SENIOR IC TRIP: From the 28th of January to the 1st of February 2013

From the 28^th of January to the 1^st of February, the ISK seniors went on an intercultural trip to the Kenyan coast. This trip included all the CAS aspects, as there were many activities available to us, ranging from action to creativity, and passing by service. On the Creatively speaking, we had the chance to witness and experience some beach art. As for the activity aspect, we went snorkeling and diving. As for the Service aspect of the trip, we excavated the foundation for the emergency ward in the local clinic and we also worked on the tree nursery. Adding to that these activities gave us the opportunity to interact with the local community.

From the very first day of the trip, we met with local community as we went outside of the camp to learn about coconut processing and making makuti. I loved that part of the trip as I am a fan of coconut and we were able to taste it. We learned that the coconut is very important to the community as it can be used for many reasons. Not only is it used as a food source but it some of its components can also be used to make cooking oil, oil to rehydrate and nourish the hair, which I tried on, to clean shoes, extract coconut milk and the waste is used to feed animals like chickens. I was really surprised by the various uses of the coconut, as I was unaware of most of them before the IC trip. On that first day, we also learned how to make makuti, which is used for roofing purposes. We each made one piece of it. It was a complicated process but the result was worth it. I was impressed by how quickly the locals of the coast were able to make these pieces. At that point I understood the importance of nature in rural communities’ eyes as it provides them all necessities from roofs for their houses to a food supply.

On the second day, which was also the most exigent and difficult one for me, I spent my morning in the tree nursery where we learned how hard it is for a tree to survive in arid conditions. Using empty water bottles and sand, we helped continue building the tree nursery. I also helped mix cement, which we used to fix the bottles in the ground. However this was nothing compared to the afternoon, which I spent helping to build the foundation of a dispensary for the hospital near our camp. Under the afternoon sun, we shoveled the dirt that had to be removed form the site. Although it was a hard project to work on, at the end of the day I realized what a rewarding experience it was to be able to help and perhaps make a long-term change for this community.  

On the third day of the trip we had so much fun as we went on a boat and were able o go snorkel or dive. I saw dolphins for the first time in my life and it was probably the most amazing part of the trip for me. It was my second time diving and it was a memorable experience as I had the chance to see a giant sea turtle, table corals and many colorful fishes. I can honestly say that the marine life in the Indian Ocean is mesmerizing.

The fourth day of the trip was my favorite day from the whole trip. We spent the day at the beach. We started it by cleaning the beach, where I found some interesting and very unusual objects, including a toothbrush, a dress and even shampoo. I was proud of us as we filled several trash bags in a short amount of time. To be honest I was very shocked by the amount of rubbish we found. It saddens me that such a beautiful beach is subject to pollution. We also managed to collect a few flip flops, which we used to make bracelets, juggling balls, turtle and fish key chains, etc. 

The local artists walked us through every step until we finally got results. I personally made a juggling ball out of seven flip-flops. It was a very enjoyable experience, especially for me, as I appreciate art and creativity. Afterwards we had a beach barbecue, followed by an acrobat lesson and yoga on the beach. We ended the day by hanging out with each other. That night we ate at a delicious restaurant, which was a beautiful ending to a great trip! This trip was an eye-opener to me and I am very happy that I was given the opportunity to merge with the local culture as well as to contribute to the Kenyan coast.

IMUN CONFERENCE: From the 13th to the 17th of November 2012

From the 13^th to the 17^th of November, I participated in the Iberian Model United Nations conference, which was held in Lisbon (Portugal), and during which I was representing the delegation of Spain in the special conference. I had been looking forward to the trip for a long time and I was overjoyed by the fact that this experience exceeded my expectations. It was my first time in Portugal and the beauty of the country as well as its culture fascinated me.

IMUN originated from a long tradition of preparatory debates for The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) between the Carlucci American International School of Lisbon and the American School of Madrid, meeting "halfway" in Merida, Spain. IMUN now stands on its own, in affiliation with THIMUN. The IMUN conferences are now held at here at CAISL and Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB), Lisbon, Portugal. "Out-of-Lisbon" students may stay at specially priced rooms at the Estoril Eden Hotel.

IMUN seeks to cultivate an appreciation of the complexity of the world's problems and the challenges that we face in solving them. Through a combination of written resolutions, debate, speeches and lobbying, IMUN models the UN General Assembly, Special Conference, and Security Council, addressing selected actual agenda issues worked on by the UN committees.

We arrived at the Estoril Eden hotel on Wednesday, where we met a few of the other schools also participating in the conference. We met all the remaining delegates on Thursday, while lobbying from 1pm to 5pm at CAISL. Our teacher assigned us the task to initiate and maintain conversation with at least twenty people  in order to get other delegates’ support on our resolutions. During this, I met several delegates from the Special conference who were all interested in debating the issue concerning access to clean water and sanitization. I had chosen this topic in light of the recent flood, which Spain faced before the conference. Together with 10 other delegates from all around the world, I read all of the individual resolutions on the issue and we then started the process of merging them. We also formed a Facebook group where we added all the co-submitters, who where from various countries, ranging from Italy to the United States. I felt we had a pretty strong resolution by the end, which fully explored most of the fundamental aspects of the global problem in question. The same night after having submitted our resolution, we were ecstatic when we read online that it was selected as one of the resolutions that were going to be debated.

Afterwards we debated all day Friday and Saturday at CCB in plenary session. Considerable preparation was necessary on our part in order to fully benefit of IMUN.  As delegates, we had the responsibility to appropriately represent the policies, attitudes, and outlook of our respective assigned countries.  To facilitate this, I had to extensively research Spain well in advance of the conference. IMUN had distributed country assignments in May to facilitate and encourage accurate representation.  We also had to be well aware of the major current event issues of the day. 

The Special Conference Assembly addressed issues such as ensuring equal rights for persons with disabilities, promoting universal assess to clean water and sanitation, and developing plans to ensure stability in the aftermath of conflict and disasters, amongst other topics. The conference began with opening speeches and followed with the debates on the selected resolutions. As we moved into the debate on our resolution on the second day, Rachel, our principle representation, got up and gave a short, but efficient speech on what realistic goals our resolution set out to accomplish. After a long debate, our resolution was voted to pass by the majority of the delegates of the special conference.

This was a great conference as all ISK resolutions were passed. IMUN made me a aware of the importance of preparation in order to succeed. From preparing I gained a greater understanding of these relevant and important global issues, which certainly added to my knowledge of the world around me. Adding to the conference, we also had the chance to visit Portugal and learn about some of the cultural norms and dishes. This was a great ending to my three-year long MUN career. Through MUN, I gained diplomatic skills, which always prove to be useful in any given situation!

JAMES BOND MOVIE PREMIERE: Saturday 27th of October

The Interact club  hosted the New James Bond movie premiere on the 27^th of October at the Sarit center theatre.  Skyfall was the celebration of 50 years of the famous 007 agent’s adventures. Our club had exclusively secured a sneak preview of the movie one week before its official release in Kenyan theatres. This was a charity event and all profits made went towards our service trips for OVC (orphans and vulnerable children) and for the Runda feeding program.

As head of the club committee, I was asked to design the movie ticket to advertise this amazing opportunity. This is the ticket design I came up with and which I am very proud of:

 Hundred of tickets were printed out and distributed among the interact members, who had to sell three each. They were being sold for a thousand shilling each. The ISK community was very supportive and the event was very successful. The Interact club made 1,800 dollars.

The name is Club…. Interact Club!

DRIVING LESSONS: Summer 2012

During my summer break, I went to Lebanon, my home country, for two months.The 13th of June 2012, I turned seventeen. Since I live in Kenya, where people drive on the left side of the road, I realized that summer 2012 was my only opportunity to learn how to drive on the right side, before I come back to Lebanon for university. So i asked around and all my Lebanese friends recommended Skaff driving school.( http://skaffdrivingschool.com/)

Skaff Driving School is One of the biggest driving school in Lebanon. They provide every single service related to driving:Teaching you how to drive properly, insuring you cars, doing all the paper work in the legal and official departments. All their cars have 2 driver's cabinets. (2 steering wheels and control pedals).

"Driving you safely for the rest of your life is our main interrest and product."

I got their number from a friend who learned how to drive through the company and I booked an appointment with one of the driving teachers, Nabil. I took twenty lessons in total, each an hour long. We drove all around Lebanon: Jounieh, Beirut, Adma, Feytroun... Skaff has a very efficient system: each student has to drive the previous student to their house, except if you're the first student of the day. Nabil was an amazing teacher, who helped me concentrate on driving even when listening to music or chatting him. 

In the beginning, I was scared an uncertain of my capabilities as a driver but with time i could see the improvement and at the end i felt like a professional driver. Now i'm confident i will pass my driver's license test as soon as i turn 18 in the summer of 2013!

INTERACT CLUB BOOK SALE 2012 ...more pictures

ISK GOLD VARSITY TENNIS TEAM: August 2012 - December 2012

At the beginning of my senior year i signed up for the the tennis team tryouts. They lasted for about two weeks. Everyone, including my coach, had realized the progress i had made over summer. However, i was still surprised when i made the first cut.

In the beginning we were 30 players trying out, and then we were left at 20 people, which were divided into two teams of 10 players. I made the gold varsity tennis team! We have practice four times a week :

• Mondays: 6:50am - 7:50am
• tuesdays: 3:30pm - 4:30pm
• Thursdays: 6:50am - 7:50am
• Fridays:  3:30pm - 4:30pm 

Our coach is coach George, with whom we discussed our goals for the season. My main goal is to perfect my back hand and avoid double faults while serving. I also wish to play more singles matches as i am used to playing doubles with my sister. 

Adding to practice hours, I play tennis for one and a half hour every Saturday with my formal coach, coach Peter. It is a much more intense training as we don't have to share 3 courts between 10 players.

OPERATION SMILE: Saturday 8th of September 2012

"Changing lives one smile at a time"

Operation smile is a worldwide children's medical charity whose network of global volunteers is dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults. It was founded in 1982 in Norfolk (USA), and has provided free surgery and related health care to more than 160 000 patients born with cleft lips and other facial deformities all over the world. The organization is present in more than 60 countries, with 12 in Africa.

In each country where they work, their goal is to create self-sustainable programs that provide free surgical care as well as education and training. They ensure every patient treated by Operation Smile benefits from the best equipment, procedures and highly trained medical volunteers, no matter where they live.

In Kenya, approximately one in 500 to 700 children is born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate. Children suffering from clefts often face numerous challenges to their health and survival. Facial clefts aren't just a cosmetic problem: 1 in 10 children born with a cleft dies before reaching their first birthday.

Those that survive, grow up with significant malnutrition, speech abnormalities and breathing problems, These patients, due to stigma, are normally outcast, who don't go to school and live a life of shame and isolation.

I recently joined the Operation Smile club in ISK. We meet on Mondays once every two weeks to brainstorm and plan fundraising events. Our club donates all its profits to this honorable cause.

On the 8th of September, we had a booth at the PTO picnic held in our school, We were selling 'operation smile" T-shirts (green and blue), cupcakes with smiley faces on them and brownies. We were also distributing brochures about the organization and we were raising awareness with the hope of receiving a lot of donations. Some of my friends and I went around the picnic explaining what our club is about, selling cupcakes an collecting donations.

Thanks to everyone's help and generosity, we raised about 58 000 KSH, which can pay for two surgeries, as each surgery costs about 240 dollars.