Interact Club: International Commite

This year, I decided to join the Interact Club.
My sister was part of it the year before, and she talked to me about it. She told me it was a club that helped people in Kenya, and take part of various activities. I became interested, and decided to join the club the next year.

As I entered Interact Club I was put into the International Commite. This specific commite is in charge of contacting other Interact Clubs in Kenya, and/or other countries. However, apart from this duty, every member of Interact must participate in a range of activities such as the Runda Feeding Program, OVC, or fund-raisers ISK holds. And I have to say that through-out this year, I have gained many experiences through each of the activities.

OVC:
This activity consisted of going to play with children from a school that is located very near to ISK.
As we arrived to the school, you could always see smiles on the children's faces. During the time we were there, we played games with the children, danced, taught them games, and had fun. Sometimes, in some special occasions such as Christmas, or Easter, the children would come to ISK and spend the day swimming, eating, or using our sports courts to play games. Us, being students from ISK are very lucky to receive a very good education, and a place where we can learn that is in good condition. However, as we go play with the children we put aside our differences, what we have, what we don't have, and enjoy each other's company and share the happiness with them.

Runda Feeding Program:
In this activity, it consisted of meeting on Sundays at Java, and leave all together to this place in Runda where we fed people. I remember the first time I went, I was shocked. Shocked because, when the time came to distribute the food to the huge amount of people that were waiting in line, I realized how lucky I was to be given  so many privileges, opportunities, and commodities. It was an emotional experience, as you saw little kids carrying their siblings on their backs, while holding plastic bags waiting for you to give them food. It ranged from little children to adults. However, they all came from long distances to obtain a bit of food. One by one, they all formed a huge line, with empty plastic bags waiting. We had to distribute the food very quickly, as we had a limited amount of time, and so many people to feed.
However, the part that I hated the most was the end. When the food was already distributed, and most of the people got their portions, the situation always got violent, as more people begged for more food, and guards had scream at them, and hit them with sticks telling them to go away. I believe that, that is not the way to handle the situation.
In general though, I think that it was a nice experience to take some time out of the day to do something good, and helpful. In addition, it is an experience that really teaches you to be grateful for what you have, and always be willing to give a hand to others.

In conclusion, I enjoyed being part of the Interact Club this year, because it gave me the opportunity to know more about the situations Kenya faces, but it also gave the opportunity to help. It gave me the chance to actually value and be thankful for what I have, and to realize that people are still happy with less than what I have. Material isn't everything, and it cannot bring you happiness. But you can actually share it, and help others.

IC Trip: Marich

For this IC-Trip I chose to go to Marich, out of all of the other trips that were offered.  Last year, I would hear my sister talk about the trip, and that made me want to go. She told me it was a lot of fun, because you bond with friends, but you also have the

opportunity to help the people from the area, as well as learn about their culture. 

I really didn’t know what to expect of the trip. I was the only 10^th grader, along with another girl, with whom, I wasn't really friends with. But as the trip went by, I was able to meet people. 
Apart from the bonding I did, the trip to Marich also taught me to be grateful, and appreciate all the things I have. Because nowadays we take everything we have for granted. I've noticed that Marich is an area that has been isolated from Kenya, a place that doesn’t receive much help, and still needs development. Yet, the people seem to be happy with what they have, even though it’s not much. I believe that in our lives, we have the need to want more and more, even when we are given so many things and so many opportunities and we still don’t seem to be grateful for what is given to us; whereas for them, they are thankful for the smallest things that they are given. 
When we went to the bridge ceremony, I saw that so many people gathered to celebrate, to dance, and to give speeches and thank people, including thanking God.  For some of us, it might just been a bridge that will enable people to cross from one side of the river to the other, but for them it symbolized hope, and a bigger step towards improvement, and development. It is a bridge that will save lives, and that will help them in the future. Another aspect that I noticed and enjoyed from the trip was the fact that we were able to interact with people from that area. I wasn’t able to take part of the building

of the playground, but I still had the chance to play with the children from the school. Playing with them taught me that they can have fun in the simplest ways, which are singing, dancing, and running around. Which is something, most kids in our society have forgotten to do. Nowadays, children need computers, phones, and video games to have fun. It was nice to share different games we all knew. We didn't speak the same language, but it still wasn't a problem for us, as we always found a way to communicate.

Whether it was making signs with your hands, or saying a word or two in Swahili. I saw that the children over there took whatever they had, and made the most out of it, and had huge smiles on their faces. I was even given the nickname “my favorite mzungu” by a few children. Which made me really happy, because I was enjoying their company, and so were they. To me, this trip was also a way to disconnect from the chaotic life we lead in the city, where we don’t have time to appreciate much, where we are always in a rush. It was a trip that allowed us to stop for a moment, and see all the things that are given to us, and appreciate them, as we can’t appreciate them in Nairobi, or any city.