Runda Feeding - February 23rd

On February 23rd I did another Runda feeding trip. We met at java at 10:30 and came back at around 12:30. This time a lot of people didn't actually show up for the trip, perhaps due to conflicting schedules or work. However, there were still at least 10 people present. We fed around 1200 children on this trip, and everything ran very smoothly.

When we arrived we helped to unpack the food, as usual. I unloaded a lot of bread, cookies, milk and candy, and then helped to make the food bowls for the elderly. There were quite a few other people (not part of Interact) present as well, including small children. As we were unpacking a man came over to a group of us and gave us all candies, which was really sweet. We took the bowls up to the elderly men and women, receiving gracious smiles and happy coos in return. I saw a lot of really thin cats around, their bellies swollen, which was really sad, but they were fed by some of the men.

Afterwards we all took our seats and the children started coming in. I was handing out biscuits, and I loved seeing the excitement on the kid's faces as they saw the chocolate. It was eye-opening to see what the kids were wearing - some were dressed in, what were essentially, rags, whilst others were coated in dust and dirt. At one point I saw a tiny girl on the back of her sister - she had a nosebleed and her hair was dirty and sticking in all directions. She clung to her sister's back, almost in fear, and watched me warily out of the corners of wide eyes. I cannot begin to comprehend what these children must of experienced thus far in their lives, and my ignorance frustrates me. Yet it is also what drives me in my service - this continuous grasp for comprehension.

After all the children had passed by the adults started coming in. For some reason there were a lot of drunk and desperate men present during this feeding. They shoved their way agressively to us, pleading for more when we gave them their helpings. I found this terrifying, simply because the raw hopelessness in their faces made me understand what they would be willing to do to survive. Near the end of the feeding a fight started to break out between an indian volunteer and one of these men, but luckily no one got hurt. The men with sticks drove them away, but it did lead me to question the quality of the security at these events.

To conclude, this trip was as enlightening as ever, but perhaps more brutally illuminating than usual. I was more able to put myself in the shoes of the people around me than on previous trips, though this was not necessarily accomplished in the most positive way. I constantly walk away from these interact events with a newfound clarity, and it is because of this that I cannot wait for the next one.

ARTSCO Mural Painting

Mixing paints

On February 22nd I participated in an ARTSCO mural painting at ISK. There were around five other people present, and we met at 9:00 and ended at 12:00. We had originally designed a mural that consisted of a paintbrush with various tendrils coming out of it, and revolving around community service. However, after we met we made the decision to paint the cheshire cat instead. We had a spot just by the art centre, by the two windows looking into the construction site, and so we decided to use the two windows as eyes and paint the cat around it. The cheshire cat was based on the one in the disney cartoon of Alice in Wonderland.

Basis for our design

We collected our paints, plastic sheets, and other materials and headed over to the site of our mural. Sabrina and I used charcoal to sketch the design onto the metal, and then we prepared to paint. However, Ms Lillis arrived and informed us that we had to first label and do lines where each mural ended. We went around painting numbers in little boxes on each set of boards and black lines where each mural ended, which took an hour or so. However, this made it a lot easier for Ms Lillis to organise which club would get each set of boards. We decided against painting the remainder of the boards blue, as it would of been more of an inconvenience than a convenience at that point.

Our mural thus far

After we had finished this task we all got together to start the ARTSCO mural. We painted the cat with pink and purple stripes, and worked together really well. The atmosphere while we worked was very relaxed and friendly, and I enjoyed working in a small group of people. Ms Lillis and the art teacher were also present, and Ms Lillis got us all juice boxes at one point. We finished most of the cat, but we still had to do the tail and background. Furthermore, outlining and small details needed to be added (such as the whiskers and teeth), but Cora said that she had some large sharpies that she could use for it.

This was a really fun activity, and it really brought the group closer. I'm glad that we got to 'make our mark' and aid in the organisation of the mural painting. I hope that ARTSCO carries out more projects like this, as it is an excellent way to be creative and help the community at the same time - if only in a small way.

NHS - Middle School Homework Help Club

Today, February 11th 2014, I helped out for the first time with the middle school homework help club. NHS has been trying to organise tutoring for a while now, but we have decided to assist Mrs Mahaffy with this club every Tuesday after school instead. We're investigating doing this on Thursday as well, but the teacher who organises it hasn't responded to our request quite yet. I'm planning to do this every other tuesday after school.

Straight after classes I headed over to Mrs Mahaffy's room in the middle school. Today there were around 6 or 7 children at the club, which is not too much - Mrs Mahaffy told us that there are usually around 11! This group of kids are all in learning support, which means that they have some difficulty concentrating, etc. They were all sixth graders, so what they were doing was pretty simple. Most kids were focused on english and science homework. English revolved around the novel 'The Golden Goblet', and I found this quite funny due to the fact that I actually remember studying this book when I was in middle school. Furthermore, the studying that the kids were doing for science was about plant and animal cells, something that I studied at the beginning of this year. I was really relieved that I was comfortable with what they were doing, as I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to sufficiently help the kids.

I was assigned to help a boy named Tisae. He was really friendly and we spoke a bit at the start about where we were from, etc. We started out reading a chapter of 'The Golden Goblet'. I read out loud to him and he ate a snack and listened. Afterwards, we had to do an illustration assignment he had for Enlgish - he was required to design a cover of the chapter by drawing an important scene and including a quotation from the novel. This took quite a while, but we finally got it done. The picture was of the main character when he decides to block up the entrance to the tomb to trap the thieves. Tisae had a bit of trouble drawing and writing clearly, but I think that he did a really good job. He carefully went over all of his lines with black pen, and colored his picture with extreme concentration. After this was done I helped him to study science for a while. It was really useful having learned this information in HL biology, and I tried to make connections to real life situations. He had to learn the parts of an animal and plant cell, and he struggled in remembering the cytoplasm and the chloroplasts. I tried to explain it as simply as possible for him and come up with tricks to remember the words, and I hope that by the end of the session he had a greater understanding of the content.

I think that this session was really fun. I was originally intimidated and a little scared at the prospect of helping these kids, but I now feel a lot more confident and comfortable in the environment. I hope that I can really make a difference for them and increase my leadership, confidence, public speaking, and other traits that I haven't had a chance to develop much before. I love how relaxed everything is, and I look forward to my next session!

Sports Update - 2014

This semester I am continuing both track and swim team. I've decided that this will be my schedule for the coming semester:

Monday - Track
Tuesday - Swimming
Wednesday - Track
Thursday - Swimming
Friday - Gym day

I've changed friday from swimming to gym because of the extra freedom it presents me with. I enjoy running in the gym due to the fact that I get to work different parts of my body (parts that swimming and track tend to neglect). The atmosphere is also nice, and it's far more relaxed than training with a team. I love pushing myself on the treadmill, going on the bouncy balls, lifting weights, and rowing. I think it will be good for me to learn how to push myself without a coach present.

Swim team thus far into the semester is a lot harder than last. The coach has decided that we have to train in practice like we would swim in a competition. He says that we can't rely on a sudden rush of adrenaline, and that we have to build up our endurance. Therefore, we have a smaller warmup and more consistent sprints. For instance we often do 100 meters 8 times in a row, with a 30 second or so break in between each one. I find this new method of training very difficult, but a lot more effective in the long run.

I haven't been to very many track practices yet, due to me hurting my ankle after IC trips. However, practices are pretty much the same. I'm part of the distance group and we work on 5-10 minute runs and loops around school. We also do longer sprints (such as 400 m). I find track practices very challenging, but rewarding. I also hope to connect more with the coaches, as I admit to feeling slightly disconnected from them. I don't have as good a relationship with Zwinscher or Smyth as I do with my swim coach. I think this is because there are more people on the track team, but I'd like to change it nonetheless.

I will continue to do my best in the sports program, and will blog if there are any sudden changes in the routine, my progress, or my thoughts.

Piano 2014

I'm continuing piano this semester again, and I've had a few classes since I've been back. We've covered everything we did last semester and now we've advanced more in the second book. I've been a lot better with practicing lately, and I've gone over the songs 'Sunrise' and 'The Ballet Dancer' so much that I almost know them by heart. I can definitely play fairly quickly now, but I realise that I need to improve my beats and timing for notes. I also find it a lot easier to play notes on my right and left hand at the same time now.

Rachel is now teaching me how to move my right hand up and down the keyboard while playing. This is very challenging for me, because I used to remember what notes were purely based on where my fingers were - not relying so much on the note on the paper. I now have to focus on keeping the notes on my left hand correct while at the same time figuring out where my fingers are on my right hand. It gets a little overwhelming at times, and I have to go pretty slowly, but I think with practice it'll all become a lot easier.

The new notes I'm learning on the right hand

The songs I've been doing lately are 'Three Blind Mice', 'The Dancing Kangaroo', 'Follow the Leader' (which involves the use of the right hand in a new location, and well as the left hand by middle C), 'Lightly Row' (also moving on to more complex playing), and 'Sweet and Low' (which is at the back of the book, so is slightly more difficult, but includes notes I've already learnt).

I really enjoy the challenge that piano presents, and I need to continue to consistently sit down and practice everyday. I've recently heard about a concert that I have the potential to play in, which is exciting and offers me some motivation.

KCCL Trip

On Wednesday, February 5th, I had my first trip to KCCL of the second semester. We left just after school ended and ate our lunch on the bus. There were a whole different set of people on this trip - only hannah and I remained from last semesters group. Most of the other students were in middle school, which meant that I didn't know many of them. The main difference was that we now have a parent chaperone coming along on the trip, when before there was really just Antony and a student leader in charge.
When we arrived the kids had been split into two groups - one was doing tyquando and the other were doing beading and knitting activities inside. I decided to go indoors, and we were introduced to all the kids again. Not many of them remembered me, to my disappointment, but I suppose it has been quite a while since I visited. I'm going to try to connect with them all more this time and not be too shy.

We sat down at the table inside and were taught by the kids how to crochet. You have a little metal stick with a hook that you use to weave the string in and out, and it's actually a lot more complicated than anticipated. However, once you get the hang of it and get into a rhythm it's actually very calming, and I can understand why the kids do it. We did this for a while, talking to everyone while we worked. We spoke about school and holidays, and everyone was pretty open with us. I noticed a significant change in one of the smaller children - she had been very quiet before, not wanting to talk to anybody, and when we entered her classroom on this visit she broke into a wide smile and started shouting "hi!". It was amazing to see her development, and I'm going to try and befriend her more next trip.

The other children were making bracelets and necklaces, and they were really into making patterns and such. Another student was actually visiting KCCL from a different school, and we saw him playing the guitar for the kids.
This visit was less eventful than others, but I had a really good time. It was nice to just sit back and talk to the kids, as opposed to rushing around and having to organise paints, etc. I really hope that this semester's trips give me the opportunity to connect with everyone on a higher level, and I'm excited to do more games and activities with everyone.

IC Trip - Laikipia Gold

Group photo!

For my IC trip this year I went to Laikipia, on the president's award gold trip. We spent a week hiking, riding camels, and participating in various other teamwork activities. The teachers accompanying us on the trip were Mr and Mrs Lavender, and there was a very friendly team of people with us the whole week helping out as well. We each brought along a small daypack for hiking (containing necessities, such as water, sunblock, snacks, etc), and a large rucksack.

Elephants we saw on the trip!

I was very excited for the trip, as IC trips are usually the highlight of the year for me. I was especially looking forward to seeing the camels and camping, though I thought that this trip would be very challenging physically. I had psyched myself up for a very difficult trip, as last year the biking trip was one of the hardest things that I have ever done (and that was only the silver award!). However, it turns out that it wasn't strenuous at all and the only real problem during the day was the unbearable heat. I wanted to learn more about the region and survival tactics on the trip, and connect more with the group going.

Our first campsite

On the first day we all met at school at around 7:40 in the morning to unload the bags into the bus and get organised, and then left at 8. Everyone had reasonable sized bags, and I felt a little guilty about mine because it was slightly bigger than the others. However, it turned out that we only had to carry our big bags for the last day, so I was fine. The bus ride was around 6 hours, and we ate our lunch in the bus. We arrived at around 2 in the afternoon and had a short 2-3 hour hike to the first campsite. Before the hike they warned us that bright clothing could attract buffalo and other dangerous animals, and told us that it was crucial that we all remained silent and calm if we saw elephants, buffalos, etc. I actually really enjoyed walking through the savannah. There was a light breeze which helped with the heat, and the terrain was really quite beautiful. We saw buffalo, zebra and giraffe in the first 20 minutes or so! When we saw the buffalo we all had to walk in single file in silence, and we did a pretty good job of it. When we arrived at our first campsite we met the camels, which were very tall and gangly. They were dorkily cute, and I fell in love with them at once! After we had all put up our tents we met for teamwork activities, such as organising ourselves by birthday in silence and doing motions matching our hobbies. We then had dinner and went to our tents for bed. It was a freezing cold night and I hadn't prepared for it at all! My sleeping bag was really thin and I barely slept the whole night. I recall myself curling into a ball to try and conserve warmth, but failing miserably. It wasn't the best first night, especially when I awoke to mass condensation on our tent.

We try to put up our tents

The second day consisted of raft building, hiking and camel riding! We all got up at around 6:30 and had breakfast and then split into two groups. Unfortunately, these groups were decided based on grade, and we ended up with a junior and sophomore group! We then had talks regarding how to use a compass and health and safety measures. We learnt what to do when you get a snake bite, and how to avoid it. Apparently you should try to take a photo of the snake after it bites you, as that will help them to see what species it is and inject you with the appropriate venom. Furthermore, we were reminded that snakes will not attack you if you don't provoke them, and that they will do everything they can to run away from you before they resort to an actual attack. This was a very interesting talk and I learnt a lot from Jessie (one of the men working with the organisation 'Active Team Solutions'). Afterwards the sophomore group got onto the 8 camels and headed off, while we all lavishly applied sunblock and began our hike. The hike was only about 2 hours long but the heat was extremely intense. I personally have very fair skin, and even putting on sunblock every 10-20 minutes or so got very burned indeed. On the hike we saw elephants, cows, zebra and many other animals, and it was really fun talking to my classmates as I walked and getting to know them. When we reached the lake everyone headed straight into the water, relishing the cold. Some people, including myself, even jumped in completely and started to swim around! Unfortunately, we had to get out soon afterwards. We were split up again into two groups to make rafts. We were taught how to lash together the planks of wood provided and attach barrels on to form the raft, and (though it was originally quite difficult) we learnt how to do it fairly well. We learnt about slip knots and various other types, and learnt that a good knot is:

Racing!

1. Easy to tie
2. Serves a specific purpose
3. Easy to untie

The Camel behind me carrying water

My group doubted the stability of our raft greatly, and though two planks came apart almost immediately after we put it in the water (we lashed it quickly on the bank) it didn't come undone again for the whole race. Eric, Liam, Hannah and I were on our raft and we used a mixture of paddling, swimming and pulling in the race. We had to circle around an acacia tree and then be the first to return to the starting point. It was very close and we almost won, but unfortunately the other team got there a few seconds before us. However, their raft broke while ours stayed intact, and our loss didn't take away from the fun. We headed back out with some other friends almost straight afterwards, actually getting pretty far out into the lake before we had to turn back. When we got back we ate a small lunch and then got onto the camels! We only had 8 for around 14 people, and so we had a first and second group to go on. I was part of the first group, and I got a reasonably friendly camel. Getting on was actually pretty difficult, my friend Nidhi almost coming off her saddle completely as the camel stood up! Once we were on it was amazing though, I felt so high off the ground and the flowing motion as the camel walked was quite nice (though slightly uncomfortable after a while). It was interesting to find out that the black chunk of hair at the back of a camels head is actually a gland that produces grease, and that a camel can survive up to a week or more without water. I stayed on the camel for about an hour, and then walked the rest of the way back to camp. I had an extremely bad sunburn after the antics of the day, and spent the night nursing a sore neck and shoulders! I also had the unusual experience of taking a shower at camp. They had set up showers, but th

Me on the camel

ey were only concealed by leafy branches... The showers were definitely not for the modest, and you could practically see straight through them! It was one of the most awkward experiences of the trip, but it was memorable...? I helped to prepare japatis for dinner, learning from my classmates how to role them to get a round shape. We ate and were told that we were allowed to sleep outside by the fire if we wanted. Shifts were organised to keep the fire going, and I spent a little bit of time out and then decided to go back to my tent. Needless to say, I froze again. Lesson learnt - I slept out by the warm fire for the remainder of the nights!

Riding Camels! [I am on the second camel]

Maasai cows

The next day we packed up our campsite and prepared to move to the next one, which was a over 8 hours hike away. We all packed up our tents and then the sophomore group got a head start on the hiking and set off before us. We helped to load everything into the truck and do the remainder of the cleaning up.We had four camels for 14 people, and so we took turns to ride them. I went on first and learnt how to ride side saddle! However, when I got off the real work began. It was definitely the most physically challenging day of the trip, which was in a way quite nice. It was, yet again, very hot, and this was the main issue of the day. Some people struggled with the walking (including one of the teachers on the trip!), but the lunch break offered some relief. We also ran out of water, which was an issue. It was vaguely amusing because we repeatedly caught up with the sophomore group and had to sit and wait for them to get further before we started walking again. I admired the energy and optimism of everyone in my team, and I think we did a very good job throughout the day. We met up with the sophomore group just after lunch and sat by the river. We watched some maasai take their cows down to drink, and a friend and I went up to ask to stroke one. To our horror the maasai ran up and grabbed one of the young cows by the leg, and it started to cry out frantically. We desperately signalled for him to stop and instead approached slowly afterwards and let them come to us and lick our hands. This was quite a large culture shock for me. Elly and I were so gentle and careful with the animals, and yet in our society they are ruthlessly murdered each day. We only know cows as packaged meat in the supermarket, and the fact that we were so shocked by the maasai's actions and yet accept this barbaric system shows how sheltered and blind we are.

Sunset

We set out again soon afterwards, and I rode the camel for a bit to camp. The new camp was much nicer than the one we had left. It was far larger and situated by a babbling river. It was so beautiful, and we all went down and sat on the rocks and paddled to cool down. Some girls even got into their swimsuits and started to tube down the river and wash their hair! It was a well deserved break from all the work we had done that day. We all put up our tents, took showers (in more concealed bushes luckily), and changed into clean clothes. A few people then set out on an evening game drive. I decided to go that night, as I really wanted to see the sunset. The deal was that we would help prepare breakfast in the morning, which I was ok with. I got into the old landrover, and I got to stand up and stick my head out of the roof. There were only about 8 other people in the car with us, and we all chatted as we drove along. The sunset was just as amazing as I thought it would be, and we saw jackals, rabbits, lions hunting zebra, impala, and much more. When we arrived back at camp we ate dinner around the campfire, which was nice. The food on the trip was actually not bad at all. Dinners were more than reasonable, and our lunches were self-prepared sandwiches and such. Compared to the biking trip the year before this was amazing, and I was relieved that the PA people were not required to pack and cook all of their own food. That night I also slept out by the fire the whole night, which was i

Sleeping round the campfire

ncredible. The stars were so beautiful, and we all pointed out various constellations from our sleeping bags (for example, Orion's belt). My shift was also bearable, and it was lovely to just sit up and quietly enjoy the fire and stars on my own. I slept far better than I ever had (or would of) in my tent, and it was really nice to be with friends and talk. I only learnt the next day that there had actually been hyenas creeping about camp!


The next day we spent the whole day at camp playing games and doing various activities. This was actually the best day of the trip for me, as I got to interact more with my friends and learn various survival techniques. Everyone split into four or five groups, and there were five activities - camouflage, abseiling, escape games, and challenges with buckets of water on and around a zip wire. I did abseiling first. It was from a tree, as they couldn't find any cliffs, but it was still fun all the same. We climbed up and then were lowered down. Unfortunately, our group discovered some bottles that could be used as water guns, and some water balloons. As you hung, fully exposed, from the tree the whole team would attack you with the water! This was actually quite nice (as it was very hot), but resulted in loud screeches and chasing! We also had to go and find all the people who had camouflaged themselves, and spent a good 10 minutes or so prowling the undergrowth and attacking those we found with our water guns. It was interesting to see how they had decided to hide. We had been told that it was important to hide your face, change your shape, block bright colors, and not to move - this is what people look for when they search for wildlife. Most people didn't hide very well, but Alex Alverson hid himself up in a tree and was only found near the very end.

We all pose with our camouflage makeup in the abseiling tree!

The activities after lunch were more tactical. In our first we were all tied on a rope and had to find a way to escape, and then were blindfolded and had to follow a rope through the shrubbery. This worked on our teamwork, as we had to verbally communicate with the person behind us to warn them what was coming (overhanging branches, etc). After this one we had to transport buckets of water out of a circle using only two long ropes. This was originally quite difficult as we couldn't get a good grip of any of them and they tipped over very quickly, but once we found out the secret to it it was simple. Some people then carried the buckets in their mouths across a zipwire, which was very difficult. The bucket was unstable and Jesse threw large rocks in the water as they reached the other side to splash them.

Camouflage...masters?

That night we had the traditional meal of nyama choma and ugali. They had slaughtered the goat earlier that day, but I had refused to participate or watch this activity. The meal was good, though I'm vegetarian and couldn't actually try the nyama choma, and we played games of cards around the campfire together. We also had a group discussion in which we reviewed the best parts of the trip and thanked everyone for their help. It was nice to see the connections that had been formed, and I was very sad that it was our last night. I slept out by the fire again, and the shifts were especially strict as the hyenas were apparently still close to camp and were attracted by the goat. However, nothing happened and we were all fine in the morning.

The last day went by very quickly. We got up and packed up the camp, took group photos, and then carried our big bags up the hill in a final trek to the bus. My bag was so large that I almost fell over backwards, but luckily I made it to the top! The bus ride back was bittersweet, and I was both happy and sad to go home.

'Dorkily Cute' Camels

Lunch by the river - day 2

Overall, this was an amazing experience for me. I learnt so much about the region and myself, and I made some really solid friendships. It wasn't quite as challenging as I had originally suspected, but it was much more fun that last year due to the extent of activities in which I participated. Raft building, camouflage and abseiling were by far my favorites and I took a lot away from it all. Everyone was just so motivated and enthusiastic about everything, for example during the camoflage activity some girls even went down to the river and covered themselves from head to foot in mud! In this trip I learnt the importance of teamwork, a lot about the animals and people of Laikipia, determination and perseverance. All that I did can be applied to my everyday life, and I'm so happy that I have the memories that I do of this trip. All the people that came along made it incredible, and I'm so happy that I chose to do the PA Gold trip this year. I hope that next year is just as amazing!

The river at our second camp

The camel takes rest at the second camp

Runda Feeding

Hannah and I

On January 26th I went to another runda feeding event. As usual, we met at 10:30 at Java and then proceeded to the actual site for the feeding. This time we all had our tshirts, which are blue and say 'keep calm and interact' on the back. They're really nice, and make us both look and feel like a team.

The line of children

When we arrived I started to load bananas out of the truck and put them into crates. They were awfully sticky and a bit gross, but the job finished reasonably quickly. I then helped to unpack the rest of the food into cartons to hand out. There were things like bread, candy, milk and mandazi's. It is all rather basic, but it's such a blessing for these people to receive this food. There were quite a few indians helping out as well, and the organisation had improved greatly over time. There was more security, and a series of helpers drove away children and adults that attempted to get more food after the handing out. This wasn't the nicest thing to witness, and I felt extremely sorry for those turned away, but I suppose it is necessary in an operation such as this one.

The milk we handed out

After we had unpacked all the food we began to hand out plates to the elderly men and women. We carried up the bowls to the buildings to give them out. The conditions there are improving, and they actually built a new dormitory for the men. Everyone was so happy when we gave out the bowls, and it was an amazing experience for me. In addition, there was a new baby cow that had just been born, and I saw a tiny kitten and some dogs around the area. We fed the animals as well, and I was very pleased by the fact that no one was excluded from this event.

I hand out lollipops

When we returned we all sat down at our stations and the children started lining up. They used plastic bags that the food had previously been packaged in, and there were around 150 children in the entire few hours. I always find it so bittersweet to see the kids. I love seeing the expressions on their faces as they receive the food, but I can't ignore the tattered clothing they wear and the desperate gleam in their eyes. I'm glad that Runda Feeding is helping them, but I feel as if we should be doing more. The satisfaction is only temporary, and they return each time in the same state of poverty.

A young girl and her siblings come to collect the food

Overall, this was a good trip. There were a few moments in which I was slightly shocked by the means that the returning children were turned away, but I was able to evaluate the essentiality of these actions. As ever, it is an essentially eye-opening experience to touch a child's life directly. I very much want to start doing something like this myself, but revolving around animal welfare. The dedication required is admirable, and I think that it would be very good for me.