A Moment of Transition

Julia Munson

It was 8:20a when the seniors gathered around the clock tower. Bags were packed and there was excitement in the air. It was finally time for the Senior Transition Retreat.

Every year, the seniors have the chance to go on a two-day retreat at Paradise Hotel. There, the seniors are told almost everything they will need to know in order to be prepared for life beyond high school.

As the seniors arrived at the hotel, which was less than a minute away from school, they were led into a room where all their meetings would be held. The first few sessions talked about grief and how to live in the world as TCKs (Third Culture Kids). Later on, there were meetings about finances, relationships, and even doing laundry. But other than the interesting sessions put on by Dalat staff, there was also some free time.

“We played a lot of Korean concentration games during our free time,” said Areeya Kunawaradisai (12). “At one point, I think we had almost a third of the class playing. It was really loud and chaotic but so, so much fun. I absolutely loved it.”

“I spent my free time spending time with people I wouldn’t normally hang out with, and I think that was immensely eye-opening,” said Mika Yeap (12).

I was about 11:00 PM when the final meeting during the first day was over. Exhausted but still having a great time, the seniors soon retired to their rooms.

The next day was filled with more meetings. But all were enjoyable as many of the staff incorporated fun games and real life “simulations”.

“The self-defense session led by Mr. Pagee was very interesting,” said Hyun Ji Kim (12). “We learned about how to protect ourselves using our hands all the way to keys, although I hope none of us will ever have to face situations where we need to actually apply it.”

As the last session ended, the seniors checked out of their hotel rooms and walked back to school. After Transition Retreat, all the seniors came out with more knowledge and, hopefully, readiness for their lives outside of Dalat.