Horseriding

I went horse riding again for the first time since school started this year yesterday. It was so much fun. I feel like it's like riding a bike; you never really forget. I had the best horse, his name was Donald. He was completely prepared to trot and canter and had a great deal of energy. Plus he easily listened to me when I wanted to turn. The only problem was that because he had so much energy he began going to fast and became hard to control. When I cantered the first time he went to fast and I lost control so I went off the track. I had to really challenge myself to get control of him when cantering but I kept working on it throughout the lesson and by the end I was able to do a controlled canter around the track multiple times. It was a great feeling to have this sort of control over Donald so all in all I'd say it was a great first lesson back. 

Shrimp Stir Fry

By learning how to make stir fry I've acquired new skills. The process of making the stir fry and the actual stir fry is shown below: 

I learnt how to make shrimp stir fry the other night from my mom so now I can make it for when I go to university. I have created a journal to write down recipes that I can refer back to when I have to cook it again. Plus I can take this journal with me when I go to university. Ingredients include:

• Ginger
• Onion
• Garlic
• Shrimp
• Green Pepper
• Red Pepper
• Green Onion 
• Soya Sauce
• Ground Red Pepper 
• Spaghetti

Basically you cut up the vegetables and fry them in a pan with the shrimp while boiling the spaghetti in another pan. Then you add the vegetables and shrimp to the spaghetti and add soya sauce and mix it well. You should also add the ground red pepper at this time.

Cookies:)

The dough

Baking the dough

The final product 

Trying the cookies at school the next day:) 

Rosa and I have made a goal to learn how to cook before we go to college and are trying to make something once every week or once every two weeks. This weekend we made chocolate chip cookies, shown in the photos. We hope to be able to express creativity through learning to cook. 

I went to participate in the Runda Feeding Program on October 14. It's very near my house so it was interesting to see this community outreach program within my own community. This program allowed me to engage with issues of global importance, as I was able to provide meals for a great number of people, including the aged people living in the hostels. The program was divided into stations, such as, bread, mendazis, milk, biscuits and so on. I was at the bread station. The experience was very factory-like, we were all in a line and I passed the bread down to the last few people in the line (Rosa & Nalin), who then put the bread into the bags of the people at our station. Therefore I was also able to work collaboratively with others in order to find the most effective way to pass out food to masses of people. I've included photos from that day. One is of me passing out food and the other is of the children waiting in line. Before we started passing out food I went around and took a few photos and the children got really into it. They loved having their photos taken. I definitely want to go again and be able to interact with the Runda community. 

I joined Composer's Club a few weeks ago and have been having a lot of fun in it. I've never done something like Composer's Club before and singing in front of people is a big risk for me. In being something I've never done before, and thus a risk, it's also been a huge learning experience for me and will continue to be so. I'm increasing my own awareness of my strengths as I become more confident as a singer and am beginning to write my own song. My major motivation for joining the club was to try something new and convert some of poetry into songs. I've begun to do this by working collaboratively with Sofia, who is composing the music, and Ashika, who is singing the song and coming up with the tune. I've included my lyrics below:

Her prospects are determined

She’s a puppet in their hands
They pull tight on her strings

She must obey their commands.

Staring at the window pane

V­iolent tears pour down.

Reflecting those that streak her face

But she mustn’t make a sound.

It’s not her fault

Don’t say goodbye.

Fight back! Fight back!

The voices cry.

She wants to listen.

But she’d prefer not die.

Fight back! Fight back!

The voices cry.

Destined to suffer on

She’s forced to face the truth

Who can save her now?

An abandoned, wasted youth.

Condemning her to solitude

Imprisoned in her home.

Dreaming to explore the world

If only she could roam.

It’s not her fault

Don’t say goodbye.

Fight back! Fight back!

The voices cry.

She wants to listen.

But she’d prefer not die.

Fight back! Fight back!

The voices cry.

Acceptance is unknown

She cradles her baby boy.

Holds him close to her heart

Though her life’s destroyed.

Softly kisses her child

Pain envelops her now

She wants be their savior

But she doesn’t know how.

It’s not her fault

Don’t say goodbye.

Fight back! Fight back!

The voices cry.

She wants to listen.

But she’d prefer not die.

Fight back! Fight back!

The voices cry.

Longing to escape

Expands into fury

What was her crime?

She never faced a jury.

Fight back! Fight back!

The voices cry

If she fights to the death

On who will her child rely?

NHS Baking

I received a letter saying I'd been accepted to NHS when I returned from London. I baked the cupcakes above for the bake sale we had last week, my first NHS event.