IC Trip to Watamu

For our Senior Trip to the coast I was on the creativity strand. In this strand we did water colouring, a photography safari and sandcastle competitions. I didn’t choose this strand as a major addition to my CAS but I thought I should mention it.

While we were there we were also required to go either swimming or jogging every morning. I chose to go jogging because I only like recreational swimming in the ocean. So every morning we would jog or do a fast walk up and down the strand of beach. I’m not much of a sporty person so this proved kind of difficult for me and I often walked more than I jogged. Unfortunately we as students were unaware of this requirement until we actually got to our destination. Hence, a lot of us, including myself, came unprepared for these activities. This led to me having to run barefoot. I actually really enjoy running barefoot and the sand is supposed to be really therapeutic for your feet and ankles but I often found myself returning to my cabin after the jog with really, really sore ankles. I would’ve have enjoyed my time running on the beach but I often felt embarrassed due to the presence of my peers. This activity really pulled me out of my comfort zone as it forced to not only exercise in front of other people but also with other people.

In addition to the main strand, each student was given a free time block to pick any extra activity we wanted to do. I chose to go snorkeling. I absolutely love the ocean, and having lived near the Great Barrier Reef at one point, I really enjoy swimming with the marine life and watching the coral. Snorkeling in Kenya is not as good as some other places I have been but is still a wonderful experience regardless. What made this activity different than usual was the fact that this was the first time I had ever been snorkeling without my dad. When I was little I had a real hard time with the idea of stingrays and my dad was always there to teach me how to snorkel and how to be comfortable with my surroundings, including the stingrays. Seeing as this was the first time I had ever gone snorkeling with people other than my family my usual confidence dropped a little. Despite this discomfort, as soon as I was in the water everything seemed to just work.