“Morning!”

Weekend arrived in a breeze and this meant the start of the leadership induction course. The sky was of a pretty shade of blue. It was bright and soft all at once. The clouds were of brilliant white as they lazily drifted across the sky.

After a one-hour bus ride from the school, the students finally arrived at the training site. Unlike the usual outdoor adventure camp, the school had rented a youth hostel, one with the traditional futon mattress.

It was divided in which the girls stayed on the upper level while the boys were one floor below them. Once they were done placing their belongings in their respective rooms, they were gathered in the common area for a briefing on the rules and regulations.

“First and most importantly, everybody is to stay at their corresponding level. Next, everyone is to eat with their class for every meal. Lights out will be at ten…”

While Mr Im, the overall in-charge of this event, was stating the do’s and don’ts, Mi Joo was reading a booklet that was given out to all the committee members. In it showed the learning objectives as well as the schedule for the two-day camp. She initially thought this training camp would be more vigorous but after seeing the whole timetable, it was pretty relaxing.

“As you can see from this booklet, the programme is laid out into different sections. One must follow it accordingly. So for the first day, there will be a team time at ten o’clock in which it will be a bonding session to get to know your fellow classmates well. In the meantime, each class could also use this period to answer the questions in this handout and to present it tonight during the discussion. At noon, it will be lunch and you are given one hour. Followed by…”

Mi Joo placed the booklet aside and glanced through the handout Mr Im just referred. Only one was assigned to each class, more specifically to the class chairman. She scanned the questions and immediately sensed a yawn about to escape. They were mainly about leaderships and values which were of no surprise.

“After each day, everyone is to write a reflection in the booklet and to submit it at the end of the camp. With that said, it is already ten and you may proceed to team time.”

Every class went their own way, finding a spot to have their team time. Some decided to stay in the common room while some decided to head to the outdoor area. Mi Joo’s class was one of them after Young Jae suggested to do so.

The air is fresh, almost sweet and floral. The greenery of the trees and shrubs, together with the pleasant breeze, created a sense of calm. The five committee members gathered around a random empty spot under a tree.

“As what Mr Im instructed earlier, we need to fill up this handout. Anyone has any ideas?” Mi Joo placed the sheet in the middle for everyone to see.

“It is ridiculous that we have to go to bed early. Who sleeps at ten?” Young Jae started ranting, ignoring the girl’s question. Instead of reading what was written on the handout, his eyes were glued on a different piece of paper. “Oh! We have an Amazing Race tomorrow! That should be fun!”

“Oh really? Let me see!” Ji Soo got excited immediately, looking at the schedule with Young Jae. The two were already distracted, not focusing on what Mi Joo was saying.

“Guys… Hey…” Mi Joo tried to get their attention but to no avail. She looked at Myung Eun next who was silently reading a book. “Do you have any input?”

“No, nothing,” Myung Eun answered.

It was only the first team-bonding activity and yet Mi Joo was already facing some difficulties. She believed it was going to be smooth sailing, given that everyone knew each other in some ways. Cooperation should have zero issues but here she was dealing with two kids and one who barely talked.

“Why are you so uptight? Relax. We will just write it down when the time comes,” Mark responded as he lay down on the grass patch, seemingly about to fall asleep.

“We do not have any time after this!” Mi Joo watched the four as they minded their own business. Such an easy task but why was it so hard to complete it? Guess she would have to write her own thoughts down and hoped for the best.

Mi Joo was fighting against a harsh battle. She was trying her hardest to stay awake. Only an hour left of lesson and it would be over. Lucky for her, she was not alone. The other students were struggling as well.

Since the moment lunch ended till now, everyone was in a four-hour lecture, learning about the importance of their role and what leadership meant. It was really dry despite having some hands-on activities.

“Before we conclude this session, let us have a sharing about the handout given earlier. For the first question, we shall start with class 3-1. Please read what you wrote,” Mr Im announced.

Mi Joo was wide awake immediately once she heard what Mr Im said. She stared at the paper in front of her and it reminded her on how pathetic the answers were. It was too late to change anything now.

“- and that is why it is necessary for a leader to have these values.”

Panic stricken on Mi Joo’s face upon listening to class 3-1’s answer. Hers could not be compared to what they had written. It was truly an embarrassing s