This story is written throughout the journey to record my unforgettable G2 Geography field trip.
November 25 was a rainy day with a gloomy sky, but G2 geography students were so excited as they finally embarked on their first field trip since they came to SCIE. We are heading to the coast and chilling with friends for the weekend!
In the afternoon, we arrived at the five-star hotel. As you open the door, the sea is far away but reachable, you cannot see the exact appearance of the seabirds because they fly so fast, but their twitters are clear and cognizable. That afternoon, my friend and I could not wait one more second, so we set off to a local restaurant to satisfy our hungry tummies. Bon appetite! Seeing the beach and the palm trees suddenly released all the stress, which made me couldn’t wait to start our fieldwork tomorrow.
The following day, even though the weather wasn’t very supportive, nobody was worried. We followed our geography teacher to the beach inside the Intercontinental Hotel. Sand, swimming pool, surfboards, and loungers nearly made me forget my role of studying here. It’s more a summer holiday than a field trip.
As I imagined all the fancy stuff I could do here, the teacher called me. “Verona, come here.” OK, fine. Oh, I am here to learn geography and get ready to complete different measurements and investigations- beach terrain measurement, wave frequency, and analysis.
It was enjoyable to step on the beach with bare feet. However, stepping into the sea to measure waves seems less comfortable. The water reached our pants, and nobody avoided getting wet. The seawater dyed my shorts into a “beautiful” gradient color, and I accepted the gift of nature. One wave falls, and another wave arrives. I loved the sea and enjoyed the moment when water rushed through my legs, so I forced myself to soak in the water for one more possible moment. But as I came ashore, the wind brought a penetrating coldness to my body.
Oops, we are not allowed to return to the hotel, although it’s already 11:30, which means we will wear those wet clothes and investigate land use and stores on the street. This is meant to be unforgettable.
Dameisha is designed to be a tourist site, as the restaurants all align along the road, but due to the pandemic and low season, business is not easy for merchants; sadly, many shops have closed. Lunchtime. Yay. Around 2 p.m., we finally saw the sunshine and felt the November warmness.
A group of 6 of us were heading to street interview and collect data from residents and tourists. Being rejected for the first, second, and third time (because the passersby treated me as a fraudster, ugh…), I became even more encouraged and determined to obtain some valuable results to prove my “real” identity. And I successfully got some useful feedback: (in conclusion, they are) insufficient tourist attractions, a poor economy during the pandemic, and people’s boredom, but beautiful scenery and a clean environment. I felt very blessed to finish all ten interviews within one hour, leaving me with plenty of time to hang out and explore Dameisha on my own.
Meanwhile, it was the last day of our trip. Imagine the carefree life here. We are too lingering to leave. We followed the teacher, hiked through the seaside trestle, and reached a platform. As we observed the coastline, we sketched down all the elements we could view. Headlands, bays, stacks, and stumps- all the geography terms I learned in the classroom suddenly came to mind. The waves and sea water distract me from the theories, bringing me more realities.
This field trip enlightened my enthusiasm for studying geography and motivated me to continue discovering more unknowns.
- Article | Verona Ma
- Photos | Kelly Verona Dianne
