The CAS students embarked on a challenging but exciting expedition this past weekend. They braved the cold and the rain on a mission to learn about the beautiful biodiversity, conservation, and tradition of the towns of Miranda do Douro, Picote and Uva.
On Saturday we were welcomed by the amazing organisation of Palombar where Ricky and Sara took us on a biodiversity walk to discuss the positives and negatives of some of the biodiversity available in the valley. We learned a lot about plants and especially about the eucalyptus tree, which they are working on eradicating in that area as it exacerbates the wildfire issues. To do that, however, they need to ensure that the eucalyptus is replaced by other plants and trees, so our students put on their hats, vests and gloves and climbed to open land to begin planting oak trees that in a few years will be part of a beautiful landscape for all of nature to appreciate. Afterwards, we visited a local restaurant where we enjoyed delicious and locally sourced food for lunch. Next, we visited the town of Uva to learn about their heritage and pigeon houses. Our students showed off their map reading skills with a scavenger hunt. At night, we returned to our accommodation where we had dinner, hot chocolate and enjoyed an informative discussion about what CAS means to us and how we can make it ours. On our final day, we were warmly welcomed by Emanuel and Roberta from the AEPGA – Associação para o Estudo e Proteção do Gado Asinino, or the Donkey sanctuary, where we helped around the farm by feeding the donkeys, making their beds, and giving them pets. It was incredibly fun to be around an animal that we would not usually have the opportunity to meet. After a delicious pizza lunch, we continued to help and have fun with the donkeys in the sanctuary until it was time to change from our muddy socks and shoes and head home. It was aa very inspiring trip with a wonderful group of young people, who have shown not only their leadership attributes but their love of conservation, biodiversity and being respectful of nature.
The Miranda do Douro trip has been very important to OBS and the CAS team for a long time, and every year, when we visit, we are privileged to see the fruits of all the good work and fundraising we do towards this special cause.
A huge thank you to Form 11 that went along, and to Mr Monteiro and Mrs Kumari who made the trip so special. We cannot wait to visit Miranda do Douro again!
Miss Silva, CAS Coordinator
