Laden with sweet memories of ​brotherhood, Paul’s Challenge is ​always the most reminisced-about ​topic in alumni gatherings even ​years after their graduation.

Paul’s Challenge is an annual event for Form 4 students, ​designed to raise their self-awareness, develop their sense ​of responsibility, and boost their confidence. This year, the ​5-day adventure organised by Outward Bound Hong Kong ​consisted of kayaking, hiking, and camping. As students were ​prohibited from using electronic devices, it was the perfect ​opportunity to take a step back from their hectic studies ​and to reconnect with Mother Nature.

Excited, eager students gathered at the Tai ​Mong Tsai base of Outward Bound at 9:00am, ​all filled with excitement and eager to ​kickstart the journey. The supervising ​instructor welcomed us and gave us a brief ​overview of the activities for the following ​five days. We were then split into teams of ​12, introduced to our group coaches, and ​were soon engaged in a series of ice-breaking ​games. To mark the start of the challenge, ​we all had a group photo taken showing off ​the T-shirts specially designed by the ​organising committee.

The first challenge began with – guess what? – repacking ​our belongings! Some of us had to stuff all our belongings ​into a tiny water bag, leaving little space in our backpacks ​for camping equipment and food. We had to decide on the ​most suitable belongings to pack, and who to carry them.

“If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail,” our coaches ​declared. So the next challenge was to plan the meals for ​each day. With the limited resources we had, we had to ​make sure each meal was sufficient for everyone in the ​group and nutritious as well.

The routes for hiking and kayaking were different for each ​group. Everyone was assigned a role for each day, which included ​a team leader, a navigator, and a chef. Kayaking was strenuous ​for everyone and required teamwork and coordination between ​both paddlers to make sure it was going in the right direction. ​Hikers had to carry backpacks of 10-15 kilograms - equivalent to ​the weight of a medium sized dog - while navigating rough and ​treacherous terrain. Some of the hiking trails were steep, and we ​had to clamber up the sharp, slippery rocks.

Spent, drained and depleted, we reunited with our groupmates at ​designated campsites. We used gas stoves to cook breakfast and dinner ​every day. The techniques were hard to master at first, but with our ​instructors’ help, we got better throughout the journey. Nights spent in ​nature were novel experiences for many of us, unused to sleeping in the ​outdoors, far from home. We also had to put up our own tents. Most of ​us didn’t sleep very well over the journey, but we were always full of ​energy the next morning, ready for new challenges. Everyone was in ​for a great surprise the night before the journey ended. We built a ​campfire using wood from the bushes nearby, before losing ourselves in ​cozy chats with our groupmates.

The first four days went like four hours. We faced our ultimate ​challenge on the final day - jumping off a 3-metre high pier–about as ​high as the ceilings of your apartment. This and the sharing session held ​in front of everyone certainly tested our audacity, and marked the end ​to what had become a most fruitful and indelible experience.

Surrounded not by shops and eateries but by thorns and rocks for 5 days, ​we had each encountered numerous difficulties on our journeys. But by ​upholding the spirit of ‘all for each, and each for all’, everyone made it ​through the challenges safely and successfully.

Paul’s Challenge certainly strengthened the camaraderie between groupmates. We were ​able to work successfully with others by being thoughtful, considerate, and compassionate. ​This once-in-a-lifetime experience was well-worth the time, and will only become more ​valuable when we apply what we learnt there to our everyday life at school. Hopefully ​in the future, when schoolmates regather and talk about their momentous experiences at ​SPC, the topic of “Paul’s Challenge” will trigger joyous memories.