World                                                       Challenge

WORLD CHALLENGE

On the 19th of November last year a group of eager Year 10’s and 9’s, Ms Stigger and Ms Knight were lucky enough to take part in what can only be summed up as one of the most educational and awe inspiring experiences of my life. After arriving in Kochi we were welcomed with a barrage of chaos that entailed illegal driving and some not so friendly locals.

After a short intermission that involved our orientation and a more than brief visit to a hospital nearby, we were on our way to embark on the 50 kilometre hike through India’s stunning mountainous terrain that would span over a seemingly never ending 5-day period. Each day presented new challenges that made the inside of a mosquito filled tent feel like our haven. On our journey we ventured through towering rainforests, secluded native villages and incredible mountains that were home to an abundance of endemic wildlife most people haven’t even heard of.

We then began our project phase at an incredibly underprivileged primary school that housed students from ages 4 to 10 years’ old who were more joyful than any student sitting before me. The project was to construct new and improved toilet facilities that were sorely missing. This included the demolition of concrete flooring, trench digging to allow for plumbing, wheelbarrowing large amounts of sand and gravel, scraping old layers of paint and applying new paint, tiling and the assembly of a pitched roof. However, amongst the hands on work Ms Knight and Ms Stigger were constantly sourcing school supplies, building materials and shoes for every student at the school to ensure we were doing everything possible to benefit their lives for now, and years to come.

After a strenuous two weeks it was time for our well deserved rest and relaxation phase.

We spent these humid days and cold nights exploring the markets and getting a whiff of the different smells that passed us as we walked past restaurant, piles of rubbish and shopping centres. We used our relaxation time by going on a six-hour houseboat along a river admiring the families that waved to us as we passed, visited temples and the pink fort.

But the best part of the relaxation was ticking the Taj Mahal off our bucket list. The amount of history and antiquity as soon as we stepped into the Taj Mahal was amazing and an experience I will never forget. Audrey’s birthday soon came a long and we decided to spend it at a hotel which had comfy beds and free soap. We spent our day trying to get a tan beside the pool, playing basketball and ordering food at the restaurant. Food was another story, as we had to eat our three meals a day and make sure we considered everyone’s dietary requirements. The tastes of Indian food were either rather amazing or not so great…there was no in-between. If you didn’t like the food at night, we would go to the local food store and buy as much food we could squish into our day packs.

Overall India was a unique country and I am grateful to experience such a colourful and beautiful country at this age. Three weeks is a lot of time to be away from family and friends and at one point every person struggled but we carried each other through the tough days and became our own family.

David Schaeche

Madeleine Hunter