I went to Sankheda (Gujarat) in the month of December for 6 days. In the trip I experienced the life of rural Gujarat, Explored the lives and living of the locals, did activities like farming and visiting milk processing unit and more. The following trip was arranged with the help of Maganbhai Ahir (Owner of Gir Organics). Mr. Magan has a farm of 500 acres in the village and we interacted with the locals of the village with the help of him.

In this trip at the first day we went to Mr. Magan’s farm where we harvested cilantro in his farm and at the same time we sowed different plants. This was all done during the day, It made me realize the challenges farmers face while farming in the weather of India and this made me feel thankful. At the same time we explore the local flora and fauna with Mr. Magan. They had a gaushala in their farm where they treated the cows in such good way, They didn’t use medicines, They used their droppings as fertilizer and also fed them left over buttermilk for better digestion. The milk farming which was done by them was so ethical and healthy which made me realize that the city life is not too healthy and that I should change my own diet. We went to the milk processing unit of Gir orangics where we learnt about the process through which milk is made. The trip made me realize the importance of farmers and how farming itself can become a very profitable business but is often neglected by people. We intewracted with the locals of the village and understood the daily problems which are faced by them and we understood how events like covid and the changing weather has affected their yeild and income. We understood the steps taken by the government to solve their problems and in general we leant about their life. We interacted with the punchayat and raised questions that we as IB learners found should be worked upon by the officials of the village too.

We went to an ashramshala where we interacted with the local kids. I taught them science where we conducted experiments about density, lemon volcano and more. We served them food and played a lot of games with the children. Some had dreams of becoming a policemen, some had dream of being a soldier and some just wanted to do farming with their parents. It was very mixed, some had big vision and some didn’t. We also went to the local town where we explored the folk arts and understood the problems they face in their business, the role of the government and also I realized the the true life of India stays in its villages and not its cities.

LO2 – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, Develop new skills – There were many challenges faced by me in the trip some were related to the language barrior because I am not fluent in Gujarati, I even faced challenges when we had to stand long days without water and a place to sit, I had challenges because none of my school friends were present in the trip so I suffered socially too and another challenge was the facilities of living which was provided. All these challenges pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me develop more tolerance, patience and thankfulness.

LO5 – Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collabratively – I chose science project so along with my peers we had to plan different activites and different experiments which could be fun and understandable by the kids in ashramshala. This took a lot of collabration and planning with my peers and I demonstrated my social skills in this activity. In farming too I had to work with my peers in order to efficiently complete the work which was assigned to us, I even learnt how to use a sickle to pluck out side plants.

LO6 – Engagement with issues of global significance – One of the issue faced by children around the world is the lack of quality education. The government can provide schools but because teachers are in often leaves and there is no digitalization involved. By conducting science experienments with underprivilaged children I not only gave them a good time but also helped them learn different science concepts more practically.

LO7 – Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions – Choices and actions have a lot of consequences. This trip taught me the value of food which we get in our plate and it also made me more thankful. I used to complain a lot about everything I have but after the trip I understood the ethics of my choices and I am now more accepting.