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Retreat to Gavi

From August 1st to August 6th, the Grade 11 and 12 students went on an excursion to Gavi, located in the Western Ghats via Thekkady and Madurai. The trip was a break from the boring, everyday routine and an opportunity to spend a few days amidst nature.             At Thekkady we saw several beautiful viewpoints from hills. I was pushed out of my comfort zone while riding in the jeep as it took bumpy and precarious paths which was a new and exhilarating experience for me. We also visited spice gardens where I learnt a lot about how spices such as coffee and cardamom are grown and the varieties that exist.           In Gavi boating, trekking and going on jeep safaris were some of the activities we participated in. Being in such cold weather was an interesting change for me after the humidity of Chennai. Trekking was a new experience for me as I was pushed to my limits among the wild foliage and slippery ground. Being able t...
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Aadi Street Festival

Continuing the tradition set by our seniors, my class once again conducted the Aadi Street Festival. After three weeks of preparations, the festival was finally set to begin. I had been tasked with supervising Grade 7, who were in charge of nail art and handbag making (out of old t-shirts), along with Pranav of IBDP 2.           One of the first obstacles we encountered was actually getting the students to make handbags. The task was too difficult for them, leading to less-than-desired-quality handbags. After lots of help by Pranav, many handbags were finally made. If I were to repeat this, I would allocate a higher grade with more experience in handicraft to recycle the shirts into handbags.            I also felt that the preparations of all the prerequisites (such as paper cones, packing of jewelry and pricing) was done too late, leading to rushed decisions. For example, many of the students and teachers clashed over determini...
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Goonj

         In order to collect materials for the NGO known as Goonj, our school conducted a collection drive. As part of Goonj’s School to School initiative, which involves urban schools giving clothes, stationary, bags and notebooks to lesser fortunate rural schools. However, they are not given these packs for free, but rather rewarded based upon their academic activity and other aspects such as general hygiene or class participation.                                                                 Informing every class of this collection drive was a cumbersome task, but once completed, people were donating almost every other day, with many of the donations to be brand new. I...
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Ushering at the V-Edu Excel Educational Trust

        My classmates and I were volunteering at the V-Edu Excel Educational Trust's annual day. The school is one for special needs children. Upon arrival, I was immediately whisked away to aid in preparing a few banners for their boards and decorations. This was a simple task and soon we were allowed to go join the audience in watching the show.        Our real challenge only truly began after the show. Harshul and I were placed in charge of manning the feedback notebook and to urge visitors to leave their comments in it. It was at first difficult to distinguish between teachers and visitors, and we often confused both of them. However after helpful advice by one of the teachers, that is all staff were wearing blue, it was far more easier to identify the two groups of people.        However, another challenge we faced was to get everyone to write their comments in the notebook into the book itself. Due to a large influx of...
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Rope Climbing and Ziplining

        Having been offered an opportunity to partake in a rope climbing activity and to also zip-line across a large length, I decided may as well try it. The course involved maneuvering through an elevated rope structure that involved suspended tires, wooden bars and tightropes.         Perhaps the hardest part of this course was not the zipline but the tightrope. The fact that I was elevated to a height of around 5 metres was no help either. Being able to see everything below me was a highly daunting experience. However, by the end of it I was glad that I tried this out as I felt more willing to take up new opportunities and to move out of my comfort zone.
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Indian International Model United Nations (IIMUN) Conference

Day 1         After heavy rains postponing the event, the IIMUN Conference finally began one day later at Gateway - The Complete School. Several performances including dances, singing and speeches occurred before conference finally commenced. After seeing a few familiar faces, my  I was assigned to the International Council Women (ICW) as the delegate of Qatar. The two chairpersons of the Executive Board were jovial and easy going people, but once the floor was in formal debate, they meant business.         The agenda to be discussed was steps to ensure an empowered adolescent girl by 2030. As the board entered parliamentary discussion, I found myself horrendously outmatched and under-prepared. Some of my fellow delegates had been preparing for months together, whereas I had studied for a mere two weeks.         Once I had finally understood everything, I began to slowly open my mouth and speak. After listening and li...
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Mirchi Neon Run Marathon

        By looking at the title you may think I just ran some 30 kilometer, cross-city marathon under the scorching sun. Unfortunately the truth itself was that I merely ran a 3-kilometer, inter-ground marathon at night. However for a person as unfit as me, this was similar to a climb up the Mount Everest. Hence undertaking such a task truly was a big challenge for me.         The run took place at the YMCA ground in Nandanam and began at around half past seven. I was unable to take any pictures during the run itself, because if I did, my phone would have fallen to the ground and smashed into dust by the stampede surrounding me. Yes it was that crowded. It was slightly reassuring to see children and middle aged adults run alongside me. However after a while I grew slightly spiteful seeing those same children and middle aged adults run ahead of me with more energy than I even had to begin with.         By the time I completed...
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