Smiles as groups from Odyssey return

KNYSNA NEWS - One of the highlights on Oakhill School's calendar each year is undoubtedly the Grade 10 Odyssey expedition.

Last week, between Monday 25 March and Thursday 28 March, four groups of Grade 10 learners returned to the school campus after completing their "journey of a lifetime".

Odyssey is an annual Oakhill tradition where pupils spend 21 days in the outdoors, carrying everything they need in their backpacks, including tent, sleeping bag, food and essentials.

Click here for a photo gallery.

They head off on foot with a map, directions and the Oakhill flag in hand. Their route will lead them through the magnificent natural environment of the Garden Route and Langkloof, through forests, over mountains, across semi-desert and along lakes, rivers and the breathtaking Southern Cape coastline.

400km traverse
They cover around 400km on foot, bicycle and kayak, and arrive back at school 21 days later to hoist the Oakhill flag. What happens between taking down the flag on Day 1 and hoisting it again on Day 21 is a rite of passage that sets Oakhill and its pupils apart from ordinary schooling.

The journey is physically demanding and emotionally challenging – the learners make do without many items they may regard as "necessities" and without many of the luxuries they are used to, including electronics and cellphones. For some, this fact proves to be a great challenge, especially in the first few days en route. However, with each step they grow stronger, more self-aware and more appreciative. One pupil reflected: "One word to describe what I learnt on Odyssey and what it taught me: appreciation." Another pupil expanded on this notion: "We take so much for granted, we don't realise how lucky we are. We need to be kind and help other people, that's the main thing, help others, that's what life's about. Do something for somebody you don't know. Be the change you want to see in the world."

The luxury of time
In spite of doing away with many of their everyday "necessities", the Odyssey does however offer the pupils one luxury that most modern people have in short supply.

That of time… Pupils have time to complete what they have to do every day, time to explore their own inner landscapes, time to experience the magic of nature, time to do community outreach, time to build relationships with friends, time to listen and be heard, time to test their individual resilience and time to discover the immense power of teamwork. One of the girls was very cognizant of the latter: "I was fortunate to have people beside me that would look out for me. We all came together when people were struggling either physically, emotionally or maybe just with map reading. We did not always agree with each other, but we learnt how to compromise."

Opportunities to reflect
As with each Odyssey, reflection is encouraged throughout the journey. This tends to happen spontaneously in a beautiful natural setting when one is far from home and faced with tough mental, physical and emotional challenges and afforded enough time to work through these.

For some, Odyssey is one of the hardest experiences of their 16 years, but undoubtedly one they will look on most fondly, even into adulthood. A common feeling among all was shared by one of the boys:

"Odyssey was probably the best but hardest experience of my life. I loved it and learnt so much about myself, how far I can be pushed, how I can motivate myself and how strong I am mentally. I feel I have truly grown as a person and that the experience changed me."

Around halfway through the 21-day journey, the pupils entered a 36-hour "solo" during which they spent a day-and-a-half alone in the bush, having built their own shelters. The contrast between this time of silent solitude and the intense group dynamics brings out profound and honest thinking, much of which is documented in the pupils' letters. It is a revelation to read their thoughts on gratitude, humility, perseverance, delayed gratification, mental strength, grit, respect, tolerance, confidence, collaboration, values, priorities, resilience, compassion, endurance, privilege, opportunity, relationships and much more.

Learning about yourself
One of the boys reflected: "I learnt that mental strength is no joke and it's hard to control when you've had a bad day, but because of this I learnt to keep on believing in myself and telling myself I can do it, and this contributed to my growth by believing anything is possible." Another comment by one of the girls affirmed this: "I will never forget Odyssey. It was something that taught me to believe in myself because I am capable of so much more than I thought. I can achieve whatever I put my mind to. As nervous as I was before Odyssey, I am 10 times more empowered now to achieve anything I wish and believe I can. Odyssey helped me to find myself."

Oakhill has been offering The Odyssey for eight years now and has refined it to be the gold standard for similar experiences around the country. Later this month, for the fourth year, Oakhill will be hosting what has informally become known as the "Joburg Odyssey". This is an Odyssey experience for other independent school groups currently hailing from Johannesburg who want a taste of our glorious Garden Route and all the added benefits of completing "the journey of a lifetime".

Group 3 at their homecoming.