Playing indoor football

Now that football season is over and hockey season has yet to begin, to keep fit and active the varsity football boys have organized a weekly game of indoor football supervised by M. Lotze.  These game are always a lot of fun.  Meeting on Saturday's from 9-11.  This activity has always been a challenging one because, even though we all love plating football, it is extremely tiring and requires a lot of perseverance and determination.  Also because the ground in the gym is hard it takes courage to go into some of the more dangerous tackles.  All in all, this activity is an extremely good workout, which has enhanced my perseverance, determination and courageousness.

Last year, Arnold Fomete brought a local team to play us in an indoor football game.  This was a great experirence not only for us boys but also for them.  They must have never played in such close quarters and , from the looks of it, really enjoyed showing off their skills.  Playing with this local team allowed me to get to know some of the other players better and discuss with them their strengths and weaknesses.  Also similar to the experience in Babong, when we mixed the teams, we were all communicating adequately, which showed me again that i can always communicate with someone without necessarily knowing their lamguage.In the coming weeks we may decide to organize another match similar to this.

Teaching at Arya Vedic school

Along with one my friends, Giri, i decided that it would be a good experience for me to teach classrooms in  a public school called Arya Vedic.  For two weekends I went to this school taught different aspects of science and mathematics.  In my classroom there were only a few students which made it easier for me to interact with children and also allowed to me to pay attention to the children's individual problems with understanding different topics.

I found it quite challenging when a child asked me explain a certain aspect in a different manner, maybe because i was only taught it one way but when i went home and mulled over the question i found that there were so many possibilities to answer the question.  The next day i explained to the child and immediately he understood the problem.  This demonstrated to me that solving problems need a broader view so that you can  look at a problem through a number of perspectives.
 
This experience enabled me to enhance my leadership and communicating skills.  It was interesting to see how i am able to explain aspects in different ways thereby enabling the children to receive a broader view of the subject.  Also i had to become extremely organized as i had to prepare the lessons on advance and also get any materials that may be needed for the classroom on the day.  The children were enthusiastic and enjoyed learning from me, which was great to witness.

Painting a school at Babong

Last year for the class trips i opted to go for the trip into the highlands known as Babong.  In Babong there is quite a large community school whom are always welcoming and entertaining.  As a group we decided that we should paint one of their newly built classrooms.  Personally, i had never walls before and so i was extremely eager to learn form this experience.  I learnt the different types of paint of paint used and also learned to use different techniques of painting.  It took us about an hour and a half to complete painting the whole classroom.  It was simply a pleasure to see all the students so appreciative of our hard work.  Painting the classrooms may have only been an hours work for us and i maybe only learnt to paint walls but the smiles and gratefulness of the children is something that i will cherish forever and something the school may not forget for many years to come.

After painting the classrooms, the older children challenged us to a football match and so we played...the school some good players and it was great to mix up the teams, which really challenged our communication skills.  However, as we began to play the game, we began to communicate very easily and therefore played very well.  It was surprising for me to see that when people from different cultures and backgrounds do the same thing, cooperating with each other, they communicate without even realizing it for they begin to grow a special understanding with each other.

After an exhausting game in the heat, the whole school gathered together and the head master of the school thanked us for all our help and we generously donated books, pencils and mosquito nets, after which all the students sung a song of thankfulness for us.

Cooperating not only with my peers, whilst painting the classroom, but also with the students, during the football game, allowed for a mixture of cultures to interact and enjoy each others company.

Special needs department at Oshwal school

Reflecting back onto the service i completed last year, i would say that the experience i had at the special needs section at Oshwal school was, without a doubt, one of the most fulfilling.  It was the summer of 2010  and my sister had finished her A-Levels and was preparing to go off to university.  Her career choice in Physiotherapy, led her to find work experience at the Oshwal, Special needs department.  She invited me to volunteer, for two weeks, along with her.  Having no idea about the forthcoming experience i reluctantly agreed to join her.
From the first to the very last day of this journey these children gave a whole other outlook on life.  These were children who were born with all sorts of abilities, and they managed to always have a smile on their face.  No matter how much pain they would undergo, they would still find those few happy moments that can change your day.  I was working was a teacher's assistant in the classes for the older aged students.  I found no uncomfortableness or nervousness whenever i was either helping or teaching any of the students.  It was also great to observe the different ways of learning employed by the teachers and how all these ways  ameliorate different senses in the children' body.  Also working with the teachers really enhanced my team cooperative skills, as we had to in tangent during the lessons.
Being with these Kids was like joining an extremely amiable family.  The teachers at in this department of Oshwal school are doing a terrific job of looking after these children.  Unfortunatley, a few months ago, the principle of this sector passed away from illness.  I went and visited the children during this tough period for them because Mr. Benson was very close to all the children.  His development of this sector will not be forgotten neither will  his love for the children.            

ISSEA football

This year the ISSEA football tournament was to be held in Zambia, Lusaka.  It was the first time i had been selected in any ISSEA team and was therefore, extremely excited  to go.  The preparation before the tournament was tough but all of the players knew that the tournament is both mentally and physically demanding.  We left in the early morning of November 2nd.  This was the first time i was ever going to Central Africa.  It was interesting to see how different, it terms of development, Zambia and Kenya are as countries.  Zambia is a very calm place with lots of unused land which can be used later for further development.  Upon our arrival at the school, we were introduced to the organizers of the event and given a tour of AISL (American International School of Lusaka).  Similarly to ISK, their school os quite open and spread out.  After our introductions and a little training session on their beautiful fields we were introduced to our hosts for the next few days.  Our hosts Mr. and Mrs. Mekeb were in fact Kenyan.  They were very amiable people and myself and Arnold felt at home with them.

The next day the tournament began.  We knew it was going to be a tough day for us as we playing four matches.  We didn't have the greatest of starts. losing to the defending cha,pions Uganda.  However, from here it just got better.  We won our next three games against Tanzania, Zimbabwe and the hosts, Zambia, respectively.  Apart from our first game we showed our qualities in the passing game we enjoy playing.

The second day of the tournament was even tougher than the first even though we had only two games on the day.  Our bodies were sore and we were tired.  However, we pushed through and gave the best team in the tournament thus far, Ethiopia, their toughest game.  We kept our heads up after the loss to Ethiopia and convincingly beat South Africa.  Our good performances had led to us the semi-final which was to be played the next day against Uganda.

I remember being quite nervous on the day of the semi final and final.  We prepared thoroughly for our game against Uganda and put out our best performance of the tournament.  We were confident, aggressive and composed which enabled us to be deserved 3-2 victors.  We carried all the excitement and emotion into our final.  The final was a great experience for all of us.  Some of us, like myself, had never really played on such a stage.  From the beginning to the end of the game we gave everything and in the end it all paid off because when the final whistle blew, we were ISSEA CHAMPIONS.  The first ISK team ever to win this prestigious tournament.

This ISSEA experience was one of the greatest experiences in my life.  It pushed me to limits i thought i could never reach.  It made overcome obstacles and show my true character.  The team shared a great bond and we were all as excited to be the first ever ISK champions.  It is moments like these that really define you as a person.    

Varsity football

It's been a great season so far.  The team as a whole has shown great development and this has been mirrored in our recent 0-0 draw with roslyn, whom beat us 4-0, in the first game of our season.  Those boys were shocked by what we brought to the table.  The season's not yet over, we still have the much anticipated ISSEA tournament which i am itching to go to.  Also we may have already qualified for the semi-finals of the ISL league.  The team has shown both character and resilience.
Personally, my development as a player has come a long way this season.  My head is more clear, enabling me to stay clam and relaxed on the field.  My character and leadership skills have also been augmented as the younger players in the team look up to me as an example.  So far, everything has been going great.

Reaching the semi-finals of the league was a great experience.  The whole team was ready to fight hard because it was by no means easy to beat St. Andrews Turi.  It was great day becuase the international food fair was also happening and therefore, we had great support.  We played one of the best games of our season.  The hunger to win embodied all of us.  We showed great character to beat a good team where we were deservedly winners.  However, we could not have let our focus be deterred because we played the final against who else, but Roselyn.

The excitement i felt on the match day was great, although i wasn't too excited to go all the way to RVA to play it.  It was a cool day and great weather for a match.  In a close first half both sides had scored, and can i say that it was a great finish by Rene Voskamp on our part, leaving us going into the break tied at 1-1.  The second half was as intense as the first and we were both unable to break each other down.  we then went to Extra time; Silver  Goal.  An extremely lucky goal by Roselyn, in the first half of extra time, meant that they were the victors.

All in all, i feel like this is the greatest sports season i have ever had in ISK.  We were so underestimated at the start of the season, so it took a lot of strength and character to prove to everyone that we are in fact the best football team ISK has ever had.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself playing with all the new faces and getting to know them.  Having the boys in 11th and 10th grade look up to us and thank us for making them the best players they can be was a great feeling.  I am obviously sad know that there is no football, because i don't think that i will ever play competitive football like this ever again and i couldn't have asked for a better season.  To all the boys next year I wish them the best of luck and a benchmark.        

Face painting at the PTO picnic

As i am part of artsco, i signed up for face painting at the PTO picnic.  Now before i continue it's important that you understand that face painting is alot harder than it looks.  I painted a number of childrens' faces, whom all wanted different themes.  It was good experience for me as an artist for it allowed me to be creative with my work and also have fun in interacting with the children.  I think that it's extremely important for me to begin enhancing these skills of random interactions with different people as it will help me interact with different people about different topics, enabling me to become a more social person.  After i had finished, my arm did feel quite tired but seeing all the children running around with their masks, having fun, made me feel as though it was time well spent.

This was a fun day and i helped all the kids have fun by painting their faces.  My objective was to use my artistic skills to help artsco earn money and help the event itself by becoming a more lively and enjoyable place to be.  In achieving goals, i felt that i did complete my objectives, which is why i took the most i could from this experience.

As i mentioned earlier, face painting is not as easy as it looks as it does get slightly tiring after a while.  I think that the fatigue was probably the only obstacle i had to face in this activity.  I think this was a very enjoyable activity, one which is carried out by artsco every year, and it did mean a lot to me that many children wanted me to paint their faces and, essentially, have more of an enjoyable day.  While i was interacting with the children, ibegan to notice that as the day progressed i began to feel more comfortable and ask the children questions more freely.  This development in my interaction skills is probably one of the most important things that i will take away from this activity.  This will allow me to be more comfortable talking to different people, whom i may work for, in the future.