Residing in a rural area is always a unique experience. In my previous grade, I had already visited Ambapani, so I was a bit familiar with the place. By visiting Ambapani, I was exposed to the rural life and was having an experience of being closer to nature as the rural areas are mostly more open towards nature, and Ambapani was no different than the other rural areas. Here I experienced different activities that are done in these Rural areas and got to experience that the rural life is not easy and calm as we expect rather it is more hardworking life than the urban areas.This was a 5 night 6 day trip in which we experienced 2-3 activities per day, and there was not a single moment that I remember which felt like this was boring there.

LO1 – Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth 

In this trip I was able to cover this learning outcome as I found out my own strengths such as my precision during the activities done, such as the baaj making and warli painting. I also found out that I needed to develop in some areas for my growth, I needed to develop the skill to come out of my comfort zone, as I was not very comfortable in the initial 2 days while staying out of my house.

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

There were many challenges I faced during this trip. The first challenge that I faced was during the plastic collection drive on the first day. I was not comfortable doing that and the plastic was stuck in the small plants besides the road, so I had to pick the garbage from the roadside, it was a bit uncomfortable for me. I also faced a challenge that I had to stay 6 long days without my phone, which was the most difficult part for me as I had never stayed away from technology for this long. It was helpful also as I was able to sleep comparatively quicker than my normal. I developed Self-Management skills in this trip as it is self-explanatory that I had to do all my work by myself, I had to properly arrange my all the clothes and pack them. On this trip I also had developed a few skills as well. The most useful skill that I developed during this trip was time-management skills, as we used to get a wakeup call at 7 and we had half an hour to get freshened up and do our morning chores. Also there was limited time provided for everything, so the work had to be done in that particular time frame only. By developing this skill, I got more responsible and learned how to value my time. Another skill that I developed in this rural Immersion trip Caring during the Ashramshala visit, as I experienced that I stayed away from my house for 6 days and got frustrated at the end, however, these kids have stayed away from their houses since they completed their 6th grade, and some of them did not even know where are their parents currently, which was very emotional for me.

LO4 – Show perseverance and commitment in CAS experience

I was really enjoying the activities that were conducted there, like warli painting, mud lippan and many more. As I was enjoying doing the activities, I was committed to complete them. As it will be evident in the visual evidence provided below.

LO5 – Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively

As stated before as well, I was enjoying doing all the activities there. Many of them were mostly group activities like mud lippan which required like 5 people per round of mixing the mud, cow dung, and water together. In this activity was this learning Outcome used the most as with more number of people, the mixing of the lippan was easier and quicker compared to one person doing it. Another activity which catered to this learning outcome, was the warli painting as 1 wall was done by 6 people and it made the process quicker than one person completing it by himself/herself. It also helped to do the work in an organized way and help to bifurcate one figure of the drawing to one person itself.

Evidences of the Rural Immersion:

Conclusion:-

To conclude, this 6-day Rural Immersion trip was an unforgettable learning experience for me as I got to learn several new things throughout this trip and also spend quality time with the teachers and my friends and the best part of this trip was the teachers and volunteers who were there with us the whole time. In addition, the Haat Bazar visit was the best among all of the experiences.