Happy Holiday, Happy Year End

Who here celebrates a special holiday in December? Many people look forward to December because there are many holidays and celebrations. Begawan Learning Centre held a series of holiday programs that coincided with the students’ school holidays. The series was filled with various activities to increase knowledge and life skills. The program included gardening, first aid training, health and nutritional status checks, Mother’s Day performances, yoga, obstacle courses, and camping.

On December 23, 2021, students at Begawan practiced yoga with an instructor named Segara. Thirty-seven students participated, and  were taught simple yoga movements. Some of the movements taught resembled animal movements, such as the butterfly pose, downward dog pose, cow pose, camel pose, snake pose, and bird pose, that students can easily remember and follow. They not only focused on movement, but they were also instructed  to focus on breathing and be sensitive to the condition of their bodies.At the end of the yoga session, students were instructed in the corpse pose (savasana) in which the body is placed in a lying position, and they remained in this position for a few minutes, relaxing in silence.

The next day, December 24, 2021, was the closing day of the Holiday Program. Students played obstacle games which included jumping, running, crawling, walking on one leg, and working together to devise strategies to win the game. This obstacle course was very challenging for students. Wet from splashed water, dirty from crawling on the ground, they did not see any barriers. When students had successfully overcome all obstacles, they erected tent equipment to camp together at the Learning Centre. Students worked together to assemble the frame so that the tent could stand and be ready for use. Camping is not complete without eating together and chatting. In a relaxed atmosphere they ate cakes, sushi, and drank tea together.

That was the end of the vacation program at Begawan Learning Centre. After this holiday program, students will take a short break and continue activities at the Learning Centre in the new year, January 2022. See you soon! (Ketut Desy)