On February 26th I set off on my last IC trip of high school. I went to masinga dam, located just outside of Nairobi. On the trip we did a lot of water sports and learnt about irrigation and the dam in the area. Before setting out on the trip I was extremely excited for the water sports - I'd done a bit of kayaking and other activities but I knew that it would all be taken to a new level on the trip. I knew that the adventure would test me in new ways and bring me close to my peers. I was also excited to see the area, as my mom had told me that it was where she worked before I was born.
Masinga dam was a 2-3 hour bus ride from the school, so we got there around lunch time on the first day. When we arrived it was mainly just setting up tents and getting to know the campsite itself. It was very different frm most of the places that I've stayed at on IC trips before. In the past I was always pitching up my own tent each night and had to go without showers or bathrooms for the entirety of the trip, but on this one we had all of these facilities and didn't have to deal with taking down or putting up tents at all. I thought it was nice that we got this added luxury on our senior trip, but I did miss the rugged nature of other IC trips. The staff were all really nice at the camp though, and the food was absolutely wonderful. I probably ate more than I normally do at home when on the trip. The leader of the group was also very friendly, and he connected with all of us well.
We split into three groups on the trip, and rotated between water sports in them. On the first day my group did kayaking, on the second stand up paddle boarding and on the third canoeing. The instructors were extremely good when we were doing these activities - they were calm and sensible, but at the same time weren't afraid to make us do things that we weren't necessarily as comfortable with. For instance when canoeing our warm up was to swim across the river, which was moving extremely quickly. We also had to practice capsizing and jumping back into the canoes, which was difficult for certain people. I really enjoyed all of the activities, but my favorite by far was the kayaking. We wore a skirt when we did it, which popped up into the kayak and acted as a water shield. We were equipped with helmets and life jackets and had to work hard throughout to keep our balance on the water. We were taught a wide range of techniques when we got on the boats, for example how to manoeuvre oneself when caught in an eddy. It was one of the most exciting adventures of my life going down the river and racing through the rapids. The waves would often come up over my kayak and hit me in the face, and the adrenaline as I shot down was incredible. A lot of the other students capsized as we were going down, but I was admittedly quite proud of the fact that I didn't capsize the entire trip.
These water sports were better than I anticipated, and I think it was a great conclusion to the IC trips. I loved branching out and doing something different, and seeing a new side to Kenya. Usually I'm hiking through very similar dry terrain, but on this trip I got to see the rice fields and pastures close to the water.
We also did a number of activities to do with irrigation and dams. One day in camp we were given a few materials and told to make a dam in our groups. We made use of egg cartons, jars, foil, string and other small items to construct a makeshift dam in a plastic box. We had almost two hours to plan and execute this, but unfortunately my group's dam didn't hold up very well. The group that won the challenge made use of a triangle shaped base, playing on laws of physics in their design. We also went to a rice factory one afternoon. We were allowed to look inside the factory itself and see the way that the rice was stored, cleaned, packaged and sold. It was interesting to see how much the people of the area depended on their rice, and the fragility of the way that it was grown and sold. There were birds in the field who ate their seeds, as well as dangerously low market prices at times. Finally, we went to see an actual dam in masinga. We were taken on a tour around the factory and went down to see the pumps and machinery. I was shocked at how huge everything was, and the constant diligence and care that was required to keep everything running. The amount of power that the station was capable of producing was also amazing, and it led me to consider the potential of alternative sources of energy in the world today. Learning about the way that the local people of masinga harness and make use of their natural resources definitely opened my eyes to a new side of Kenya, one that I'd never had the opportunity of seeing. It also connected well with my HL geography class, and I had fun drawing parallels between what I saw and what I'd learnt.
This trip was very different from the others I've been on, and as a result I took away very different things from it. The hardest part for me was being split from a lot of my friends, but I think that this did prompt me to speak to people that I normally wouldn't aproach. I also definitely learnt a great deal of valuable information about the area and people of masinga, and am now able to apply what I've learnt to the context of the real world. Everything I saw is so relevant to those living in rural areas, as well as to those striving to find energy alternatives to remedy the process of global warming.
The water sports were difficult at times and so taught me a great deal about determination and perseverance. Kayaking down the rapids showed me the positivity in taking risks and moving out of my comfort zone (something that is easily applied to the classroom and my academic work), and canoeing the power of teamwork. The final stretch of my senior year is comparable to moving down a river - its current is pulling me into a new era. Therefore, I think that this trip jolted me into an awareness of the culture and society about me, as well as to my inner strengths and weaknesses.
photos coming soon ...
