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and appreciate the people around me more. We've been with each other since the beginning, and hopefully to the end. Each bonding trip shapes all of us differently, and I’m grateful for the lesson this one has taught me. Riko (G9)
CONCORDIAN IMPACT - ISSUE 45