From one village to another: the 2018 trip to Kabubbu
With all the excitement of the extraordinary trip to Kabubbu, Uganda, a few weeks ago, it seems only fair that the rest of us want to jump onto the bandwagon with them. And while we may not have been able to join them, at least we can share their enthusiasm.
By now I’m sure almost all of you have heard a story or two from a friend about the adventures partaken in on the trip. In fact, from putting on assemblies, harvesting maize, doing arts and crafts and even ‘chucking bricks’ (yes you did read that right) it seemed like they had a whale of a time.
But for all this fun, a lot of effort was put into the trip. Each individual student raised £500 in voluntary work beforehand while some others even went the extra mile - Charlie Moon (a year 10 student) raised a whopping £1100 after a 250-mile cycle!
Despite all their preparation and professionalism, it seems very few had been on a trip quite like it before; even Mr Richardson hadn’t been on a trip of this sort since his Year 12!
That still doesn’t do their committment justice; nothing could have prepared them for the amount of laborious work that they undertook on their trip.
While they may have been ‘chucking bricks’, this was interspersed with the backbreaking task of manual work as they slowly, yet surely, helped produce a church. According to people on the trip, under the scorching heat of the Ugandan sun, this was incredibly laborious.
Many of us felt much excitement about the culture that they would experience - would the students be having local food all the time? Unfortunately, this was not the case exactly: the majority of their trip was smothered in English food like fish and chips. But it wasn’t all dull and grey (like British weather was during their trip) – as among other activities they had an African cultural evening of food and fun.
The trip has had a real impact on everyone who went. Even after a lengthy 23-hour journey, they arrived with a clear goal: to ‘leave the village in a better state than before’. However, they all left with a new perspective as many returned with a realisation of what they can do to ‘improve the world we live in’. This included a huge array of different efforts, such as simply cutting down on shower times or trying to consolidate energy usage.
Not only that, but our teachers seem to have taken something back with them as well: Mr Richardson told me that he had returned with a new enthusiasm for challenges and the unsteady feeling of pushing himself out of his comfort zone.
Those who travelled to Kabubbu say it helped them gain an appreciation for the conditions that the locals live in, including the baking sun, the lack of technology, the hard labour and their everyday lifestyle.
The teachers really did enjoy seeing the pupils as they progressed in just a week from often shy, unsure students to those of sheer confidence as if they ‘truly knew what they were doing’.
The excitement of the visit may be over but it seems clear that this experience will stay with them forever.
Hayden Harris, Year 10
By now I’m sure almost all of you have heard a story or two from a friend about the adventures partaken in on the trip. In fact, from putting on assemblies, harvesting maize, doing arts and crafts and even ‘chucking bricks’ (yes you did read that right) it seemed like they had a whale of a time.
But for all this fun, a lot of effort was put into the trip. Each individual student raised £500 in voluntary work beforehand while some others even went the extra mile - Charlie Moon (a year 10 student) raised a whopping £1100 after a 250-mile cycle!
Despite all their preparation and professionalism, it seems very few had been on a trip quite like it before; even Mr Richardson hadn’t been on a trip of this sort since his Year 12!
That still doesn’t do their committment justice; nothing could have prepared them for the amount of laborious work that they undertook on their trip.
While they may have been ‘chucking bricks’, this was interspersed with the backbreaking task of manual work as they slowly, yet surely, helped produce a church. According to people on the trip, under the scorching heat of the Ugandan sun, this was incredibly laborious.
Many of us felt much excitement about the culture that they would experience - would the students be having local food all the time? Unfortunately, this was not the case exactly: the majority of their trip was smothered in English food like fish and chips. But it wasn’t all dull and grey (like British weather was during their trip) – as among other activities they had an African cultural evening of food and fun.
The trip has had a real impact on everyone who went. Even after a lengthy 23-hour journey, they arrived with a clear goal: to ‘leave the village in a better state than before’. However, they all left with a new perspective as many returned with a realisation of what they can do to ‘improve the world we live in’. This included a huge array of different efforts, such as simply cutting down on shower times or trying to consolidate energy usage.
Not only that, but our teachers seem to have taken something back with them as well: Mr Richardson told me that he had returned with a new enthusiasm for challenges and the unsteady feeling of pushing himself out of his comfort zone.
Those who travelled to Kabubbu say it helped them gain an appreciation for the conditions that the locals live in, including the baking sun, the lack of technology, the hard labour and their everyday lifestyle.
The teachers really did enjoy seeing the pupils as they progressed in just a week from often shy, unsure students to those of sheer confidence as if they ‘truly knew what they were doing’.
The excitement of the visit may be over but it seems clear that this experience will stay with them forever.
Hayden Harris, Year 10