The weather this year seemed a little different from usual. Although it was already late September, the heat was still intense. Yet it couldn’t dampen our enthusiasm. If anything, it gave this year’s G1 Camp an extra touch of summer.
As the first rays of sunlight fell on the SCIE campus on the morning of 29 September, G1 students were already boarding the coaches under the guidance of teachers and the Prefect team. The ride was filled with laughter and chatter, while some students leaned back in their seats for a quick rest, saving their energy for the activities ahead.
After two hours, we arrived at our destination. Under the bright sunshine, the park’s greenery looked particularly vibrant, matching the smiles on everyone’s faces. At the end of the path stood a huge signature wall, where students and homeroom teachers left their signatures. It was a simple but memorable start to our camp experience.
Following the camp instructors, we made our way to a familiar G1 Camp venue — the activity shelter. Once everyone had settled into their places by class, we began our first activity: designing class flags and presenting them as a team. Each class brought together its artistic talents to create a unique flag before taking turns on stage to present their flags and chant their slogans. Everyone gave their best to showcase their class spirit.
The final warm-up activity was the House song performance. Teachers and students sang their respective House songs together, bringing the atmosphere to a new level of excitement. Smiles were everywhere, and I couldn’t help thinking that this was what being part of the SCIE community was all about!
With the morning activities over, students from Wood and Water moved on to the cooking session, while those from Metal and Fire headed to the dining hall for lunch. The arrangements would be reversed at dinner.
The cooking session was undoubtedly one of the most exciting parts of the camp. Each group divided up the tasks: some volunteered to take charge of the wok, others washed the vegetables, while the rest prepared the sauces and chopped the ingredients. When it was time to cook, we lit the wood-fired stoves, and logs and dry straw began burning brightly in the hearths. As the ingredients went into the pans, the aroma of the food mingled with the distinctive smell of burning firewood, creating a warm and comforting atmosphere.
After lunch, the sun was blazing, and the temperature reached its peak for the day. Most students returned to the campsite with a few friends to rest or hang out, recharging for the afternoon’s activities. Given the intense heat, the school medical team provided ice packs throughout the day. The efforts of the medical staff and the Prefect team gave everyone an extra layer of support.
As the afternoon activities began, each class made its way to the designated team-building area. In “Crazy Caterpillar”, team members had to keep an inflatable caterpillar balanced overhead while making sure the balls held between their bodies did not fall — a real test of teamwork and individual coordination.
Tug-of-war, meanwhile, has long been a traditional activity at G1 Camp and school House events. Although it looks simple, it requires considerable teamwork, from knowing how to pull to deciding when to exert force together. By the time all the activities had finished, many students were still covered in sweat and looking rather tired. Yet what stood out even more was how much closer everyone had grown and how much fun we had shared along the way.
After a short rest back at the campsite, we followed the instructors’ demonstration and began pitching our tents. We unfolded the poles, threaded them through the tent fabric and secured them in place. Before long, the tents began taking shape. With everyone helping one another, hundreds of red, yellow, blue and green tents were pitched in less than an hour. Looking across the campsite at the colourful rows of tents, I couldn’t help feeling a little amazed by what we had accomplished together.
As evening approached, students from Metal and Fire gathered around the stoves to prepare dinner. Cooking at dusk felt especially atmospheric. Wisps of smoke rose from the stoves, tinged pink by the evening glow, while everyone busied themselves with preparing the meal. The scene reminded me of a line from a song by Teresa Teng about cooking smoke rising as dusk settles over the land.
Everyone agreed that dinner was a success, not only because the food tasted good, but also because of the sense of accomplishment that came from preparing it ourselves. By then, the experience had come to mean much more than simply sharing a meal.
After dinner, darkness had completely fallen, and everyone gathered on the lawn. As the stage lights lit up the night sky, the evening performances began. Students took turns showing off their singing and dancing talents, while a teacher surprised the audience with an impressive beatboxing performance.
From the dance performance “Let’s Go” to the song-and-dance number “Perm”, and finally “Happiness Is Singing”, everyone on stage performed with confidence, while cheers from the audience continued throughout the evening. As fireworks lit up the night sky, the celebration came to a memorable close.
The night grew late. Under the streetlights, some students strolled and chatted with friends, others played games in groups, while a few chose to turn in early. Accompanied by laughter and the chirping of insects, the first day of G1 Camp drew to a close.
The next morning, a few welcome breezes swept across the campsite. After washing up, students either headed to the dining hall for breakfast or began taking down their tents. Setting them up had involved raising and securing the poles one by one; taking them down was simply the reverse. We removed the poles, packed them away neatly, and folded the tent fabric back into place. The colourful rows of tents soon disappeared into tidy bundles, leaving the campsite open and spacious once again.
Then came the first activity of the morning — making ciba, traditional glutinous rice cakes. Students took pieces of dough, added the fillings and shaped them into little round cakes. Before long, the round, plump rice cakes were ready. Whether we ate them ourselves or took them home to share with our families, there was something especially satisfying about enjoying something we had made with our own hands.
When everyone returned to the main activity area, the long-awaited awards ceremony brought the camp to its grand finale. All eyes turned towards the stage as the final results of the House Competition were announced. As the names of the winning Houses were read out, cheers and applause echoed across the field. The competition had never been about individual achievement alone, but about the combined efforts of an entire team, with everyone doing their part to bring honour to their House.
As the coaches pulled away, our two-day, one-night G1 Camp came to an end. The lingering warmth of early autumn, the singing on the lawn, the time spent working side by side around the tents, and the aroma of freshly made rice cakes all became treasured memories of our time at camp.
This trip into the countryside helped us get to know one another better, and new friendships began to grow. The moments we spent laughing, working, and sweating together will remain part of our memories of life at SCIE.
- Article / Max Li
