Final CAS Reflection

Throughout the course of my IB years, CAS followed me every step of the way. I was able to take huge steps outside of my comfort zone and participate in activities I wouldn’t have thought I’d be able to do. Normally, I am not keen on exiting my safe bubble and taking risks. CAS held my hand and encouraged me to take those steps to help me grow as an individual.


The first area CAS helped me improve on was my self-confidence. I participated in activities that require a certain degree of self-confidence in order to be successful. Jazz band, for example, definitely pushed my boundaries because I prefer being in the background, but the music that we covered required me to not only have a substantial role in the band but also to improvise, which is hard enough without the added pressure of an audience. Artsco as well helped me grow as an artist. Since I am interested in art but have had no art classes throughout high school, I was able to improve my skills without scrutiny and with students who were equally passionate about art as I am. My involvement in yoga really helped me accept myself for who I am. Yoga is all about finding peace and love with oneself as well as one’s body. I began to look forward to every Friday meeting because it became the only time I could devote time for myself to focus on inner tranquility with my busy and stressful lifestyle. Now that I’ve been introduced to these activities, I will definitely continue them throughout my life.


The second area CAS pushed me into was a sense of adventure. The IC trips in particular definitely brought out my adventurous side. In 11th grade, I went on a water-sport based camping trip to Hell’s Gate and Sagana. During my senior trip, I went to climb a giant plateau in Samburu and camp at the summit. There are two things I fear most in life: water and heights. Each IC trip allowed me to face one of said phobias. I would not have pushed myself to face up to my fears if it weren’t for the encouragement of my friends and camp supervisors. I was ready to throw up the white flag several times throughout those trips, but they helped me stick with it and I am extremely grateful I did. I learned that sometimes a little bit of determination and perseverance is all it takes to climb mountains.


Finally, CAS enabled me to make a difference in our community. My involvement in service activities helped me better work in teams to reach a common goal. I prefer working individually, but I learned the merit and advantages of having people to rely on as well as share ideas. Community involvement makes me feel a part of something much bigger than myself and that I am able to really make a difference in someone’s life, whether it is distributing food, playing with orphaned children, or raising money to support girls forced to abandon their education for an early marriage. Nothing can compare to making someone’s face light up with a smile.


Because of CAS, I was able to be an active participant instead of a spectator.

Photography: Final Reflection

This year has been very useful in developing my skills and interest in photography. I have learned a lot throughout the duration of my time involved in photography club, both about the camera itself and other aspects to create artistic pictures. We recently went to Naivasha on a photography trip to further enhance our abilities, and the experience was extremely gratifying. We were able to walk around on Crescent Island to capture magnificent landscapes by adjusting our depth of field and choosing a well-framed image. Though we had to grudgingly roll out of our sleeping bags at five in the morning for a boat ride along the pristine waters (minus the hippos), I captured some breath-taking pictures of the sunrise mirrored by the lake. Getting up early was definitely worth it, and I would never have rolled myself out of bed if it weren't for Ms. Bock.

Though I wasn't able to get a clear shot of the fish eagles swooping in for fish, I was able to adjust my shutter speed to suit the environment instead of relying on auto. Later, we visited the owl orphanage, a rehabilitation center for injured birds of prey, run by a dedicated woman from her own home. Here, I was able to adjust both the aperture and shutter sped to snap some up close and personal shots of some magnificent birds. Though a lot of my pictures turned out dark, I was able to fix them post-processing though I would like to be able to figure out how to adjust my settings so as to avoid retouching my pictures later.




 

I've learned that taking pictures can be stressful, especially when trying to find the perfect shot. Sometimes only one or two pictures turn out from a collection of over a hundred, but most of the time, those shots are definitely worth the effort. I will continue taking pictures, and hopefully improve enough to be able to manipulate settings to capture the perfect picture.

IC trip: Ololokwe

Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith. There are times in life when you have to take a risk, and sometimes that involves leaning back over a cliff thousands of meters above the ground. Normally, this is devastatingly outside of my comfort zone because I am petrified of heights. I did not realize how deep this fear would penetrate my confidence until we were standing by the edge, overlooking miles of game reserve. If it weren’t for my obligation to fulfilling CAS requirements, I would have been sitting in my room binge watching a TV series into the early morning hours. Instead, I had a breathtaking view and a break from electronics. Even though I had to cling to the ground below me to prevent myself from breaking down into tears over the height factor, it was definitely an experience I’ll always hold in a positive light. Not to mention that I thought I was going to die at least several times a day. I came. I saw. I conquered. It was not without difficulty, however.

Climbing Ololokwe was six difficult hours. My lungs were burning and my legs felt like they were going to detach any minute. But they didn’t, and for that I am extremely grateful. Knowing my terrible physical condition, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. No pain, no gain, but thirty minutes in, I was ready to call it quits. I doubted I could make it to the top of this behemoth of a plateau. I wanted to set up a hammock somewhere in a secluded corner and rest for the rest of the day, but that wasn’t an option. We were going to make it to the top, and that was that. This climb tested both my physical endurance and mental strength. It took a lot of willpower to keep hiking up the steep slope. I learned that sometimes a little bit of determination and confidence can get you to the top. Even though I was ready to quit, I kept walking and made it to the top. It’s quite a metaphor for life: a bit of grit is all it takes to climb mountains.

The second most horrifying thing I did in my life was abseiling down, and later scaling, a sheer cliff with an invitation to a spectacular view – if you didn’t mind the height. I did. It took a lot of convincing and encouragement from my friends to get me strapped in the gear. I’m really glad they were there; otherwise I would’ve sat out on the activity. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

Ololokwe helped me grow as a person both physically and mentally. I’m now more open to trying activities outside of my comfort zone, as well as more motivated to stay in shape.

Interact: Mural Painting

We spent this past Saturday working on a classroom wall mural for a local school. We had some initial difficulty because the previous group forgot to paint the wall before painting in the letters, and carefully going around the letters in white paint took up quite a bit of time. I really enjoyed this activity because it was a mixture of both creativity and service. I love art and what made this event even better was that we were also creating something that kids would enjoy as well. Visiting this school showed me that I am extremely fortunate to attend ISK that has a lot of facilities at its disposal. This was the last mural trip organized by Interact, and I'm a little bit disappointed there won't be any more this year because I really enjoyed this service activity.