IC Trip 2012 (Jan 30-Feb 4) : Mara 1

The IC Trip, in my personal opinion, is the one of the most rewarding experiences that ISK offers. We are really fortunate to get the opportunity to learn new things about different cultures in Kenya. Not only do these trips offer external learning about others, it also challenges you to learn new things about your self, presenting challenges that force you to look within and discover parts of yourself that you didn't know you had. For example, in my freshman year (which still applies now) we were all required to climb Mount Kenya for our IC trip. When I first heard of this, I was terrified. The idea of climbing a mountain sounded horrible and torturous to me. But when we got there and began our journey (yes it was extremely hard and tiring), something changed within our group. We got closer and supported each other who needed the help and the support system. By the end of the trip, not only did we grow as individuals and had a greater appreciation for our lives and our moms, we got closer as a group and learnt things about each other we never knew before. 

This year, I went to the Mara for my IC trip. This wasn't my first choice, so when I heard that I was on the trip, I wasn't the most excited. We were quite a unique group of people, none of which were people I spoke to a lot in school, so I must admit i was afraid to be put in this vulnerable new environment without someone i knew very well. But, rather than dwelling on this, I decided the best thing to do was to maintain an open mind and find excitement in the trip. Accompanying us was Ms.Bakke and Mr.DesRoches. 

The journey was long, and the roads were bumpy. Nevertheless, we sang songs and laughed to pass the time. Unfortunately, our journey was extended because we got a bit lost, but we got to explore the area a little more so it wasn't a completely negative. We arrived to our meeting point with the Me to We group and we were immediately captivated by their energy. This fascinated me from the beginning to end of the trip. They all seemed so happy to be in the Mara, helping people that they had grown to care about. It lifted us up. 

They took us on their Lory, with a lovely sign saying "KARIBU ISK", to the Me to We camp site where we would be spending the next week. The view was breath taking. I was quite anti-social on all of our travels around the area in the lory; I just couldn't take my eyes of the beautiful mountainous and the smell of the fresh air. It was so peaceful and quite, I felt at such ease. 

We reached the camp and we explored our surrounded our area. We had quite good accommodations: big tents, cots, dinner tables, comfortable chairs and showers! 

Once we got situated, it was dark so we ate dinner and played bonding games. Already I felt that I was learning more about people in our group. We tackled greatest fears, ambitions, and what makes us comfortable and uncomfortable. We also talked about the meaning of respect to establish a particular dynamic. 

After that we got briefed on what we had in store for us the next week: Going to meet the school kids, Building classrooms and teacher dorms for the school, walks, and exploration of the Masai culture. We knew this was going to be a great trip