Transitioning into the Unknown

Lydia Kim

On February 28, while familiar teachers greeted the juniors, sophomores, and freshmen into classrooms at Dalat, the freezing cold air welcomed the seniors into the Bayu conference room in the Rainbow Paradise Hotel.

After approximately 45 seconds of traveling, the seniors of Dalat International School arrived at the Rainbow Paradise Hotel where they would experience the annual Senior Transition Retreat for the next day and a half. The purpose of the retreat was to prepare the seniors with practical tools for their transition from high school into the unknown world of college, gap year, or even work.

The first session consisted of mini-activities and lectures by Mr. Dobson on what it means to be a third-culture kid. After seniors finished watching clips from Castaway and testing themselves on their “TCK-ness” on the first stage of hypothermia, Mr. Dobson instructed most students to walk back to Dalat in order to participate in a workshop.

The students instructed were those who gave consent to a research project by Ms. Grad titled, “Transitional Therapies for Third Culture Kids: Expressive Writing and Mentorship,” where seniors listened to a hypothetical scenario of their graduation and wrote about their emotions and thoughts afterwards. Following this workshop was a mentoring process where seniors were able to express and talk through their feelings on the content of their writing as well as their transition.

Lunchtimes were normal in that the seniors had an option either to go out in the vicinity of Tanjung Bungah or enjoy the cafeteria food back on campus. The senior class also enjoyed free time on the first day by swimming, taking walks, napping, playing table tennis, and hanging out with classmates before they went back to the conference room for even more sessions. The class bonding did not stop, however, as they laughed and cheered together in the interactive activities and silly games they experienced.

Among the various sessions on topics such as self-defense, finance, and practical life skills, one of the main highlights of the retreat was Mr. Brewster’s session where seniors were able to learn, both mentally and physically, about the value and importance of hard work. One student, Ryna Mayekar (12), described it by saying, “I liked how realistic the session was in explaining the cost of college tuition through physical labor.”

Another highlight was the session on relationships led by two sets of staff members from both genders. Split up into guys and girls, seniors had a chance to freely ask questions, ranging from gender roles to sexual interactions to both the male and the female teachers. “Normally, girls don’t get a chance to ask guys questions regarding relationships, so it was refreshing to get a new perspective on these different topics,” said Bethany Davis (12).

On the second and last day of the Senior Transition Retreat, seniors ended their time in the Rainbow Paradise Hotel by each adopting their own eggs for the “Egg Baby Challenge” and taking class photos. Despite spending 20 consecutive hours together in an average sized, freezingly cold conference room, the seniors never ceased to enjoy each other’s company and appreciate the time together before the end of their time in their forever high school, Dalat.