Fun-tastic 2 weeks in Hoga!

Our journey to Hoga was an adventure in itself, involving three flights, a road trip across the island, and two epic boat rides. The remote island has one small village and the Operation Wallacea base on it, and was a paradise with all kinds of diverse wildlife roaming the island and extraordinary coral reefs on our doorstep. From monitor lizards crawling on our roofs, to close encounters with moray eels, we all learnt so much about how important and reliant we as society are on coral reefs survival.

Photo by Frankie Andrews

It was two short weeks full of laughter, entertainment, friendship and fun. A real highlight of not only mine, but all our experiences, was undoubtedly the people we encountered and collaborated with, as many of us now will take inspiration from their lives and experiences, and try to become the best people we can be. The Operation Wallacea staff and locals blew us away with the upbeat positive energy, enthusiasm, and sense of fun they approached each day with. They welcomed us with open arms and made our stay truly memorable, we are eternally grateful for their kindness and hospitality. From the table tennis or volleyball games, karaoke, talent shows, Indonesia line dancing or just playing cards and having conversations, the people there made our journey one that we will never forget. On behalf of all of us students that participated, we would like to say a special thank you to Mr Lange and Jamie Williamson for not only organising everything beforehand and on the trip, but for the fun times, support and generosity they both gave to all of us on the camp. We are so incredibly grateful to have the privilege of experiencing this, as it has broadened our perspectives and is something we will all remember forever. To any future students who get this once in a lifetime opportunity we encourage you to take the chance and try new experiences, as it could change your life as well.

Title photo by Laura Christian