AISD - Day 4 with Borderlands

Written by Jiah Park and Louis-David Mvona

                As usual we woke up as the birds chirped in our ears. The early risers started the day with a cup of tea and piece of cake while the latecomers skipped tea time and hurriedly put on their action gears. Like the other three mornings, we jogged up the inclined hill and stretched our sore muscles at 7:00 am. After stretching, we had a small discussion on what activities we’d do for the day. At around 8:00, we began to start our team building activities after our guide put us into four groups. We participated in activities that brought our team spirits together and it was a good chance to make everyone get to know one another well.

                In further detail, there were five team building activities that we had to participate in. One of the most challenging activities was facing the infinity knot. This activity is mind-blowingly hard as it consists of a long rope with two nooses on each end. One of the team members had to place their hand into the noose and untangle the knot that was formed on the center of the rope. All the team members were allowed to help particular person who had the nooses around their wrists. The first three groups seemed to have no problem figuring out the solution to untangle the tied knot, but the last one had lots of trouble untying the seemingly impossible infinity knot.

                The next most challenging activity consisted of all the teams attempting to boil an egg completely and successfully with only ONE match. The challenge was to light an ongoing fire that had to successfully burn during the full eight minutes so that the egg would be completely hardboiled. One of the most challenging aspect of this activity was that some groups didn’t know how long it took to boil a perfectly hardboiled egg, and it seemed as though many groups had waited more than enough to boil the egg.

                These two activities taught us how leadership and teamwork is necessary to have a successful result in whatever challenge that faces us in life.

                After a delicious lunch consisting of ham/cheese sandwiches, we went white water rafting. According to the majority of the group, this was one of the most thrilling and exciting experiences that we’ve participated in. Many of us were intimidated by the vicious current of the river, but we enjoyed it greatly as the cool, refreshing water splashed everywhere on our bodies as we rafted on the beautiful river. Although some students had injuries (editor’s note: the most intensive injury is a bruised knee), the white water rafting seemed to cool down the pain of the injured and made it an amazing experience for everyone. This adventurous activity was followed by the testing of the boats we previously made. Their efficiency was tested by a race downstream of the river. The winning boat was made by the teachers. Everyone enjoyed themselves and left the river bank with a smile. Unfortunately all days must come to an end; we finished it with a summary of all we learned about leadership and teamwork. Our main guide summed the beautiful day with a scrumptious feast of barbecued chicken and marshmallows.

AISD - Day 3 Blog

Written by Nanami and Harsh

It was just another regular morning. With most of us awake at 6:30 for a cup of tea and cake, there were the usual few latecomers.  At 7:00, we started our warm ups, climbing up a slightly inclined hill and starting our stretches. It was similar to what we did before, but there were a few differences. While stretching, we saw a daycare center that was ready to be modified by us later in the day. The center was made up of concrete, about the size of two cars that had to fit nearly twenty children. The chamber had a very dull and sluggish look to it, and was surely required to be refreshed. 

We came back to the Borderlands campsite to eat our breakfast.  It was toast, sausages and eggs, and fruits. We also tried to drink a lot of water to keep hydrated.  After half an hour, we got onto a truck that took us to a rubber factory. Once we reached the rubber factory, we learned how the rubber that we saw collected the previous day was processed and eventually used into our everyday materials. We learned that the factory was made during the British rule of Sri Lanka, and all the machines were antiques. We were surprised how the century-old machines used clean energy to operate. It used a simple turning of a wheel and a current of a stream to move the machines and process the rubber. Once done admiring the factory’s processes, we saw the people who collected rubber from 200 different trees, just to earn 4 dollars a day. We all realized how financially privileged we were and how we should be happy with the things we already have.

We then came back to Borderlands for lunch, to prepare ourselves for the job we had ahead of us. We were about to help a daycare center enjoy their day as we recolored the dull building that we had seen earlier in the day. When we reached there, many children came to welcome us and started to play and interact. We were divided into groups to do different jobs; painting the murals, and playing with the kids. The painters in the group were instructed to first dust off the walls, and then brighten them up with colors. It was a slow and hectic process, but the end piece of work looked fabulous. The daycare center looked completely changed, and we were sure about the fact that the children would look forward to staying in the building that was brightened for them. While some of us were painting, others were interacting with the children. Since there was a language barrier, at first it was very hard to communicate with each other, but as we started to play games and sing, we formed an understanding of each other with just gestures and facial expressions. The little children would sing and dance with us, while the bigger children would play cricket. We hope they had a fantastic time with us, just like we had a marvelous time with them. 

At the end of the day, we all gathered after being refreshed by our river baths/showers. We put together our ideas and learning of the day. We thought that the laborers that worked for the rubber factory definitely worked way too much for what they were earning, and that we should be happy with what we already have. We also learned that doing simple things can change people’s day, as we did at the small daycare center. Although we did not do hard physical activities like we did the previous days, we felt accomplished for the services we did to the local community.\.

AISD - Day 2

06:30. A few people gather outside the long house to enjoy a cup of Ceylon tea and homemade cake. They look at anxiously at the clock, till it’s 07:00. We all assemble for a morning warm-up; a few late comers rush in.  Divided into groups, we head out jogging to an open space, where we do stretches. Coming back, our exhausted team jumps into the cool river to get a natural bath.  After the refreshing bath and a filling breakfast, we all stand ready for a hike, which later proves to be longer than expected. 

In the blazing sun we walk onto the surprisingly empty Sri Lankan roads and head for the rubber plantations. With high hopes and breath taking views we begin our tedious climb. We realize the importance of water.  After a long hour Belilena cave finally is reached. The guides explain the history and significance of this place; the finding of the 30,000 year old man.   

The Borderlands team sets up an activity, in which we learn about each other. A few blindfolded people have to identify someone just by their hand. Surprisingly, many people succeed. Next we are divided into 3 groups. The teams can’t wait for their leaders to tell them about the task at hand. We have to navigate a whole group that is blindfolded, except for the last person. There can be no verbal communication. Some teams ended up with silly outcomes, but Louis and his group set a record by finishing it 2:41 minutes short of 10. We learn about the importance of leadership, communication and trust. 

When we finish eating lunch, we head to the final activity: abseiling.  We climb the hardest part so far, with the further equipment tiring us. Some people want to give up, but push on anyway. We are relieved to reach the top, and want to start abseiling right away, but first we listen to long safety instructions. Some people get nervous. In the end everybody manages to get down and admits that it was fun. We head back to camp at 18:00 with no energy. In total we walked 10 miles. It was a very exhausting, but rewarding day.

By: Artur Folwarczny and Neha Asim

AISD - First Day at Borderlands

Today's blog post is written by: Irmana Monem and Maxwell Mangus.

No clocks to wake us up at 6:30 in the morning and yet we wake up at exactly that time. How? The birds and the ever flowing noise of the river act as our alarm clock. The first activity we did after quickly brushing our teeth and washing our face was a stressful bonding activity called “Magic stick”. All 28 of us were to put down a stick using only our index fingers. Sound simple? Well, it’s not. Unless you have all the 6 essentials of team work that we obviously didn’t. We took half an hour just to put a stick down. It was frustrating and depressing at the same time. Frustrating because it’s only a stick we are to put down and depressing because none of us could do it. It’s later we realized that it wasn’t only one of us who could do it. All the 28 people had to do it together. It was that first activity that the crew at Borderlands introduced us to that helped us realize the importance of teamwork and its essentials. All we need is trust, leadership, communication, coordination, focus and planning. We didn’t realize then that these things would be tested in various forms throughout the day. 

After our team building activities, we had a hearty lunch and went for a so-called 45 minute hike which seemed to take up all of our energy. The occasional cool dips in the river on a hot and humid day along the way were relaxing and rejuvenating.  We completed the hike as a team, using coordination, trust in each other, exceptional leadership skills and focus. But our adventure didn’t end there. We met up with all the other teams in a canyon that the hike lead to. We were to apply all those skills we acquired at the beginning of the day for a fun adventure of canyoning. Most of us had never done canyoning before but we trusted the exceptional team of Borderlands to help us through it. There were few minor casualties (editor’s note: the biggest injury is a bruised knee) but the most of us had a blast. The casualties were well looked after by the skilled team of Borderlands. 

Apart from the adventure side of our day, we experienced some memories that we will all cherish for a very long time. We’ve seen the scenic beauty and humbleness of Kithulgala and its inhabitants and made a perfect beginning to a trip to remember.