Historically, a rite of passage is a ceremonial event existing in all known societies that marks the passage from one social or religious status to another. In the summer, the SPCC Rites of Passage programme has taken me both forwards and backwards in two starkly different aspects of my life respectively.

To hike 63.2 km in four and a half days, with a backpack larger than my torso across a stretch of mountainous terrain had seemed impossible to me before we set off, and on the first morning of Expedition 3 we were joking about how we would all end up in hospital after the expedition.

The actual expedition was every bit as difficult as we had expected. Even to this moment, the ghost of the weight of my expedition backpack on my spine and the monotonous squawking of ravens in the morning haunt me still. When I think about it now, I definitely would not have survived the 5 days by myself, with all my clumsiness and poor physical abilities – I owe it to our group for keeping me alive and intact during the hardest parts of the journey. I often reminisce the heartwarming moments of sharing packets of oreos amongst ourselves in 5-minute-breaktimes and lending each other a helping hand across the obstacle-filled creeks; the exhilarating moments after a 7-hour long hike, when we sprawled on the soil and congratulated each other on arriving the campsite before dusk; and the delightful moments of hot chocolate and solving riddles under the starry Australian sky. We really worked together as a team, giving each other our mental and physical support whenever we could and doing our very best to contribute, no matter it be planning our schedule, encouraging the group or navigating.

It was only after RoP that I truly understood the meaning of the quote, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” RoP has taken me forward in the development of my communication and leadership skills, and I indeed learnt a lot about the importance of teamwork during the programme.

In Hong Kong, we are so occupied with our busy schedules that we usually do not have time to reflect on our past experiences and plan for the future. In the 28 days in Australia, we had countless opportunities such as the daily DEAR (Drop Everything and Reflect) times and the 2-hour Solo time to consolidate our experiences in the RoP and write our findings down for future reference, so I gradually developed the habit of careful reflection before future action and got rid of my tendency to rush into tasks without a clear vision of what to do. Apart from taking me a step back to reflect on my daily activities, RoP has also given me the chance to truly appreciate how beautiful nature is (although just for 28 days). When I look at the pictures we took in Australia, I not only remember the lush greeneries and rolling rivers we had trekked through, but also the fresh smell of misty air at dawn and the comfort of a faint breeze after dusk. RoP has taught me the importance of stepping back and pausing for a moment to appreciate our surroundings, even amongst the hustle and bustle in Hong Kong.

For me, RoP marked the passage from my junior form life to my senior form life. In the face of increasing stress and responsibility, I pray that I can recall the moments of hardship and eventual triumph during the RoP, and that they can provide me with encouragement and consolation during the years to come.

4H Kinnia Cheuk

( 2019）