My Autobiography – School Excursions!
The best thing to happen to a student every week, is the PT/Games period. The best thing to happen to a student every term, is the exam holidays. The best thing to happen to a student every year, is the annual excursions/ short trips 🙂
The annual school excursions were thrilling to us kids (to say the least). We used to wait in anticipation of the major event for over a week, plan for everything a couple of days earlier, have fun (in the truest sense) on that day. Even the PT period would look uninteresting if we were scheduled to go on a picnic, the next day. I remember taking only the lunch bag to school and all my friends from other classes would ask, ‘Are you going to a picnic?’ I would happily say ‘yes’ and they would beam even more 🙂
I don’t remember the earliest trips much. I do remember that we went to the BM Birla planetarium and the Vandalur Zoo when we were in the primary classes. I was in awe at the planetarium. When the lights went out and the stars came up in the sky (in broad daylight), we were thrilled and even gave a collective hissing sound (zzzzzzzzz oooooooo) 🙂 We were looking at all the planets that were coming one by one on the large dome-type screen and wished that the distracting voice of the presenter would stop! When the show was over, we thought ‘Wow, what a great theater!’ 🙂
I don’t remember much about the zoo. I do remember seeing a tiger and elephant and I also remember that my leg was paining due to the long walk. I don’t remember being thrilled at seeing the animals in cages, even at that young age. I am not sure what others felt.
The Mahabalipuram trip was interesting. Of course, the sculptures and their beauty are lost on children, but we were slightly older by then (maybe 6th or 7th standard) and hence it was more like a ‘friends outing’ together. Only the teachers were always around us and kept ordering what to do and where to sit, etc. Obviously we didn’t go to the beach, but we had a lot of fun exchanging video games (hand-held models) and playing so many different games for a considerable amount of time.
The real fun was during our 9th and 10th standards. That was when teachers asked us where we wanted to go and we unanimously said, ‘Dizzee world’. It was a theme park in the ECR and had all kinds of fun rides. The best thing about it was, except a few rides, we could go in all other rides for any number of times. That concept made us jump from one ride to another. Literally!
Also, for the first time teachers left us on our own. They said everyone had to assemble near the entrance at 4:00 PM and we could go anywhere and play anything we liked in the mean time. That was a real surprise. We formed autonomous groups and for the first time, we felt like explorers finding our way around the theme park! 🙂
While going and coming back, we were singing non stop and there were two buses (carrying one section each) and both the drivers were under enormous pressure to overtake the other bus. They too joined in the fun!
We went to the same Dizzee world later in the 11th standard too, but the group in that school was pathetic. I really missed my close friends from the earlier school and for the first time felt how important it was to have great buddies in order to enjoy trips to the maximum.
Isn’t that true? Isn’t it the people who make trips more enjoyable than the places we visit?
Destination Infinity
THe one good thing that happened to me in school was the Treks and tours .. each year we had them and I visited so many beautiful places.
You are right its the company that makes it more enjoyable , thankfully I use to chose those tours where the boys who bullied me did not go .. so I had good time
I wonder why our school did not have many such trecks and tours. Even the NCC outings were two times in a year, for a couple of years! You are right – not having people who annoy us is equally important too… 🙂
Destination Infinity
Do you still have contact with the old friends? Nearly all of my son’s friends are abroad now! Slowly he has lost contact with them.
Yes, the company is important while going on a trip! I can understand how you enjoyed the Dizzee world trip. My relative is a teacher for II std. Every year they take the children to Maya jaal because it is easier to take care of the children inside a closed compound of the complex. They won’t lose them! One movie and video games, over!
Not much. Some of my friends are in India or come to India at times, and I am in touch with a few of them. Once guys get married, they are unreachable! I guess they can’t get permission to see friends?
Kids like video games and movies. So, Mayajaal might be a good option for them. That complex is boring for adults! At least for me!
Destination Infinity
company is more important with whom you visit tour
That’s a conclusion to which I have come too… Great places with great people might be even better 🙂
Destination Infinity
awesome..yes the PT but i hated it 😛 especially when it was before dawn and in winters!
have a nice time 🙂
School trips always were fun:)
Here winters are warm. So, we had no such problems… only fun 🙂
Destination Infinity
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
― Ernest Hemingway
Great quote, Thank you.
Destination Infinity
After the year where I passed out from 12th class, I heard that our school has restricted ALL excursions to one-day trips strictly, and that too for only alternate classes. I am not quite sure what prompted them to do so. But I felt really sad for the kids. They are missing out on the joy of togetherness and travel in the process. School should not be all about studies, studies and more studies.
I went to a trip for 3 days in my 11th standard. Had it been a year earlier, I would have enjoyed it very much. Anyway, good to know that you enjoyed such trips in your school days.
Destination Infinity
The school/college excursions are some golden memories..that never fade! I remember my school excursions very well….they were always single day trips…Guindy park, vandalor zoo, vedanthangal, mahabalipuram was always the excursion for about 10 years…until MGM was opened! Good old days!
We didn’t go to Vedanthangal. Too far. I don’t remember going to Guindy park as well, maybe we did! Yes, MGM was the best of them all! 🙂
Destination Infinity
School excursions are really fun, and you are so right!!! Friends make these outings more fun then the place itself 🙂
All the singing and dancing in the bus, roaming around with friends and no worries of studies!!!! So much of Fun!!!!
I guess it was also the age factor. At that age, maybe we are able to enjoy such things even more 🙂
Destination Infinity
Ofcourse its the company that makes a trip enjoyable! I had a bad experience of school kids on excursion to planetarium while we were there. as soon as lights went off, they were just whistling and talking and shouting during the show.