Celebrating our Learners

As part of our adventure in Tioman, we also had to hike up a mountain to get to a waterfall. I found hiking quite tricky — tricky because it was so slippery both going up and down. The mountain had birds chirping, was a little bit misty, and was full of life. If it weren’t for the poison ivy that our instructor warned us about, I would have liked to feel and smell each and every plant.

While there were lots of fun things to do in Tioman, two main activities that stood out to me were kayaking and experiencing the magical properties of the waterfall. I enjoyed kayaking because I found paddling to be empowering as I could go wherever I wanted to. Even though it was a bit tiring, I still managed to have a good time with my teammates and my friends. At the end of kayaking time, I paddled really fast, and that made me really proud and happy. I enjoyed the trip to the waterfall because before I was born, my parents once visited this particular waterfall, and took a nice picture there as a memento. The name of the waterfall is Lubuk Teja waterfall, and it is very big. The water there is cold, and the stones were very slippery, so we needed to hold on to it very tightly. Somehow, the water there seemed magical as it made me feel energetic and recharged after the long hike.

I will always remember this Tioman trip with fond memories — everyone was helpful to each other, the views were scenic, and the overall experience was meaningful as I also learnt to appreciate the material comforts that are in my home, but not in Tioman.

Year 7 Trip Review by Anaya Chawla 7.4

After two years of no residential trips because of the COVID-19, Nexus is glad that we were finally going to go again! On the 19th of September, Year 7 headed on to a coach at 5:30 in the morning to the island of Tioman.

Well, actually, we headed to the Border Patrol to enter Malaysia, but Tioman Island was the destination.

We had been hearing about the trip for weeks and were excited for 5 days of fun on this distant island. Mainland was far away, and we were dreaming of all the activities we were in for and what we would learn from them.

Most of Monday was travelling. We rode three coaches and a ferry to arrive at Tioman. It was an exhausting journey, at least for some of us. But when we arrived we were thrilled to finally be on the island that the teachers had spoken so much about. First, we were welcomed by the Little Planet facilitators and were led to Riverview, where we would be staying. Riverview was on the beach, and we could literally walk to the seashore in two minutes. Then, each tutor group went with their assigned facilitator, and they got to know each other through a series of activities.

Then; the big revelation. We were finally given our dorm lists and we could go to unpack! For around two weeks we had been waiting to find out who was in our dorm, so we were very happy to be with our friends,

Afterwards, we had some dinner, and did different activities at night with our tutor groups. These included stargazing, some nighttime torch activities, and other fun tasks. At last, we were sent to bed for some much needed rest. The twelve hour journey had really drained us.

Tuesday began with some light rain, so some of us were worried that we would not be able to go outside. Fortunately, it passed in a few minutes. We headed down to the canteen for breakfast. Afterwards, some of us headed to Suka Suka Farm. There, we made some fresh herb mocktails with ingredients from the farm. We added lemongrass, pandan, some fruits, mocktail powder and soda, and together it tasted delicious.

After that, we headed to the Juara Turtle Project, which was a very educational experience. We learnt about different types of turtles, how they hatch and how they take their first steps, and about endangered turtle species as well. We all learnt a lot from this experience. One particularly interesting fact we learnt was that the temperature of the sand affects whether the turtle will be a boy or a girl.

The ones who had not gone to the farm and turtle project had been raft building and raft racing! We would be swapping activities after lunch and shady time. Shady time is when we take a break from the sun.

Raft building was an awesome experience. Each tutor group was given 8 poles, 4 barrels and lots of string to make the longest surviving raft. Our facilitators taught us how to tie all sorts of knots to attach everything together. We also raced all the rafts. We enjoyed raft building very much.

Wednesday/Thursday :Some went on the waterfall trek and the Juara Olympics, while others did all sorts of water activities.

First up for the water activities for the first group was kayaking. While the other groups did different water activities, we kayaked through mangroves and learnt about them a bit. We all learnt about some basic oar movements, and though it was tiring, some of us really loved it. After that, we went snorkelling in the deep sea! We saw stingrays, Lionfish, all sorts of corals, and so much more! And for the finale, we did jetty jumping! It was a real thrill. It seems like a small distance at first, but it is terrifying and somehow awesome at the same time.

In the evening, we did a talent show called Koko House. People got to perform funny little plays, or sing and dance, or do some comedy. We laughed our heads off at some of the acts. It was a very fun night.

Thursday: The groups swapped, and we went hiking to the Waterfall. It was the Waterfall Trek, and it was REALLY steep. Beware all people who trip on air! I fell over around five times. We were super tired when we reached, but it was worth it when we went to the waterfall. It was beautiful, and some decided to take a dip in the water. They slid down some waterfall slides. Others enjoyed the scenery (and tried not to go near a toad that was resting on a rock).

When we went back, we did the Juara Olympics. We did some sports like volleyball and the X game. There was competition in the air, and we were counting on some of the sports experts in our team to guide us through. It was an eventful evening.

Then, we began to pack and prepare to return to Singapore.

On Friday, we all woke up at 5:30 am, and we bid goodbye to everyone at Little Planet. The trip to Tioman had been an amazing experience, but we were glad to be going home after 4 nights of adventure.

Year 8 Trip Review by Zahra Barnes 8.6

The year 8 trip to Telunas is a trip that none of us will forget. There were lots of new things for us to try and different activities which were challenging but still enjoyable. Everyone learnt lots of new things and made so many fun memories with each other.

Another memory which was very special to me was visiting a local village. We went to their local school and learnt a lot about their culture, traditions, and how they live. When we entered the village we were greeted with the traditional music and dance that the students had been practising. We tried some of their favourite snacks that they had prepared for us which were super tasty after you had tried it. After a briefing and more traditional dance, we built a cafeteria for the children by mixing cement and pouring it into a mould and we also played lots of fun games with the village children. These people don’t have a cafeteria or lots of things that are normal for us but they are still so grateful for all they have and it was great to see that and spend time with them.

My favourite parts of the trip were swimming in the waterfall. The water was super cold, but we were able to jump off of a high rock into the water! This was kind of scary for me at first as I had never done anything like it but once I gave it a go then I really enjoyed it. It was the same for deck jumping into the ocean. The last night’s pizza and bonfire were the best of all. We made pizzas and I was running around, playing games, dancing to music, taking pictures and making so many memories. We ended off the night by roasting marshmallows and reflecting on our incredible trip. The Telunas trip was really thrilling and made me go out of my comfort zone and do things I would have never done before. It was a load of fun and I know I will remember it for years to come.

Year 9's Top Times in Tioman

Mornings at Tioman started early in our pajamas on the beach, some much needed stretching and a little entertainment as we all started to wake up a little more and prepare for the day. There were mixed emotions among the group about heading off on another trek however this time we were promised a refreshing waterfall and it did not fall to deliver at all! While the walk felt like it took forever, that was all forgotten as soon we were faced with the glistening water at the bottom of the waterfall. A was a tad cool but just what the doctor ordered after a very hot and humid trek. We’ve definitely eaten our lunch in less picturesque places before. The trek back to basecamp was shorter which allowed us to grab some shady time in the afternoon and enjoy a campfire that evening. The instructors made a huge fire pit for us all to sit around, reflect, have fun and sing along long into the night.

Day 3 and there was no rest for the wicked but we all wanted it that way. We were tasked with carrying (although some people's efforts might have been better described as dragging) our double kayaks to the water's edge with our buddie. The next couple of hours was a very educational, enjoyable and saturating time. We loved it! It wasn’t over then though, we were then off to the other end of the beach to try some snorkeling. It was amazing down there, it was like being in another world having all the different fish swimming right beneath you. The water was shining bright on the hot sunny day which highlighted lots of colorful coral which added to the atmosphere and fun. And last but not least the day was capped off with a spot of Jetty Jumping! The jump was scary for some but it was great to see everyone get involved and enjoy it in the end even if we had to dodge the occasional school of sea lice.

It had been a massive week so spending some more time closer to base camp on Day 4 was welcomed by most. During the morning we were tasked with building our own rafts using ropes, barrels and rods. Although when it came to racing we think more teams were holding their raft up rather than the raft holding them up! In the afternoon, we spent time learning about a couple of local initiatives set up to help the area of Tioman but also educate people from around the world. Suka Suka farm was very informative and we learned lots about the different plants available on the island and even enjoyed some homemade mocktails. But the highlight was probably the visit to the Juara Turtle Project where we learned about Turtle conservation and how we can collectively help to make a difference.

And just like that, we found ourselves at the end of the week. We were very tired and a little sleep deprived but we still wanted more of the incomparable fun we had already had. It’s fair to say there were some very quiet bus trips home…zzzzzzzzzz. We would like to thank all the staff from both Little Planet and Nexus for their preparation and organisation to give us this awesome opportunity. It was an extremely memorable experience that we wish had been able to last even longer.

Surabhi (93), Troy (92) and Luca (96)