FFor rural immersion 2024, we went to Ambapani, Dang. Rural Immersion took place from December 16 to December 22. We visited the Ambapani Eco Tourism Campsite and engaged in a number of activities there. During the seven days, I dealt with all three elements of creativity, activity, and service. Some of the things I experienced there were:
- Bamboo weaving
- Lippan art
- Warli painting
- Rifle shooting
- Adventure activities
- Village interaction
- Dangi traditional dance
- Baaj making
- Tractor ride
- Haat bazaar shopping
- Trekking
- Cow milking (milk center visit)
- Ashram visit and service for students
- Cleanup drive
- Warm up activities
- River bath
Additionally, we had the opportunity to strengthen our bonds with the locals, teachers, and amongst each other. Living in the village and getting back to nature was a rewarding experience.
LO 1 – Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
We had to participate in a number of activities at the campsite that required us to step outside of our comfort zones. I experimented with several new activities, such as making baaj, milking cows, Warli painting and creating lippan art, which were challenging on our first try. I was aware of my weaknesses, such as in creating a Warli painting , but I made every effort to complete the tasks. Additionally, I was able to see my strengths in mud lipan and adventures activities such as rifle shooting and other fun camp site activities.
LO 2 – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
Leaving my comfort zone for a completely new and natural setting was one of the main obstacles of the rural immersion tour. I was able to adjust to the natural ecosystems while being in a completely unfamiliar village setting. I was inspired to try it out and open myself more by the unusual experience of doing lippan art while milking cows. I improved my social and critical thinking abilities, which enabled me to get past these obstacles and take pleasure in the trip’s activities.
LO 4 – Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
I had to demonstrate my dedication to finishing this rural immersion so that we could experience everything that was intended for us. I was able to devote myself fully to any duty that was given to me, and I performed it with a spirit of enjoyment. Even though I found doing things like warli art and river bathing unpleasant, I persisted and completed the tasks, and I’m glad I did it all for the first time. Furthermore, I also showed my perseverance while going to bed and waking up at early in the morning and showing up for exercise everyday.
LO 5 – Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively
Working as a group was quite important at numerous points along the journey. One of the main team-building exercises we did was play team games in the morning and addition to that we did shopping at the Haat bazaar. In order to ensure that we succeeded in each of them, I had to cooperate and communicate with my classmates, which enabled us to complete our tasks efficiently. Although everyone had differing opinions on several things, we were still able to have an enjoyable discussion about it.
LO 6 – Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
In our visit, we noted a number of sustainability issues that included poverty in the tribal community, social inequalities, lack of good education, hygiene issues, uneven electricity, and inadequate supply of water. What was remarkable though, was the manner in which both the villagers and the volunteers at the campsite were considering many of these challenges in sustainable forms. These problems can be considered universal because there are quite a lot of similarities between such a village as Ambapani and another one due to which the actions need to be united on the international level. Among the problems exhibited by the Lady Sarpanch when meeting with her was the inability to access hygiene goods and sanitation facilities immediately, which also posed complications in the process of medical help. We also realized that the tribal community had very low incomes to this end its traditional activities such as bamboo weaving and Dangi dance among others were not well valued, and there was no proper payment attached to them. Hearing such hardships made me get more conscious of the benefits in my lifestyle and necessarily think of what could help such populations.
LO 7 –
There were some ethical issues raised during the rural immersion trip and they were primarily on food eating. Initially, it was noticed that we were wasting food items and expendable knives and utensils which was not a good indication of our consumption habits. We were more responsible and careful with utensil after we were taught to be. This made us learn to appreciate scarce resources. During the trip, I modeled features of the Open-Minded, Thinker, Caring, risk-taker and Reflective learner profile. Self-Management happened as a result of remaining organized, being motivated, and Social Skill could be learned by cooperating with others in a respectful manner. One thing that was learned was to be more globally aware and also to get an understanding of how life is in rural areas. This special experience made me believe that I should think about some projects that may help people there and the environment to ensure a healthy living there.
I am satisfied with the rural immersion and truly grateful to have visited such a place. It was an amazing experience and I successfully participated in all the activities.
