I went to Igatpuri in September during my trip. The primary purpose of the vacation was to trek through the Igatpuri mountains, but it was also an opportunity for me to hang out and have fun with my friends. It was incredibly fun to see people play all night long. We had a schedule for the trip that included teaching children at a local government school, trekking, and cleaning up dams. During this time, I went on a two-hour hike uphill. At the same time, we visited a nearby dam and cleaned it, picked up trash, and took in the incredible view. We visited a local government school in a neighboring village, where we engaged in numerous games with the children. I was very delighted while I was playing games with the government students or when I was gazing over the greenery from the top of the hill.

LO2 – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills

Trekking was the most difficult part of the entire CAS trip, mostly due to the weather, which made it difficult to go while also increasing the risk of slipping and making it difficult for me to have a good hold on the ground. It was quite difficult to climb, and I slipped several times. I was able to gain a lot of experience from this, which will be helpful to me if I ever had to do something similar. During the trip, there was also interaction with local school students. Being in a different state caused a barrier to speech that made communication very challenging. As a result, communication became difficult. Instead of me teaching them they also taught me their mother tounge, Marathi.

LO5 – Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively

Cleaning the dam required teamwork because it was quite dirty and could not be cleaned by one person. Instead, everyone had to assist one another, with one holding the garbage bag while the other scooped up rubbish. This kind of cooperation and planning was what made the project successful. In additional, during the trek we had to help each other as it was shivering cold and slippery to trek.

 LO6 – Engagement with issues of global significance.

One problem is the general lack of hygiene and cleanliness in rural communities. However, by taking the initiative to clean up the dam, I was able to engage with the global issue at the same time. Another major global issue is the lack of high-quality education and global awareness that children in rural areas don’t get enough of, so I was able to engage with these issues as well by interacting with children in government schools and having one-on-one conversations with them.