Service- Under Construction Build November 30th 2013

My most recent Under Construction build has been to Morningstar Academy in Kangemi Slum. Last year was a similar story, where all the builds apart from the first of the year alternated between Harvest and Morningstar Academy in Kangemi.

We arrived at the school a little before 8 in the morning and were debriefed on our objective. Unlike the first build, here at Morningstar we had a variety of different tasks. The overarching goal was to clear space and gather materials for a construction of a separate branch of the school. Morningstar is much more decrepit than Harvest Academy, having only about 6 small tin sheds to house over 200 students. A lot of the kids in Kangemi go to Morningstar so this build was of great importance.

We were first stationed outside of the school, tasked with whittling away and clearing a large mound of dirt that would be transformed into a new classroom. It was work much like that of our first build, where we were clearing away dirt. After about 2 to 3 hours of digging and hoeing, we finally succeeded in clearing the land, and had a nice piece of flat land to begin construction. But first we needed supplies.

Truck after truck wheeled in and deposited large mounds of construction material. However, because the alleways of the slums are too narrow and slippery for a truck to enter, they deposited the materials about 200 meters away from where we were actually working. In teams of two we trekked through the back alleys of the slum to the drop of point, and slowly started transporting the materials to the school.

 

After transporting all of the construction materials, we finally thought we were done. Yet to our surprise, even more trucks wheeled in and dropped of truckful after truckful of rocks, forming a mound so large it blocked the alleyway and towered over us. A rotating crew of about 3 to 4 people were stationed at the mound with shovels. People would constantly be running up with buckets or wheelbarrows, whatever they could find to transport the rocks. Their receptacles would be filled up, then they would run back to the build site, unload their cargo, and return back for more rocks. This grueling work took about 3 hours. Finally, we couldn't believe it but that mound of rocks disappeared and our work was finally done, all materials ready and convenient for a more skilled crew to do their work. Overall, the trip was long and hard, yet incredibly rewarding.

Service- Under Construction Build October 5th 2013

On October 5th, I went on the first Under Construction build of the year. About a third of the Under Construction club and I went to Harvest Academy, a school in the Kangemi slum. After a short bus ride to the slum, the crew embarked, tools in hand, to the school. Upon reaching the school, the headmaster gave us our assignment, to transform a hilly piece of ground into a flat, usable plot of land to be used as a soccer pitch for the children.

Above is how the terrain looked before we got there, it was highly slanted. The mound of dirt that crops up in the background was where our battle was to take place. Maintaining the level of the ground in the foreground, we pretty much had to demolish that hill and move it back by about 4 or 5 feet.

This picture better shows the true nature of the land we had to flatten. At the bottom it was fine, yet about 80% of the pitch was covered in soil about 2 to 3 feet high, what I am standing on in this picture. As you can see, we had to cleave and relocate all the soil covering up what was to be our pitch and flatten out the land.

These two were my faithful companions throughout the trip. The tool on the left is a traditional spade, used for moving loose soil out of the way. The tool on the right is the African Jembe, my favorite tool. It has a flat sharpened blade and each swing cleaves and breaks apart the soil, making my life easier by tearing through all the hard soil in my way. I may have had some pent up anger during this trip because in my digging ferocity, i managed to break two Jembes, snapping them in half. 

The Jembe does not require much force to cleave through soil, yet by swapping with a partner and working in quick bursts of energy, we were able to clear much soil.

After about two to three hours of hard labor, we were at the point of the picture above. Exchanging sea shanties and work songs, we toiled until our progress was clearly visible, decimating more mountain than any of us previously believed we could.

After 5 hours of work, we  succeeded into transforming a large mound of packed earth into the flatland that you see in the pictures above. Through blood and sweat, a small team of 7 students persevered into terraforming previously unusable land into the beginnings of a soccer pitch for the kids at Harvest Academy to play on. The work was tough but incredibly rewarding, and the smiles on the kids' faces made it all worth it.

Final Reflection--Habitat for Humanity

My objective was to finally gain an understanding of the community I lived in and I wanted to have a chance to actually help people. I did a variety of tasks ranging from what build I was in. My most common job was hoeing dirt to break it up, and then shoveling it out. I also did a lot of painting but I preferred the harder labor. Each build as fairly successful though we often did not have as much time to complete the build as was necessary. In the first build I helped digging four ditches to lay the foundation of a house. In the second build I helped paint three classrooms. Finally, in the last build, I dug two irrigation canals to divert water flow from a school building. The outcome was being able to finally see the look on people's faces when we were done helping them, and being able to glimpse at the great feat we had just accomplished, being able to say that we built something from scratch, and made people's lives better. We were for the most part successful but sometimes did not completely finish our plans for the builds. Most of my difficulties were purely physical. For the first build I had to wake up at 4 a.m. and that was almost impossible. Also, I have racked up numerous injuries over the builds, and even nearly passed out from toxic paint fumes. However, eventually you learn how to ignore these pains and you continue to trudge on until you get the job done. I greatly enjoyed Habitat for Humanity. It was a great way for me to directly help people, gain a deeper knowledge of the condition that some Kenyans were living in, and showed me what a little help could accomplish. I have learned many skills ranging from basic home improvement to the beauty of helping the less fortunate. I have learned that helping people benefits both parties, emotionally and otherwise.

Final Reflection--Guitar Lessons

When I picked up the guitar, I had no idea what to do with it, I just new I wanted to learn Stairway to Heaven  my favorite song of all time. I started off playing an electric guitar, and I eventually persuaded my parents to buy me an acoustic guitar also. I started off practicing once a month, then once a week, until eventually I got so into guitar that I was practicing every day for fun. I had to constantly work on new techniques that were harder and harder until I could master them. The outcome was stupendous. In only a little bit of time, I have mastered the basics of guitar and can play a few of my favorite songs, including Stairway to Heaven. So far I can play the intro to Stairway to Heaven nearly perfectly and am starting to learn the chords and solo. I can play many chords very well and even switch from one chord to another easily. I still am having trouble playing guitar classical style. I am a big lover of Latin classic guitar and in order to play it, you have to be able to finger in classical style, which allows you to play much faster. I am still having great difficulties with this because I am not as familiar of the strings with my index and middle finger so I often pluck the wrong string.However, I am practicing my scales classical style from now on, and eventually I can improvise very well with these fingers. I have ended up loving guitar, when I go on vacation I bring it, just so I don't have to go a while without playing it. I love this activity, and it has become a part of me, of my personality. I have learned many skills from this activity, primarily relating to playing instruments. However, I have learned the importance of dedication. If you are dedicated to something, no matter how difficult it may seem at times, you will eventually master it and love it. This is the greatest lesson I have learned from guitar, the importance of sticking with something.

Final Reflection--Arabian Knights Backstage

My objectives for participating in backstage crew for the production of Arabian Knights was to gain a better perspective and understanding on how a play production is actually done, and how to work better under pressure. I was in charge of various stage pieces and props, ranging from handing the right actor the right cape, to positioning a massive room that was to be wheeled on stage, requiring a minimum of 5 people. I also had to help calm down nervous actors and help them with their lines and their moods. The outcome was that the final play turned out very neat and polished, people who saw it say that it was good, and all set pieces and props were in the right place at the right time. I encountered many problems in the earlier stages of the production. Many of the props were not polished and broke often. The actors were very riled up and liked to yell at the stage crew. We were very uncoordinated in our set placement. Many of the stage pieces were in the wrong location and in return the actors got very confused. I very much enjoyed this activity. I not only gained an insiders view of how a production was run and a glimpse of what the actors had to go through, but I was able to do it without the stress and pressure of being an actor. The whole activity showed me how a play was run and exactly what has to happen to make the show possible. I have developed how to operate well under stress and even learned various management techniques. I can easily apply these skills to new situations, especially in the workplace. From what I gather, a large part of any job is dealing with stress and managing people, so these skills are highly applicable to any work environment.

Final Reflection--Karura Fores Runs

My objective for my Karura Forest runs were to be able to complete my circuit in less than a half hour and to get in better shape with my cardio. I ended up running the longest circuit in the Gigiri portion of Karura Forest about 2 times a week for the majority of the year. I ended up being able to run the entire circuit in about 25 minutes if I try very hard. However, I often took many breaks in my schedule due to homework, and really slowed down second semester. Though my overall cardio has greatly improved, it hasn't improved by how much I would have liked. However, my time for the mile is still on the right track for being fit for the Marine Corps. I encountered a few difficulties in my activity. First I had to over come the mental and physical urge to not run. However, as much as it would have been nice to just sit home and relax, most of the time I pushed myself to go to Karura and run. It was easier for me because I actually live right next to Karura so it is only a 2 minute walk away from my house. Also, oftentimes the forest was incredibly muddy, or full of various dogs and horses. Overall, certain days were just plain terrible to be running in but the majority of days were decent. I really liked this activity, I could feel myself getting into better shape and it really showed me the importance of a weekly exercise routine. Also, as I spent more and more time outdoors, I became to have a greater understanding and grasp of nature. I really got into the theme of nature and even began spending more time outdoors apart from the runs. I have learned a lot about what my body can do if I pu tmy mind to it. I can easily apply the skills I have learned on running and endurance to any future sports and activities I choose to partake in the future.

Service/Action--Habitat for Humanity

At the beginning of the year I enrolled in the Habitat for Humanity club. I am not particularly good with interacting with people so this club seemed the perfect fit for me. I could have picked trash in Karura or similar activities but I would have found them unrewarding, and felt that they did not actually help people. Habitat for Humanity seemed like the best option for me, I would be offering a great, direct service for people, and also work out my body. My first Habitat trip was the first Habitat trip of the school year. This trip was actually a certified Habitat for Humanity organization trip. Since the actual Habitat for Humanity organization does not have any actual builds near the Nairobi area, the actual build site was about 5 hours away from ISK. This meant that I had to wake up at around 4 a.m. to catch the bus at ISK which left before 5 a.m. It was pretty terrible. After the long drive, we finally got to our location. Our job was to dig four trenches in a square-like formation. This square would be later filled with cement, the base of a house. Later Habitat for Humanity workers would end up constructing this house, but we were just there to create the base of the house.The first trip was uneventful, due to the long drive we did not have very much time at the build site and only had enough time to dig the trenches.
The second trip was much better. It was on February 16th, 2013. We decided rather than to go on the certified Habitat for Humanity builds, we struck a deal with a local school that was in desperate need of repair. From then on we mainly went to the school Morningstar Academy, in Kangemi. Kangemi is only 20 minutes away from ISK so it was a very short drive and an incredibly convenient location. However, the main construction needed in Morningtar Academy was painting, which for me was unfortunate. Kenyan paint does not adhere to very strict non-toxic policies and being stuck in a sealed room for 5 hours with semi-hazardous paint fumes does not a merry painter make.

I started painting one classroom, and with he help of my friends, we completed it in about 3 hours. this is me above painting my first section of the classroom. As you can see, the classroom was made of corrugated metal and wooden beams, making it very difficult to paint, but also helping me understand the poor conditions that these students were learning in. After a good 5 hours of painting, we were all feeling quite dizzy but we were finally finished, the final product being the picture below:

This mainly depicts the outside of the school, which you can clearly see is flawlessly painted. What you don't see, is that the building is actually shaped like an L, this being one leg, with an entire other leg that was also painted that was not shown. The large amount of wood stacked outside is all of the desks and chairs we had to move before being able to paint the interior of the rooms.

Above is the picture of the permission slip of the latest build, which was actually last Saturday, the 20th of April. We had two options of what build we wanted to participate in. The first was again at Morningstar Academy, where my last build took place. The build was mainly painting a fence for the kids. Since I have had bad experiences with paint from the last build, I chose to go to the next build, at Harvest academy. Harvest is a secondary school in Kangemi. It is situated at the bottom of a hill so whenever the rains come in,  it sweeps through the entire school yard and disrupts the classroom and fields. Our job was to build 3 irrigation canals to divert water and then to fill them with cement blocks. The build was mainly a bunch of hoeing and shoveling. Below are a few action shots of me working hard hoeing and shoveling. 

Hoeing in my first ditch. I had to break apart the tough soil first. Then a person with a shovel would go and dig out all the loose soil. Then the ground was finally ready for me to hoe again.

A few action shots of me rocking the hoe.

Here we moved onto our second ditch, which is located in the middle of the school yard. This was actually the first ditch we dug here, then somebody told us we built it in the wrong location. As you can see we are building on top of a small hill. It turned out we had to build it at the bottom of the hill so we had to cover up this complete ditch, and then dig an entirely new one literally less than a meter from the original. Shoveling was more difficult than hoeing because you were stooped over the whole time, having to constantly lift more than a kilogram with each shovel-full of dirt.

This is me being patriotic.

Finally our job was to fill all the ditches with cement gutters, each which must have weighed more than 30 kilograms. They needed at least 2 people to carry and even then were a major struggle. People often dropped them, often times on my limbs, which resulted in my two main injuries during the trip, shown below.

I can finally say I have poured sweat and blood into this project.

Overall, Habitat for Humanity was the most rewarding project that I partook in this school year. I got to actually see how my work helped people, and not just poor farmers, but actual school children living in slums.Habitat for Humanity is great service, my hard work directly helping people. It has exposed me to some of the conditions that people are living in and it taught me that a little work goes a long way. I will definitely be doing Habitat for Humanity next year. It was a fantastic experience and I am glad i participated in it.

Action/Creativity--Arabian Knights Backstage

Arabian Knights was probably my first extra-curricular activity. I was interested in acting and was taking drama at the time but I felt I would rather see how a play was run and how the actors went through their rehearsing before I actually attempted acting. I joined with my friend Jaakko and Alex. When we first walked through the doors to the auditorium, we had no idea what we were in for. Observing what the actors had to go through, I am extremely glad that I did not blindly audition for acting. Everyone there seemed to range from stressed to borderline insane. Everyone was running around, screaming at each other, muttering their lines in their corners, and being overall on edge. As backstage, I had a few major jobs.
The first, and most strenuous job was the triangle. The triangle was the biggest set piece on the stage. The triangle was a massive triangular prism that the actors used for multiple set pieces. It took at least 5 people to push onto stage. Backstage crew was not supposed to be seen by the audience, so the crew had to maneuver and prep the triangle before it went out to stage, which included positioning it so that the actors could drag it out and everything would be perfect. During one scene, we had to unlock a side of the triangle to let the actors use it on stage. That meant that a stage crew member would have to hide in the triangle, have the others wheel him onstage, and he had to position all the props, unlock the frond door, and escape out of a back door before the front door was opened.
The second and most fragile set piece was the bird. The bird was a set piece used for the tale of the Eagle, which was used in the tale of Sindbad the sailor. The eagle was a real hassle. Though it may have looked decent on stage from an audience member, it was terribly made and in danger of breaking any second, which it actually often did.

The bird was Styrofoam being held up by duck tape and balsa wood. Before the actors took it up on stage, backstage crew repaired all parts that were failing, and then lifted up each limb in preparation to hand it off to  the actors.
Backstage crew also had to deal with many more smaller tasks, from making props, to making sure actors receive them before they had to go on stage. Overall, my experience working backstage has really gave me insight on the acting community and how to run a play, as well as teaching me how to operate under stress. The final performances were incredibly rewarding and I now have deeper knowledge into plays.

Action--Karura Forest Run

Starting mid-first semester, I wanted to get myself into better shape. I do a daily routine of push ups and sit ups each day yet my main trouble lies in cardio. I have very low endurance and get tired after only short bursts of energy. In order to improve myself, I knew I had to start running weekly. I am lucky enough to live literally next to Karura forest, when my house ends, Karura begins. Starting in November, I began running a slow route around Karura for about an hour a week. Eventually, I began getting better at running, until I found an excellent routine. I usually run 3 times a week for about an hour each, on a specific route.

Though it is hard to see on this map, my typical route starts at point 50, then 69, 74, 70, 69, 54, 56,51, and then back to point 50. This allows me to circle all of the left=side of Karura forest, passing by a river at point 74.

Though I usually run by myself, sometimes my dad joins me on my runs. I have began to really love my Karura runs, they are relaxing, almost meditative  Being alone with nothing but the trees and animals really humbles you and brings you closer to nature. 

Though I am still not very good at running, I am sure if I keep up these runs I can make the boys field hockey team next year. Now that I am training, I feel much more confident about myself and am greatly looking forward to next year's sports.

Creativity--Guitar Lessons

Every Monday, I take guitar lessons in the ISK drum room with my teacher, Chris. I started taking guitar lessons a month into school. I always wanted to take guitar but never found a teacher before. I have taken three years of violin but was not very good and found the whole experience unappealing and unpleasant. I love rock music and guitar seemed like an excellent instrument. I got a guitar about a year ago, and tried teaching myself. I learned a few basic songs, my favorite of which was Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes. When I started taking lessons, I found it very hard to keep up. I was used to playing occasionally, at most two times a week. However, when I started to take lessons, I found it hard to keep up with the amount of practice needed, and did not improve as fast as I should have. I was making very slow progress until winter break. During winter break I spent a week in Nairobi, and seeing as how my teacher Chris was also free, I had a one-hour long lesson a day.By the end of the week, I was able to play House of the Rising Song by The Animals and could even improvise melodies while he was strumming generic chords as backup. I started off playing on an electric guitar, a cherry-red Fender Stratocaster.

 This was mainly because I wanted to be like the rock & roll legends I listened to on my iPod and did not actually think of a guitar as a practical instrument, more as a way to attract girls. However, I realized a few months into actually playing guitar, that maybe an electric guitar was not the best instrument to start off with. Using my Stratocaster was a real hassle  If i wanted to actually play music, I would have to carry around 20 feet of cable to plug into an amplifier. Speaking of which, if I wanted to play at all, I would have to find an amplifier. Add all of this to the fact that I had to lug around a 20-pound instrument, the whole electric-guitar legend idea would have to wait.
I decided it was time for change. After persuading my parents that I would not quit guitar like I did violin, I managed to buy an acoustic guitar, the Jasmine by Takamine S34C NEX acoustic guitar. After receiving my acoustic guitar, I was delighted. The acoustic guitar was what got me practicing often, almost everyday of the week. It was so light and portable, I could just pick up and strum anytime I wanted to.

February was when I started becoming fairly proficient as a guitar player. I decided to take the initiative to play some songs that I like. I managed to learn the riff of Layla by Eric Clapton, my favorite song of all time. It uses some very tricky techniques known as hammer-ons and pull-offs. However, my guitar playing completely changed when I started learning the tab of Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. First, an introduction to "tabs". Tabs are written pieces that tell guitarists how to play songs. They are much easier than learning notes because they tell the guitarist exactly where to put which finger on which string. They have a disadvantage where you cannot learn the melody of a song through listening to tabs, this is where notes are superior. I started learning notes 3 months ago, and still find them difficult. I must go over them a few times in my head, then match the note with the position on the string, and then can finally play. Anyway, Stairway to Heaven was a perfect song for me because it was very challenging, but still obtainable at my skill level, I practiced and practiced each day and now I can play the first few minutes nearly flawlessly.
Yesterday I received the news that in a month, around mid-may, I am actually going to play Stairway to Heaven in front of a cohort of kids and their parents as part of a recital that my teacher does with his students. I am very excited and scared at the same time. I am practicing nearly every day to hone my skills.
When I first started guitar, I thought it would be just another instrument I would fiddle around with (no pun intended), and then toss to the side. However, now that I mastered the very basics and am becoming fairly proficient, I find myself loving guitar, even bringing it on vacations just so I can play it some more. Guitar has honed my brain into a multi-tasking machine. I have to look at notes, comprehend them, and then translate them into two separate hand motions simultaneously  all of this at the exact same moment. Though it can be very tough some times, i have learned the benefits of perseverance and am now on my way to perform in front of others and to share my skills.