Brent Hensley and Matthew Levy
Continuing the pattern from the previous day, the 21 HKIS students and leaders went on a morning run and stretch at the reasonable hour of 6:55 am. However, instead of just a “mild” jog (Author’s note: Some might even describe it as a prolonged sprint), we added in a game of Duck, Duck, Goose and naturally, much slipping and many laughs ensued. This morning, breakfast was a protein rich scrambled eggs AND fried eggs, plus fruit such as papaya and pineapple (Author’s note: It turns out Rachel is NOT allergic).
The bulk of the day was spent at the local village school, engaging with the children, painting the library, and trying to remove the previous days’ farmer’s tans. Upon arrival we were greeted with a small ceremony that included us being presented with leaves that when eaten are both soothing and spicy. Once we were given time with the children, we started off by breaking into teams in the courtyard and played a myriad of games such as cricket and keep away. As the heat became stronger, most moved inside where HKIS hosted multiple rounds of Musical Chairs (it was a crowd favourite). More physical and tiring activities ensued, until (finally, thankfully) it was time for lunch.
Lunch was definitely one of the most memorable parts of the day, as we dined on rice and chicken, prepared in a Tamil manner, all without the extravagant luxuries of utensils and napkins. The food was hot (in both meanings of the term), and culture shock ensued when the local students gave us strange and semi-aggressive looks as we licked our fingers. Lesson learned. The afternoon was full of dancing and singing, before returning to basecamp and taking much needed showers.
We dwindled away the evening hours with a movie that inspired us to be more environmentally conscious, before turning to a magic trick that became hilariously frustrating when even the smartest of us (such as those that have been accepted to Harvard) were unable to crack the magician’s secrets.
Continuing the pattern from the previous day, the 21 HKIS students and leaders went on a morning run and stretch at the reasonable hour of 6:55 am. However, instead of just a “mild” jog (Author’s note: Some might even describe it as a prolonged sprint), we added in a game of Duck, Duck, Goose and naturally, much slipping and many laughs ensued. This morning, breakfast was a protein rich scrambled eggs AND fried eggs, plus fruit such as papaya and pineapple (Author’s note: It turns out Rachel is NOT allergic).
The bulk of the day was spent at the local village school, engaging with the children, painting the library, and trying to remove the previous days’ farmer’s tans. Upon arrival we were greeted with a small ceremony that included us being presented with leaves that when eaten are both soothing and spicy. Once we were given time with the children, we started off by breaking into teams in the courtyard and played a myriad of games such as cricket and keep away. As the heat became stronger, most moved inside where HKIS hosted multiple rounds of Musical Chairs (it was a crowd favourite). More physical and tiring activities ensued, until (finally, thankfully) it was time for lunch.
Lunch was definitely one of the most memorable parts of the day, as we dined on rice and chicken, prepared in a Tamil manner, all without the extravagant luxuries of utensils and napkins. The food was hot (in both meanings of the term), and culture shock ensued when the local students gave us strange and semi-aggressive looks as we licked our fingers. Lesson learned. The afternoon was full of dancing and singing, before returning to basecamp and taking much needed showers.
We dwindled away the evening hours with a movie that inspired us to be more environmentally conscious, before turning to a magic trick that became hilariously frustrating when even the smartest of us (such as those that have been accepted to Harvard) were unable to crack the magician’s secrets.
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