Kasigau Reflection

Student Name	Yasmyn Ntege
Activity Name / Description	Kasigau Trip
Location	Kasigau
Was it C, A, S or a combination?	ACTION
Hours of CAS	60+ Hours

Kasigau was an incredible experience that taught me that I am able to persevere for long periods of time in even the harshest of conditions. Although I had gone on a much longer and, according to my memory, much harder expedition when I was younger, I feel that Kasigau was completely different. My maturity level back in year 7 when I went to Taita was low so I didn’t always take in the experience in the most positive light. Now however, I really have learnt the beauty of the great outdoors and thus, opened myself up to more opportunities like this. Being by myself on some parts of the trail back, let me think and set goals for myself this year in DP1. That experience made me decide that Train and go for the Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition next June. Also, make a point to go for Taita with a changed frame of mind and a more positive approach.

Abseiling was not exactly new to me but something that I had not gotten used to after I tried it the first and only time before. I am ecstatic that I now have no concern when it comes to extreme heights, as I was not terrified while going down the rock. I hope to get more opportunities to flex my newfound braveness, as I am afraid that it will deplete as time goes.

Before I went on the trip, I made sure I had packed sanitizer, wipes and so many other things I might’ve needed which proved beneficial on the climb but especially after coming down the slippery, muddy part of the hill. Essentially, your aim is not fall to much so your hands tend to grab everything in reaching distance so they were extremely dirty. Additionally, I tried to evade any negative thoughts from my mind, before the hike, which gave me an extra push (mentally).  Next time, I would definitely carry more wet wipes! I remembered complaining that my friend bought me baby wipes instead of the normal small wet wipes, so she gave me her two small packets. I actually really needed them as mine ran out quite fast.

Throughout the walk up the hill to the peak of Kasigau, I was exhausted and had already slipped more than three times. I was not carrying my bag so seeing other people who were probably even more tired than I was pushed me forward and even prepared me mentally for the walk back down which I did mostly by myself which was refreshing. If I go on other expeditions such as this Kasigau trip, I intend on helping others the way I was helped by my mentor, Mr. Orwa, because it really makes all the difference when someone is genuinely looking out for you.

Because I understood that not everybody was as fast as I was, I remember waiting for people who were at the back and lending them with certain supplies such as wet wipes when they needed them. Additionally, in the tents we slept in, my roommates and I decided we didn’t need to use all the torches as a source of light but instead, hang up one or two at the top of the tent, which proved quite useful, and energy efficient. Get to know more people to be able to better my collaborative skills and also, widen my friend base.  

We also were able to engage in issues of global importance. Going out into the community and finding information on the authoritative structure of Kasigau really opened my eyes to a whole other way of living which I had never before been exposed to. Although, I knew the living conditions of remote areas, the thought of any sort of authoritative structure never crossed my mind. While interviewing citizens, I was able to notice that the men new more about the system than women. On next expeditions, I hope to engage more with the people of the region to find out more about them and become more knowledgeable to make valid knowledge claims on certain situation around Kenya rather than relying on assumptions. First-hand experiences are more relatable than ones simply documented online.

There were times when I had just too much trash in my bag and me being, well, me, I hated the feeling of being a living rubbish vehicle. For majority of the walk back to camp from the top of the hill, I considered just dumping the trash under a pile of leaves just off the trail where nobody could find them but then I wondered what if everyone else did the same? Kasigau would be a dump and Aga Khan students in the future would not be able to come back and experience the same because of our behavior. I then decided that I would have to persevere until the next hour when I would reach camp and I actually made it through, resisting the urges to litter.

It would be a good idea to share these thoughts with the next group of DP1’s so that even when they are faced with the temptation to litter, they can try to persevere like I did and make it back to camp and dispose of the litter appropriately.

I feel like there was a lot of self-control that went into my experience at Kasigau, which in the long run, really develops my leadership skills in the terms of thinking under pressure and trying to persevere through those defining moments. I took control of myself and tried to steer my initial attitude from being depressed about having to climb a stupid hill to being anxious about bonding with my peers through a common pain or experience on that stupid hill.

I will try to reflect my self-control outwards on the next expedition and try to not only change my point of view, but also the point of view of other peers who also needed a new mind set and support.

SUPERVISOR: Mr. Alex Mwolo & Mr. Edgar Orwa