10 March 2006
A trip to the farm for Leadership Camp
A great opportunity - 3 days in the outdoors on a farm to discuss leadership. The teacher in charge of the student government at RHS, John and I load up the gear and 28 learners into the back of an open-bed truck that is used to transport cattle and other livestock and set-off for the farm. The farm that we went to was just acres of pristine land, grass, bush and trees. From where we set up camp, the house was probably about a 45 minute walk away and there is where there was some farm equipment and some animals and we went there only to get our water supply. I asked John what you do on a farm and he said, “You just farm.” I still do not know what that means but do know that having a farm is hardwork and at one point, any male Baster living in Rehoboth was given a plot of land for free. We set-up camp which required me and John to figure out how to put together these half-tents, stamped as property of the U.S. After a few taut lines and square knots, we were good to go. Throughout the day, the learners attended lectures on leadership. In learning about leadership, I prefer a more hands-on method so immediately my brain began drawing on my experiences with the RC program and BOLT and I began envisioning some plans for future camps. The learners were responsible for preparing all the meals. At each meal, they made a fire and that is how we cooked.
Some highlights from the camp-
• Nightwalk- the first night, at about 7:30pm we went on a 2.5 hour walk around the farm. Equipped with our torches (flashlights) and 3 learners leading with a map, we set off to enjoy a walk beneath the stars and nearly full moon. We walked through bush, dry riverbeds, and even had to climb down the wall of a dam. It was quite an adventure and very beautiful to be under the stars enjoying the sounds of the learners singing and chatting.
• There was a somewhat stagnant river (waist-level) flowing through the area of the farm where we stayed and so at any opportunity the learners were in there swimming. They even managed to pick me up and throw me in one afternoon fully-clothed. They felt victorious.
• I held and shot a rifle for the first time in my life during the target practice. There were three targets and you got three shots. I hit 2 out of the 3 targets and was told by the learners that America will never lose a war again. I don’t know what that means.
• The teacher who owned the farm created a scavenger hunt as well as a mini-athletics (track) meeting. For the athletics, the javelin was throwing paper airplanes, the high jump was jumping from your knees over a piece of wood, the 800m and 1500m was running in place blindfolded and stopping when you thought you reached 1:50 and 3 minutes respectively, and the long jump was jumping forward from a crouched position.
It was nice being away from Rehoboth for a weekend and to see the learners in a non-academic setting but also in an environment that was very much outside many of their comfort zones.