NHS (re)induction

Today I was inducted into the National Honor Society in ISK. I feel proud and grateful to be a part of this demanding organization, and I'm looking forward to participating in it.

NHS's goal this year is to raise enough money to provide a scholarship for a Masai girl to be able to be sent to school. I'm really happy to be able to help because a lot of Masai girls are forced into early marriages and are denied the chance to pursue a full education. I'm thrilled to know that we are working with a local Masai group of women who save these girls, and our collaboration can really make a difference in the local community.

My goal this year is to really give back to the community in any way I can, either through volunteering my time or skills, because I want to make a difference... no matter how small it might be. I also want to be able to assert myself and contribute ideas because I usually tend to blend in with the wallpaper. This will be a particularly grueling challenge because I am shy and avoid any form of public spotlights.

NHS is also my incentive to working harder throughout the year. There are a lot of values to uphold, especially those relating to character, leadership, service, and scholarship - the four pillars of NHS.

KSPCA

I signed a volunteer contract this afternoon to help out at the Kenya Society for the Protection & Care of Animals (KSPCA). ISK does offer KSPCA as a service-learning activity in school, but the club is full, so I volunteer outside of school hours.

I love animals and want to do my part to help those that have been abandoned or abused as well as volunteer my time to slightly lighten the load to full-time employees. By volunteering, I'll help with everyday chores such as cleaning cages and feeding the animals. So far, I've only taken a look around and familiarized myself with the area but I hope that in the
coming weeks I'll be able to start helping out.

For more information check out: http://www.kspca-kenya.org/

Wole Soyinka at Storymoja

Today I had the amazing opportunity to hear Wole Soyinka speak at the annual Storymoja festival held this year at the National Museum of Nairobi. Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright and social activist. Soyinka's speech revolved around a theme of trees and was dedicated to Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan female activist.

"Great people, like trees, can be felled..."

Soyinka's speech eventually led into the senselessness behind terrorism and how radical interpretations of both religion and history give rise to terrorist groups. He presented a vivid picture that I wish to retell:

Imagine a woman stranded in a tree, clinging to safety in its branches, trying to escape from a great flood of water below. As it happens, she gives birth in the tree. Luckily, a rescue helicopter saw the helpless woman and brought her to safety. Now, imagine the helicopter never came, but in its stead, a troop from Boko Haram happened across the half-naked woman in the tree.

Wole Soyinka had no doubt in his mind the troop would condemn the woman of treason - of disgracing the sight of both man and God. The scene of the woman in the tree, a symbol of survival to most, is now turned into an execution when faced by Boko Haram.

The following video is a recording I took of this section of his speech:

Yoga

Yoga is one of my activities counting for Action. We meet every Friday after school in the last MultiPurpose room in the HS office.

I joined yoga to strengthen my core and find a way to relax at the end of every stressful week. Though I attended my first meeting a couple of weeks later because I needed a little nudge, I hope to now attend every meeting possible. The first meet sold the club to me; normally I don't have the patience to do yoga in my own time, but the structured session really made the time fly, and I left the room feeling good about myself for accomplishing some physical exercise and relaxation techniques.

I hope that yoga will teach me how to let go of the stressful things weighing down on my shoulders because life is only going to get even more stressful when college begins and we have to balance studies with work experience. I look forward our weekly sessions when schoolwork piles up throughout the week and I can find an hour to completely relax.

Welcome Back Picnic

The PTO organized a welcome back picnic today in which every club got an opportunity to fund raise by setting up booths. I helped out this year with Interact, NHS, and Artsco by helping run the booths as well as taking photos for photography.

Interact organized a used book sale in which all our members brought in old books that were just gathering dust on their shelves. Every book was sold at 50 KSh and we had a surprising turnout. The funds will go towards supporting future interact operations.


National Honor Society set up both a cotton candy/shaved ice stall and a table full of Maasai crafts created by Maasai women trying to raise money to send young girls to school and save them from early marriages. The shaved ice was an instant favorite and hordes of kids came running for the cotton candy. A large percentage of our funds, however, went to the vendors themselves since we hired them for the day. A potential improvement next time is to perhaps try cutting out the middle man to therefore limit some losses. 

The picnic was a great opportunity to raise funds as well as bring the school community together for an afternoon.

Jazz Band

^ Practicing my photography

I joined Jazz Band, directed by Mr. Ligon, to be able to continue playing my clarinet in an ensemble. We meet every Wednesday and Friday before school.

In order to sound fairly decent, every member has to listen to each other to balance out the overall sound and cohesion of the piece. Jazz band also focuses on improvisation which requires skill and a degree of confidence in your abilities as a musician. We'll be performing eventually in public, and I hope to get over my performance anxiety.

Book Club

I consider myself an avid reader... a book worm, if you will. So, naturally, the idea of book club appealed to my compulsive need to pick up a book and ravenously devour it. Last year, I became more involved in book club towards the second semester and this year I'm helping the chair with organizing meetings and posting updates on the Facebook page. This position holds quite a bit of responsibility and demands a lot of organization on my part. A week before our first meeting, I met with Ms. Zents and we set up a basic, foundation schedule as well as the order of the chosen books we'll be reading this semester.


Book Club allows me to expand on my opinions of literature as well as share them with an audience. These meetings occur once every three to four weeks to allow enough time for everyone to read the chosen book. I hope to overcome my fear of speaking in public and sharing my opinion on subjects because I am quite reserved and will only reluctantly speak up when badgered and pressured into divulging an opinion. As a club, we hope to persuade more students to join, not only because we serve delicious food during our meetings, but because books are worth reading.

Artsco

Artsco is held every Tuesday Week 1 during lunch in the Commons group study room. I decided to join Artsco because I have a passion for art, and because I haven't taken any High School art courses, I wanted to find a way to include art in my school life. Artsco will allow me to work on my art skills with the guidance of an art teacher (Mr. Nichols) and other students passionate about art. This club is also interested in working with the community so we will be able to share our interest in art with not only ISK but other organizations in Nairobi. The Artsco president, Natasha, is a good friend of mine, and I find it really easy to work with her and share her passion for art. I can sense her motivation, and I felt it permeate the room the very first meeting. I admire her determination and I'm looking forward to participating in this club.

Though I ran for a secretary position, I was running against a good friend of mine and lost the election by a close vote. Even though I wasn't elected for a leadership position, this doesn't tarnish my dedication to the club and I'm happy for my friend who's the new secretary of Artsco.


I hope this activity will allow me to develop some confidence in my abilities as an artist and as an individual. I frequently see myself as another face in the crowd and I hope to break out of this mold I set for myself. A lot of teamwork is involved in Artsco: in setting and designing activities and mural paintings, and in making sure they run smoothly and are completed in time. This will boost my awareness in my role in a team setting and how I can contribute to the club to head towards a common goal. Finally, as an art club, I'm free to explore creative outlets and new mediums.

Zumba!

Last year I tried a couple of sessions of Zumba, so this year I've decided to continue and hopefully be more committed to attending Zumba every Monday afterschool in the dance studio. Normally, I'd be über conscientious about my nonexistent dancing skills, but I feel that Zumba will give me the chance to start breaking the tough shell I like to hide inside, especially when it comes to social interactions.

I hope Zumba will allow me to build my self-confidence, while at the same time having fun and getting a workout. Usually, it's really hard to get me interested in physical exercise or dancing, so I was surprised to find a combination of the two would be so entertaining and fulfilling at the same time. A few of my friends have also joined, so that also gave me a small push into joining Zumba so I wouldn't be isolated and as apprehensive about joining a club full of strangers. Because Zumba continuously pushes me outside of my comfort zone, I find myself more open to trying new things without the fear of embarrassing myself or worrying about being judged.