PTO Picnic

On Saturday, September 21st 2013, I attended the PTO picnic. I was really excited to go along, as it allows you to have fun with your friends while you help out with your CAS groups at the same time. In this event the various groups at ISK have a chance to advertise themselves and raise money for their cause through fun events (like sponge tosses, 'pin the horn on the rhino', selling cupcakes, etc).

We had been discussing this event in our groups for a while beforehand, and each club had plans for their stalls. I had decided to do shifts for three of my clubs, as I could only be at the picnic from around 12-3:30. My shifts were as follows:
- 12:00 - 1:00 - Save the Rhino
- 1:00 - 1:30 - Photography Club
- 1:30 - 2:30 - ARTSCO

I arrived just in time with my arms filled with cupcakes and a poster that I had made for Save the Rhino, and headed over to their stall. As I passed through the fair I was amazed at the positive attitude - there were people laughing wherever I looked, and everyone looked like they were having an amazing time. There were people singing and performing on stage, each stall was bustling with activity, and everything smelled amazing.

My poster

However, when I arrived at the Save the Rhino stall I found it mostly deserted. There were two girls selling cupcakes, and I added mine to the ones laid out on the table. There was also a 'Rhino Toss' set up (where you have to throw hoops onto a rhino horn), and a 'pin the horn on the rhino' game (like 'pin the tail on the donkey' but with a rhino and a horn). You got prizes for the games, and it was all exactly as planned. The cupcakes cost 50-150 shillings each, and the games were 100 shillings a turn (including a prize at the end). I sat down at the ring toss stall and, unfortunately, spent most of the time sitting with no customers. There were more people buying cupcakes, but I feel that our slightly desolate location (it was further up the hill, and not many people walked up there) limited the funds that we raised.

Photography club calender

After I finished my time there I went down to the photography stall - located on the basketball courts. One of my friends and Ms Bock were there, and I sat down with them. This was definitely more interesting for me, I watched all the other clubs interacting with the community and spreading awareness, and it was really captivating. Furthermore, a number of people came up and inquired about our calendars (which we were selling), and we sold a few. They were the calendars from last years photography club, and even though my photos weren't in them they were amazing. They cost 500 shillings each, and I feel like we raised a fair amount of money.

An example of Sabrina's amazing face painting

My last slot in ARTSCO was very busy. Lots of people wanted to get their faces painted, and even though we dropped our idea of tie dying shirts this was enough business. It cost 50 shillings to get a painting on your cheek, 100 to get a large one, and 150 for your entire face. My friend Sabrina was in paradise, as she loves art and puts so much effort into everything that she does. Her face painting was amazing, and soon enough there were crowds of people watching her work and waiting for their turn. I helped out with a few, but I decided to leave most of the painting to her!

I think that overall it was a really successful day, I had a great day and enjoyed helping support my CAS groups. I hope that we have more chances to do things like this in the future, and that this event will aid us in our goals.

KCCL - First Trip

On Wednesday, September 18th 2013, I went to KCCL for the first time. I wasn't expecting much of a surprise, as I've visited there in the past with ARTSCO, and I got onto the bus knowing exactly what would follow. I was unaware of the entirely new experience I was about to undergo!

There were a lot of people on the bus for KCCL, mostly consisting of 9th-11th graders. It was a big difference from KSPCA, as there were no middle schoolers present. The bus ride was also quite long, and we drove through a very poor area as we approached KCCL. Despite the location of this school the facilities are actually very good, and our murals are making the place even more lovely!

When we got off of the bus we were greeted by crowds of smiling children, all shaking hands and hugging us. I was amazed at how well they remembered all of our names! We were then led into the courtyard area, passing a room full of kids making bracelets and necklaces. It was explained that we were going to be making collages, self portraits, and jewellery with the kids, which wasn't what I was expecting at all. It was a pleasant surprise, to be honest, because merely painting murals on the walls gets a little monotonous if repeated every single trip. We had mirrors (for the self portraits), paints, oil pastels, pencils, etc.
Everyone went to find their partners, which had been chosen the previous visit, and since I didn't have one I joined in with my friend Hannah. Her partner was Ranika, a mentally disabled 22 year old woman. She was very different from people I am used to being around, reminding me of a very young child, but she was really sweet and friendly. She wanted to do painting, and drew us numerous colourful flowers. Afterwards, she did a collage, and we cut out words like 'beautiful', 'funny', and 'smart' for her to stick on her piece of paper, and her reactions to these compliments were very cute (she would squeal and cover her face with her hands in happiness).

The other kids were very focused, sitting and drawing very abstract pictures on their papers. It was very nice to see how they viewed and expressed themselves through art. The kids making jewellery exhibited the same amount of determination and creativity, and I really hope that their work sells at the PTO picnic this weekend.

Eventually we started to clean up the materials and the KCCL kids waved us goodbye and climbed onto their own buses.
I was really touched at how welcoming the KCCL children were - Ranika was hugging us and telling us that we were her best friends by the end of the trip, and the other children clasped our hands in their own and asked us not to leave. It's really eye opening seeing these kids and how they make their way through everyday life, I find it inspiring and also a reminder of just how fortunate we are in life. Their determination and individuality is amazing, and I definitely look up to them in this respect.

I think that I will really enjoy visiting KCCL, especially as friendships are so easily made at this school. Furthermore, it involves art, which I am very passionate about. I hope that next time we will be able to interact just as much with the children, while still getting to explore the creative aspect of the trip.

[PHOTOS COMING SOON]

Group Updates

So I am settling into my various groups now, and I thought it would be useful to give you an update of what is going on in each one.

Track and Field:
I am enjoying track a lot at the moment, it's amazing how quickly your fitness improves and how much you love the running after a bit. I honestly look forward to my practices, and I have a lot of friends in the team with me (which makes it far more enjoyable). I am in the long distance group and we're doing short runs (4-8 minutes length) numerous times in a practice, followed by a ring or two around the school. Our first meet is coming up soon, and I'm signed up for two long distance events. Track is definitely challenging but I'm looking forward to seeing just how much I can improve, and what I will achieve in competitions.

GIN:
I had my first GIN meeting last week, and we had a powerpoint on water and some activities. I love the atmosphere of the group - it's so welcoming and friendly. Furthermore, I think we're tackling some very interesting issues and discuss them well together. We talked about the conference and the PTO picnic in the meeting.

Save the Rhino:
We haven't done much in save the rhino yet, but hopefully our next meeting on Friday will be slightly more productive. I think that at the moment Josh is just working on getting everything organised, and I'm sure that we will do some really fun stuff this year.

Photography Club:
So far in photography I have sent in various photos for critique - we put them up on a projector and the whole group gave feedback. I really enjoyed this exercise as it allows you to see it from a new perspective and notice the things you previously didn't. I have already learnt about the "rule of thirds" (never put the subject in the middle of the photo), light, focus, etc. I have decided that I probably won't go on the trip for this club, but I'm looking forward to taking photos around the school during our meetings.

Piano Lessons:
I have yet to organise my piano lessons, I was hoping to do it in a week or so (as we are moving into our new house, which has a piano that I can use and practice with). There isn't as much pressure with this, as in presidents award I still have to complete the silver award. However, I am itching to get started and can't wait to learn this instrument.

President's Award:
In PA at the moment I am continuing swim team (this was the only activity for silver that needed completion), and Mr Tucker is trying to get me a new record book. Unfortunately, mine got lost over the summer and I now have to renew my signatures. I'm hoping once I get my new book things will start flowing a little more smoothly.

KCCL:
I haven't been on a KCCL trip yet, as I was doing KSPCA previously. However, the coming Wednesday is my first trip and I'm really excited to see how it goes.

ARTSCO:
In ARTSCO we have been discussing tshirt designs, the talent show, and the PTO picnic. The plan is to do tiedye shirts at the picnic and face painting, which should be really fun. I've signed up for a slot sometime during the day and I can't wait to get creative! We're having a little bit of trouble regarding the talent show, as we don't know when to schedule it. However, I'm sure we'll find a spot and will be successful in advertising.

Interact Club:
In Interact we've been planning our OVC visits (food, etc), and I've signed up for 6 trips during the course of this school year. We are also planning to have a stall open at the PTO picnic, selling second hand books and tshirts for a charity organisation. I am really pleased with the leaders of the group this year, and I'm pleased to find that there are even more people present than last year!

Swim Team:
I am definitely enjoying swim team so far into the year, my meet went well and I can't wait to continue to build my fitness. The coach has been very understanding, and I like his new approach to training. I have another meet the weekend after next, which is more formal than the Rosslyn gala (it is the NASA A, which I have to do because I don't have any times at the moment).

Rosslyn Swim Meet

The Coaches

I prepare to dive off of the blocks

On Saturday, September 14th 2013, I took part in the Rosslyn swim meet. It was a slightly smaller meet for schools to compete in, and I enjoyed it a lot.

My events were: 50 m back, 50 m breast, 50 m free, and a relay at the end.

I arrived at Rosslyn with my friends (Kai and Sabrina) at around 8:00 in the morning (we took the bus with the rest of the team from ISK), and we were one of the first people there! There was steam rising off of the pool and it was very cold - needless to say, I was terrified. I hadn't competed since middle school, and some bad experiences (along with my shyness) had made me feel very negative towards meets. However, the coach was very reassuring and my teammates were also encouraging.

Waiting for marshalling

ISK girls! (I am on the far right)

Some Teammates!

The events started, but it was a little while before I actually had to compete. When my turn came I was handed a small paper slip with the event, my name, school and rank on it. I had to give this to the timers in the lane I was placed in. I lined up for marshalling with Sabrina, and was placed in one of the highest heats (I found this strange, as I did not have times yet and I was competing with the faster girls). However, after pulling on my cap and goggles and hearing the familiar "on your marks, get set, beeeeeeeeep" I was in the water and swimming as hard as I could. I was relieved that my events consisted only of 50 m sprints, as it is over really quickly and you have almost no time to think. 

There were huge time gaps between my races, but I had a lot of fun hanging out with the team in these periods. I found that as the day went by I grew less and less nervous, the butterflies in my stomach fading away. I was really proud of myself, if only for this accomplishment! Furthermore, I did well in my races considering the fact that I haven't competed for years, and that I'm now in the 16 and OVER age section! I came 5th and 7th place for two of my races, and got ISK a few points.

Racing!

I am so happy that I decided to compete this year, I feel much more confident and integrated into the team now. There was also a really positive and carefree attitude about this meet, and no one was really judging one another on the results. The ISK football teams were playing on the field just outside, and there was a canteen area that we could go to. Kai and I got snow cones during the lunch break!

To conclude, I had a great time at the meet yesterday and was proud of my attitude and results. I look forward to improving my times in the future!

Family Challenge 2013

Me travelling to our next challenge!

The tents - where we ate our meal

Last weekend (on September 7th and 8th) I took part in the family challenge at Sanctuary Farm in Naivasha. This is an event that raises money for the Kamili organisation, helping those with mental disabilities.
We donated around 30,000 shillings to the cause, and this event has been growing larger each year, with more and more sponsors. The money will be used to build clinics, train nurses, and much more. It takes place over two days, and you camp overnight. Your team is your family (so I competed with my mom, dad and two brothers), and you participate in various "challenges" together - for example math, art and survival games. The challenges are designed to see how well you work as a team.
This year there were 48 teams, more than ever before! We were allowed to bring two bikes along, and throughout the challenges we were required to carry an egg and keep it intact (if it broke we would've been disqualified).

Sanctuary Farm - Wildebeest graze

Our team this year was called Team Star - an anagram of our last name (Matsaert). When we arrived we set up our tent and then headed over to the clubhouse area. There was a brief introduction to the challenge, and we all ate lunch. Afterwards we had a short break and then, at 3:30 or so, headed to our first challenge! The challenges on the first day were quite far away from each other, and so we had to run and bike very quickly to each spot in the fifteen minute break we had. We thoroughly enjoyed all of our challenges, but didn't quite appreciate the Plumbers Challenge, where you had to pour muddy lake water into a tube in order to get a ping pong ball to come out of the top.

When the events were finished we went and changed at the tent and then went down to the clubhouse for the barbeque, auction and disco! I really enjoyed the night because some of my closest friends were also competing. We had a lot of fun huddled around a campfire roasting marshmallows and looking at the stars.

Team Star at breakfast!

The Clubhouse

The next morning we ate breakfast at around 8:30. Six more challenges soon followed (like one where we had to taste different colored drinks and guess what they were, and one in which we crossed a small rope above the lake) and we were done by 12:00.

STAR TEAM!! - Max, Dad, and I

We had an hour to take down our tents after this, and we managed to pack everything into the landrover before lunch began. There was then an awards ceremony, which recongised teh people who had contributed most to the event and who had helped organise it, the challenge winners, best family team, the people who raised the most money, and the overall winning team. We won a medal for the Lost at Sea challenge (where you had to choose which items (in order of importance) you would take if you were shipwrecked), some tshirts, and beautiful mugs with '5 year challengers' written on them!

After eating lunch we all got into the car and drove back home, proud of what we had accomplished.

The campsite

When doing this I wanted to make a difference for the people of the Kamili trust while having fun and leaning about teamwork and responsibility at the same time. I learnt a lot about this organisation during these two days, and showed me that support and trust (from yourself and those around you) are crucial when striving to achieve your goals. This fundraising activity will help me with these skills, and allow me to spread the word and help this charity in the future.
This trip was something that I will always cherish as a memory. I didn't want to come home on Sunday! I honestly can't wait until we can go and participate again next year!!

(The Kamili Organisation : http://www.kamilimentalhealth.org/index.html )

KSPCA First Trip and Changes in my Wednesday Trip

On Wednesday, September 4th, I went to KSPCA for the first time. We all met up at the buses and ate our lunches on the way, the seats filled with excited students. I was looking forward to seeing all of the dogs and making a difference for them, and though the drive there was long it was definitely worth it. 

When we arrived a wave of nostalgia hit me - I remembered my experiences at KSPCA and was greeted with a bittersweet feeling. I recalled my love for the animals and the work, but also the sadness that stayed with me throughout my time there - I was shocked and disgusted by the way that humans treat animals. They show such contempt and cruelty towards something so defenceless and innocent and I wish that I had the power to bring it to an end. This is why I want to work for charity organisations and wildlife conservation in the future - I want to help those without a voice. 

Walking past the cages large mournful eyes looked up at me - big dogs, small dogs, old dogs, maimed dogs, even tiny 4 week old puppies. I grew more passionate than ever, and wished that I could adopt them all, or donate enough money to give them all a beautiful garden that they could run about in (not the concrete cages they are currently in). 

What particularly got to me was seeing the tiny puppies. I was so overwhelmed with grief that they had to live out their first weeks in such conditions - being born on the street and now growing up in a cage. I remembered our puppies (our dog gave birth to them in January), the love and care they had received from the moment that they were born, and yearned for every animal to lead such a life. I don't understand how these animals could be neglected - why would anyone want to harm them?

We were soon split into two groups - one group was handing out the food to the dogs and the other washing the bowls. I was put into the washing group, and we were all handed vibrant yellow gloves. The work wasn't hard, but many of the group groaned as they saw the large silver bowls caked in grime. Personally I was grateful that we even had the gloves! I remember that when we used to go to the KSPCA we were required to clean up without anything at all! I didn't mind washing the dishes, and it felt good to see the appreciation on the faces of the workers as they saw the bucket full of clean bowls.

After we finished this we went to the other group to help them to give out the food and clean the rest of the bowls. The dogs were all so hungry, leaping up and whining when they caught sight of the food. However, they all looked very well fed and healthy, which boosted my spirits. Most of the dogs were very friendly, but there were two or three that barked and snarled when approached. I knew this was because they had been abused in the past, and I wished I could show them that not all people are so full of contempt.

We didn't have much time at the KSPCA because of the long drive, but as we all came together to say goodbye I felt proud of what we had done. Dogs need love and attention, and I was so happy that I could've provided this for them - even if it was just for one day. 

As the bus drove away I cast one last look back and promised myself that I would fulfil my ambitions regarding animal rights, no matter the obstacles or price.

I enjoyed my time so much at the KSPCA, it's my passion and my goal and I wished I could've stayed in this trip the whole year. However, as I am now in the IB and schoolwork comes first I have had to swap to KCCL. This trip only goes every two weeks, as opposed to every week. I am less passionate about the cause at KCCL but I am going to visit the KSPCA in my free time, and will hopefully get to do just as much, if not more, work during these visits. 

Maybe one day I can adopt all the animals!?

KCCL Mural - I will be doing something like this there

I cannot explain how disappointed I was when I dropped out - there are no words. All I could see in my minds eye were the soulful eyes of the dogs. But I know that good grades will lead to success in this field in the future, and so, in a way, I am still helping them. 

I am still pretty excited to go to KCCL, it integrates both art and service (two things I enjoy greatly), and is not as far away as KSPCA. 

I am definitely very sorry to have left KSPCA but I hope that good things will come from KCCL - I look forward to meeting the children there.