Final CAS Essay

I came into the full IB with the lowest expectations about CAS. I viewed it as a chore rather than a valuable learning experience. Now as I look back on my two years in this program, I can honestly say that I am grateful for CAS. If it hadn't been for CAS I would not have had the outlook and changed perspective towards the community I live in. 


I have lived for eleven years in Kenya. It is a country rife with poverty, inequality and social problems not experienced in many developed countries. In all the time I have lived in this great country the amount that I have contributed back to my community has been next to nothing. Until of course I became 'forced' into contributing through the full IB. I realise now how much more I could have contributed and experienced with my time here at ISK and in Kenya.

After seeing so many children and youth the same age as me in situations I could not even start to comprehend really assisted to put perspective into my life. I felt pretentious, ungrateful and a spoilt brat after seeing children content with a loaf of bread. However it was not only the service side of the CAS that inspired me and made me appreciate this country. There was also the action and creativity side. For example last December I took part in white water kayaking course. It was incredibly challenging, adrenalin filled and above all pure fun. Another enjoyable activity was the Katika mix, dancing with the deaf. This showed me the fun in dancing. It forced me to create friends who were deaf and showed me the possibilities and new horizons open to me, despite communication barriers.


What was great about these two years is that as I continued to do new and more challenging activities I began to see myself improve in areas I was weaker in. Such as my participation with others and willingness to take on new responsibilities, and also gain more strength in areas I was already quite strong in, such as my ability to have physical and mental strength and my ability to interact with younger people. I believe where I saw the embodiment of CAS was last summer when I volunteered to work at a summer camp in Canada for a month. I worked 24/7 with the children that attended the camp. Because it was over a time span I could also see my own personal development over that time. When I came back to Kenya I was able to implement these skills in the other CAS opportunities I had such as working in Interact. In this way I was able to see first hand just how important it is to not only rely on academic achievement but also achievement within one’s community, locally and internationally.


What I think should be taken away from the whole experience is that my career and life will not revolve solely around what I achieve in an office or at university. Rather the experiences I have outside of my comfort zone are what will really shape how I become in the future. In this sense I want to continue and embody any outside challenges I can take from my community wherever I live. I have found a passion for service, and after I undertook the CAS programme in Kenya I am privileged to say I have lived here. The country has many flaws and weaknesses that I would like to someday try and help address. I have realised that Kenya is a country with character, its people are some of the nicest I have ever known, the country is warm and accepting and above all it is the one place I will always call home. It has taken eleven years and a CAS programme for me to realise this, however I have no regrets about the journey that brought me here. It has given me perspective on the country I live in and take in the positive aspects of it rather than only scrutinizing the negative.


These two years have been a critical part my own personal development. There is no possibility that any student will have grown and developed the same way through this programme as we have all had unique and varied perspectives on what we have gone through. As much as I have begrudged the workload of the full IB, I can say that it has all been worth it. The CAS programme has at times challenged me and has added to the stresses from an already heavy academic workload. However if I had not had the CAS programme I would have gone through high school, graduated, gone to university and had little care for the community I have been raised up in. I would not have realised how much I will miss Kenya and how grateful I am for living here rather than starting my life in a 'developed' first world country.

Rugby Team, New Semester

I returned this semester for a second go at ISK rugby. Our team is in its fledgling stage; many of us do not yet know the basic ropes and mechanics that are required in rugby. As an individual that has been practicing rugby for much of my childhood I believe I have a lot to offer this small group of boys. It is a great place to practice leadership roles and abilities as much as it is a place to actually play rugby.

The coaches are a godsend, smart, energetic and above all hilarious. I believe they will take us through these next few months in good spirit. I have come to terms that it is most likely we will not win a large percentage of our games. This is the reality as we are an incredibly inexperienced team compared to the elitist British curriculum schools. However I do believe with practice and training we will go onto the field and lose gracefully like the gentleman we can be. Not the immature savages that are seen playing the American equivalent of a great sport.


Final Reflection on rugby:
Rugby has been a great passion of mine for the past 9 or 10 odd years now. It has been a sport that I can honestly say I am good at. Joining rugby in ISK was great because it not only allowed me to continue in a sport I excel in but it was also a place to bond with individuals I would normally not have become acquainted with. Rugby was because its very inexperienced and new stage in ISK  a possibility for me to act in certain leadership roles. For once I was no longer the 'small' guy anymore which is a great feeling. Playing rugby in ISK also taught me the art of losing gracefully. Although we lost almost every game and only drew one it was I still felt as though we had accomplished something and when I would go home it wasn't in sadness of defeat but I felt uplifted and happy that we had played a game and regardless of losing we had fun.
Therefore in the future I hope to continue rugby in university, not to go professional but to enjoy a game with the boys and at the end possibly go for a beer after. It has been a great sport that has followed through my childhood and will always have a soft spot in myself. Rugby is a savage sport but at the end of it we are all gentlemen.

Interact Mural project No.2

This semester I took part in the mural project that was co-ordinated by Miss. Taylor and another aspect of the ISK Interact club. It entailed taking a couple of my Fridays away so that I could help with the mural project. The mural was to be donated to our schools younger years as an educational piece of art promoting creativity. Due to the fact that I am a higher level IB Art 2 student, I felt I had to contribute my fair share to the work. I helped in the overall design and helped with the planning of colour schemes and other image ideas. The mural is still in progress and I will continue to devote my Fridays towards its cause. With a motivational push I believe we can make this mural become a reality for the younger years very soon.


Reflection overall on the Interact Club:
Interact club has been an amazing experience that I have cherished and view as one of ISK's hallmark achievements of student commitment and co-operation. This club has inspired in myself the ability to go out and volunteer and make myself useful in a country that screams with injustices. I have been able to work in a group, show my commitment and at times add my own contributions where it is needed. It has been a great learning experience that i can use in future jobs as I have been able to understand group dynamics more effectively. I now know how a club as large as this one works similarly to an office. How we all work off on each other to achieve a common goal. I have seen the rewards that come from working in a club like this and the rewards are very simple. Seeing the smiles on all the children that we have helped and tried to improve their situations. This in itself is far better a reward than anything I could have hoped for. A feeling of warmth always reaches me especially when I see the little ones with their big eyes look up to me with so much happiness. It makes me almost sad to be graduating because I know I will not get the chance to stay in this club afterwards. However this club has also inspired me  to go out and seek similar work such as this because now that i have seen first handedly the rewards I want to continue with this strain of work or somehow try to improve the lives of so many Kenyans. I can honestly say that through interact I have become more aware and more concerned of the social environment we live in, within Kenya. Due to this I am now concerned in studying political science, anthropology and african studies. I want to come back to the country I have lived in for so many years and try to give back to a land that has given so much to me already. Kenya is my home and I want to always look after my home.