Soccer Finals

So we had our soccer finals yesterday agains RVA and we lost 3-0. It wasn't a great end to the season because as a team overall we didn't play very well. However, in terms of myself I thought I played quite well. People on my team as well as my coach said I was doing great defending and I was able to apply a lot of what we learned throughout training for this season in the game. I pressed intensively and although I was incredibly nervous (particularly since I was starting) I pulled it off. I wish we had had Ainsley and Sierra for this game because it would have really made a difference to our mentality and therefore how we played. However, since they were at GISS we had to go on without them, which was a huge challenge. If they were there though I think we would have put up more of a fight. It's just very disappointing that after everything we went through during this season we lost the finals by so much. I'm so happy that I did participate though. I was thinking, early on that I wanted to quit, however I stuck it out and for that I'm proud. I showed perseverance for an activity and I wasn't a quitter and that's a quality I pride myself on so I'm glad I haven't lost it. This was my last experience really being on a team since I don't expect to participate in Varsity sports in college and although we lost the finals I think it was an incredible experience. I was so afraid to play in front of people at this school so it was a big risk for me but it was well worth it. I made productive use of my time, made friends, and gained a lot more experience with this sport. 

IC Trips: Coast

So I returned from my IC trip two days ago and I had a great time. The first day we learned about coconuts, how to make a roof out of palm fronds and we walked around the village. It was really interesting learning about the community in this village and how it functions. They taught us that the people there really rely on coconuts, as they have so many functions. Some of these functions include making oil, rice, drinks, medicine, building materials and so on. I thought it was amazing to find out how many things one tree can be used for!

On Tuesday we had the opportunity to go diving off Wasini islands. I went with Rosa and this was a challenge as well as a new skill for me, since I went on the fun dive. We saw a stingray, a moray eel, fish and coral. It wasn’t spectacular but I’m glad I did it because I now have more experience with diving and I hope to become certified before I move from Kenya. We also got to have lunch on the island, which was incredible. We had fish, shrimp, crab and all sorts of seafood. I love seafood so this lunch was delicious for me J

On Wednesday the whole day was dedicated to service and we got a lot complete and despite my back killing me the next day it was well worth it! We began by working for four hours on a tree nursery. At this point we had to mix cement continuously and lay it for the foundation of the nursery. We were able to engage with issues of global importance, as trees are an essential part of this community and truly help it function because of the many uses they provide. This was a tiring process as we had to continue bringing sand from one location to the next with wheelbarrows, mix the concrete powder with the sand, mix this mix with water in the wheelbarrows, lay this concrete and then begin the process over again. We took turns on each task and we also took a water break every 20 minutes, which I think was a good way to do it because it gave you motivation while working, as you had something to look forward to. In the next place we worked for 2 hours digging a foundation for a dispensary. This also allowed us to engage with issues of global importance, as we worked to build a dispensary for a community lacking the resources. Every time people in this community were seriously injured they had to travel all the way to Diani on boda or a matatu, which is not the best way to travel when injured. Our work allowed for the foundation for a project that could really make people's lives easier and could also potentially save their lives, as they will no longer have to travel so far away to receive medical help.

On Thursday we got to spend the entire day at the beach. While we were there we cleaned the beach up, picking up trash in one bag and flip flops in another. We only spent 30 minutes doing this but I think it really does make a difference if you get a lot of people out there cleaning up the beach, you can cover a large expanse of sand in a short amount of time. Then we learnt about a local project with recycled flip flops. A group of people have taken it upon themselves to pick up flip flops from the beach and make art from them. They told us a little about the project and then taught us how to make items out of flip flops. I made a bracelet. I think this is an incredibly important project that has so much potential to continue thriving. It makes such a difference, as not only does it clean up Diani beaches but it makes something beautiful out of items that were considered useless. 

Horseriding

I started horse riding again! It was so much fun. I went for a lesson yesterday and although I didn't get to jump I cantered for the longest time and was able to get a really smooth and fluid canter going. I also learned something I'd never known about cantering so I gained a new skill. When cantering on a circle or track you always want to squeeze the horse with your outside leg so that they begin the canter with their inside leg. This ensures that the horse is on balance and the canter is smooth. When cantering in a circle the horse will bend in one particular direction and obviously one would want it to bent in the shape of the circle, not bent the other way. If the horse starts with its outside leg it would be bent in the opposite direction of the circle. I also got a new horse called Passion Silver who is an insanely fast horse and loves to canter fast. This gave me such a thrill though and I really had a great time riding again. 

Mji Wa Huruma Home for the Aged

This is the list of supplies needed by the home that Evelyn wrote out for me 

Today I visited the Home for the Aged for which I proposed the cleaning supplies drive with NHS awhile back. I was able to get a list of things that they really need, detailing the cleaning supplies that they need. I also informed the woman who runs the home, Evelyn, that NHS would be coming by to clean the home on March 13. She informed me that the areas that most needed cleaning were the men and women's hostels and the kitchens. Knowing this is helpful because it will enable NHS to use our time effectively when we visit in March. We can plan ahead of time and create groups, one for the men's hostel, one for the women's and one for the kitchen. I'm really excited for this visit because it is allowing me to plan and initiate activities. Furthermore we are engaging with issues of global importance, as we work to aid the elderly. I feel that the elderly generally get left out of society and service groups. We tend to focus on children and it's important that the elderly also get some of this attention. I also asked Evelyn what the people there do during the day for fun and she didn't give me much on that so I am fairly certain that they don't have much planned for them. This is why I want to bring cards for the men and knitting/crochet for the women when we come next. Knitting/crochet may be hard to buy since it'll be expensive but perhaps we can think of something else. We may also think of an interactive activity we can do while we visit the home.  

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Squeezing the lemon juice

Mixing the vegetables for the fried rice

The final meal :) 

Rosa and I had a cooking session a few weeks ago where we cooked fried rice and sweet and sour chicken. It was a major task, it took a lot of work and help from Rosa's mom. It was a risk because neither of us have cooked either of these things before but I'm really glad we did it because I learned a lot. The chicken we made was excellent, however we failed in making the fried rice. But I think that was important for us because we learned what not to do for next time. We burnt the rice because we left it unattended and stopped stirring it. I think next time, before frying the rice we'll boil it because the rice wouldn't cook by just frying, which is why we burned it. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/sweet-and-sour_chicken_03829

Ingredients

For the sauce

• 50g/2oz caster sugar
• 1 garlic clove , crushed
• 50g/2oz canned pineapple, diced
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp cornflour mixed to a paste with 1 tsp cold water
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 lime, juice only

For the chicken

• 4 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• pinch baking powder
• pinch sugar
• 1 free-range egg
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying

For the fried rice

• 2 tbsp groundnut oil, for frying
• 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 2.5cm/1in piece ginger, peeled and finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• ½ red pepper, seeds removed, diced
• 100g/4oz peas
• 300g/11oz cooked long-grain rice
• 50g/2oz cooked ham, cubed
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• soy sauce, to taste
• sesame oil, to taste
• ground white pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander, to garnish

Preparation method

1. For the sauce, mix all the ingredients, apart from the lime juice, together in a small saucepan and simmer for five minutes until thickened, adding a splash of water if it thickens too much. Add lime juice to taste. Set aside.
2. For the chicken, mix the flour, cornflour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl then gradually mix in the egg to form a paste. Stir in enough water to make a thick batter the consistency of double cream and whisk until smooth.
3. Half-fill a deep, heavy-based pan with the vegetable oil and heat until a cube of bread dropped in sizzles and turns golden-brown in 30 seconds (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended). Coat the chicken pieces in the batter then fry for 4-5 minutes, turning two or three times, or until golden-brown and crisp and completely cooked through. (You may need to do this in batches.) Remove the chicken from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper.
4. For the rice, heat half the groundnut oil in a wok over a high heat then add the beaten egg and stir as it cooks to break it into small chunks. When cooked, remove from the pan and add a little more oil then add the ginger and garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add the red pepper and peas and fry for a further minute. Add the rice, ham, and spring onions and season generously with soy sauce. Stir until well combined, then season, to taste, with sesame oil and white pepper.
5. To serve, spoon the fried rice onto serving plates, top with the deep-fried chicken, pour over the sauce and garnish with the coriander.
   
   
   We used the recipe above to create our meal! 
   
   
   
   
   
   

Varsity Soccer

I tried out for the soccer team the week after the play ended. I wasn't happy about starting a new activity right after I'd finally finished such a time consuming one but I really wanted to be on a Varsity sport before I graduated from ISK. In choosing to participate in soccer along with continuing to balance drama as the Fringe Festival comes up, I've demonstrated qualities of perseverance. These qualities are further highlighted as I continue with a sport I played in 10th grade and was unable to play last year due to my move. Anyway, I made the soccer team and am excited/nervous to begin the upcoming season. I want to get in shape and I like having a sport to play and a team to belong to, however I am nervous about playing in soccer games at this school. It's a risk for me because I've never played Varsity here and the season is really important so there's a lot of pressure. 

Arabian Nights Matinee

Today was the matinee, our first real performance. It went decently. There were many errors, of course, but you always have that in a show so I think we pulled it off quite well. It was a little scary beforehand but once I got up there I wasn't nervous at all. I think it'll be a bit more nerve-wracking tomorrow night when we have an audience from ISK but I hope this audience will also stimulate us to give a better performance. I felt the audience today didn't react very well to the piece. Either our performance wasn't very good or, as children, they were too afraid to laugh and were too young to be engaged or they really didn't respond well to story theatre. I think that story theatre is a very different type of theatre than most people are used to, what with the continuous breaking of the fourth wall and the narration of one's actions. It catches people off guard and is risky to try but I'm glad we're doing it because it gives me a whole other type of theatre to have experience with. Maybe (because the demographic will be a bit older) tomorrow night people will respond better. A lot of the ensemble work in Sindibad and the Envious Sisters worked well so I'm happy about that, however I forgot one of my lines in the end during my monologue so that was frustrating. Hopefully tomorrow night that won't happen and the performance will be as fluid and comfortable as possible.