Feature

FINALLY, all final examinations for the winter semester were over. Some students and officials of Perdana College of Malaysia were ready to go for a four day educational tour. It was a yearly activity aimed to provide the students opportunity to unwind, reflect, interact, learn outside the four walls of the classroom and grow as a complete person. Since I am the latest addition to the staff, I was tasked to accompany some students together with two other staff. I have never been to the places listed in the itinerary so I was excited. I was also allowed to bring along my wife and three sons, so it was a sort of work and pleasure at the same time.

The much awaited time has come on the night of April 19, 2009. Noisily the students scrambled for their seats in the bus. Each one trying to find the most comfortable seat with a friend since it will be a ten hour drive to our first destination, Cox's Bazaar. I have carefully chosen to sit behind the driver. Way back in the Philippines where I came from, I always loved to sit in the front seat whenever I'm not driving. I was looking forward to a restful trip since it is nighttime. When we reached the outskirts of the city only then did I realize what a big mistake I've made. The bus and truck drivers seemed to be in a hurry to die. They drove so fast and tried to overtake each other even in a blind curve. Nobody seemed to have the patience to wait. It was a scary and breathtaking experience for me. What a relief it was when finally the bus parked outside the hotel in Cox's Bazaar where we had our reservations. In fairness to the driver though, I was greatly impressed by his skill and stamina. Driving for ten hours during nighttime with only two short stopovers was no joke. I was also greatly relieved to find good roads along the way.

After a nap and some food, the group hurried to the beach front expecting to have a very good swim. Huge and powerful waves welcomed us. We enjoyed playing with the waves though. Seeing the very long unbroken stretch of beautiful beach with very fine sand was an awesome experience. It brought back happy childhood memories. The students enjoyed watching the sunset, taking pictures with the beautiful sand castles in the background and some did shopping for souvenirs. It was also a good thing that the hotel has a swimming pool where some students spent their excess energy while others enjoyed just talking. I had a good talk with some of them and a wonderful time especially with my second son.

Our next stop was Chittagong after two nights in Cox's Bazaar. We traveled in broad daylight so I basked on the green scenery of rice fields along the way. Bangladesh is blessed with fertile soil and lots of rivers that provide good irrigation for rice paddies. Along the way, we had a short stopover in a restaurant. Again, I was impressed by the clean comfort rooms and the friendly smiles of the people there. In Chittagong, we were welcomed by an alumnus in the hotel. We went to the Mini Bangladesh Park where we enjoyed seeing the miniature replicas of many historical places in Bangladesh. We saw the whole city of Chittagong at night when we ate at the revolving restaurant. It was a bit scary experience when we went on the roof top of that tall building. I was awed by the amount of money the government must have put in just to have that restaurant. The following day, we went boating at Kaptai Lake in Ranggamati and had a glimpse of a tea plantation. The lake has a big potential for tourism. I encouraged the students to dream big things and think of possible ways to improve the place. We also visited the World War II Heroes Graveyard. It has well manicured green grasses with beautiful flowers in between the rows of gravestones. I felt gloomy as I thought of the many lives seemingly wasted because of war.

Looking back, it was more like a wonderful vacation for me and my family. The other staffs and the students of Perdana College took very good care of us. It was indeed a great time of learning and growing together for all of us.

(www.perdanacollege.com)