A village named Mokhamal in Dang, Gujarat, was the location for our rural immersion trip. The purpose of this trip was to experience rural life and the life of the tribes. We explored the village and the lifestyle of the tribe like their source of income, living conditions, agriculture, and many more. We visited homes of the tribe, a milking factory, farms, and waterfalls. We also learned warli painting, and basket weaving and saw the dangi tribal dance. The trip was amazing and learned a lot of new things about rural life. 

LO2 (Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process)

The challenge I faced was the hectic schedule I had. The activities that we tried with the tribes were farming, communication, and trekking. It was the first time we did farming, our task was to cut the dried crops and the other task was to tie the crops using the crop itself. Another challenge was the language barrier between the tribe and us, the language they used was ‘Dangi’ which was a new language, and communicating with the locals and the tribe was difficult. Hence throughout the trip, I developed communication skill as I tried to understand the Dangi language, I also learned that Dangi language was similar to Gujarati.

LO5 (Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively)

Working collaboratively is very beneficial. One day we had to spend the day at a school, where we cooked and played with the children there. We all divided ourselves into 2 teams, games and cooking. I volunteered for cooking, as the number of people was more. We had to prepare the food in large quantities which was new for me, chopping the vegetables and making the food. Working collaboratively made it easier for us to complete the cooking on time. 

LO6 (Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance)

The lack of quality education, poverty, and cleanliness. I have learned about these issues in school but never got to experience or see them in real-life. This was the first time we experienced this issue. It is important to resolve these issues, to ensure everyone has the required resources to live a clean and healthy life.

LO7 (Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions)

A kind gesture which we did for the children in the school was, donating books, clothes, and stationery. On our first visit to the school, we were surprised by the children’s situation, even though their basic needs were being met. This motivated us to donate resources to further support the school.

In conclusion, the trip was amazing I learnt a lot of new things and experienced the life of the tribe. The leaner profile I developed was communicator as we communicated a lot with tribal people to understand their daily lives and how they live. It was a new experience for me and my favourite part of the trip was warli art and trekking.