St John's combined Journals

A journey of exploration, inspiration and self-discovery

St. John's Quest 2012

Excerpts from the Journals

Overview The St John’s College Form Two pupils recently spent two weeks at Quest Africa. Quest is a programme designed to expose young men and women to a broad spectrum of practical and academic scenarios to help guide them to career choices they may not previously have considered.

Initially aimed at school leavers and young adults, Quest Africa decided to open its doors to younger participants, to give them a taste of this different approach to education.

The unprecedented changes now sweeping the world have dramatically altered the way in which we conduct our lives and have made it impossible to predict what the future will be like. Our children are likely to have multiple careers and to work at jobs that have not even yet been conceived. To prepare for this uncertain future, it is our obligation to encourage them to investigate as many avenues as possible with an eye to discovering their talents and their passions. We need to teach them to think creatively, to explore their true capacity and to make the most out of themselves so that they can be as flexible and productive as possible.

Whilst at Quest, the participants had the opportunity to experience a wide variety of activities and to explore aspects of themselves in greater depth. To help them learn from these experiences, they completed a journal in which they recorded key insights that emerged as they reflected on the activities of the day. These insights then formed the basis for an essay which they wrote at the end of the programme. To give you an idea of what the boys experienced over their time at Quest this report provides a sample of their journal entries.

The success of the programme was thanks to the combined efforts of a great many people. These included the Quest Director William Schultz who was largely responsible for overseeing the programme and his wife Cindy who handled the logistics of the event; the dedicated and skilled team of Quest facilitators; the Falcon CEO and Headmaster and the Falcon teachers who gave their valuable time to teach the boys. A crucial role was played by the St John’s College team comprising Mr Trinci, Mr Wright and Mrs Sandys-Thomas, who encouraged and supported the boys throughout, but particularly when they were feeling discouraged or overwhelmed. For many boys this is the longest time that they have been away from home. Some found this easy, whilst others found it a real test of endurance, but they all made it to the end! By staying with the programme, facing their fears and getting through to the other side the boys are likely to have developed increased resilience and self confidence.

It is our hope that the self insight and confidence developed over this time will help them to make more informed subject choices and to navigate more effectively through life. Individual reports, based on a workbook of exercises completed by the boys, have also been compiled. These offer an insight into the young men’s thoughts about themselves and also provide a basis for discussions regarding life choices. We trust that you will find them useful and look forward to seeing some of your boys back here in around 2017 for the full programme!

The Quest Africa Team December 2012

1

Group 1 Monday 29th October Group 1 had to wake up at 5:00am and stand in the car park until 6:00am. Our group did the obstacle course today, the first group to do it. It was tough and required the team to really think and work as a single unit. Some obstacles were really challenging, but we are more experienced with the course now and will be a lot faster the second time.

Ettienne Nel The obstacle course taught me to work with a limited amount of time to a certain extent. I learnt that you need balance of brain and brawn. Although we took a lot of minutes I think we could have done better.

Makomborero Kudziyanike Our first lesson was maths where we learned about bearings. We then did it in the bush in the sand.

We were asked to make our most accurate square.

Marc Landman We then went in Group A and Group B and we did mixed martial arts which taught us self defence and to only fight for your life and don’t cause fights.

Ryan Boshi We did self defence which I found to be the highlight of the day and very interesting and then we did First Aid which showed us how to save lives.

Michael Gunning Tracking after this was simple as we learned how to track an animal by looking at its spoor and its dung.

Kundai Singano After lunch we did tracking which I really enjoyed as I learned to look at many animal spoors and looked at animal skeletons. After that we did a thinking game that we battled with because we were not thinking.

We learnt a lot on this eventful day about teamwork, perseverance and the importance of thinking.

HĂŠ Duan

2

Tuesday 30th October We had to wake up at 5:30am and be lined up at the car park at 6:00am. Group 1, 3 and 4 went to the Falcon fields to do fitness and group 2 was doing the obstacle course and group 5 was still on the mountain. Our first activity was maths. We were learning all about triangles and how to estimate the height of a tree.

Matthew Sandys-Thomas After maths we did woodwork. My group was the only one to finish a bath mat. I enjoyed the woodwork. We then had lunch. After lunch I had sports. I played water polo and we won the match 20 -2. Then we had dinner and got our phones. I could not find signal and my phone died.

Joshua Gurney Wednesday 31 October In the morning we woke up and had PT. After breakfast we went up to the gazebo on the gomo and had an English lesson. Then we had tea and afterwards we did electronics and we learnt about trees.

I liked electronics because it was right up my alley and I really enjoyed it I also liked welding and plumbing. I found Mr. Webster very cool and funny. He also explained things very well. In PT we had fun playing touch rugby and open gates and we also ran and exercised. Seb is a fun Senior Master.

We learnt about trees, mainly the Buffalo Thorn then we had dinner and a lecture from Mr. Trinci.

Robert Spencer Wednesday 31st October On Wednesday we had a field trip to the museum and the Matopos Hills The museum was much bigger and had more content than the one in Harare. It had a really cool section on animals and what the humans wore.

Njabulo Moyo The museum was very interesting and I learnt a lot about Zimbabwe, Africa, the World and its History. We also learnt about the physical and cultural features of Zimbabwe and about the animals and rocks (normal & radio-active ones). I found the museum very fun and fascinating.

Tarisiro Fundira After that we went to the Matopos Mountains. We had a good lunch and then walked up the mountain. I learnt about Cecil John Rhodes and it was a really fun and interesting time.

Mike Balfour

3

After the Matopos Hills, it began to rain which changed my mood making me a bit grumpy. At the museum we had a lecture about scorpions by an expert who taught us about the very poisonous ones and the not so poisonous ones. I felt happy because I left the lecture with a great knowledge of scorpions and how we can avoid and treat people that have been attacked.

Webster Chirambasukwa Thursday 1st November When we woke up early in the morning, it was freezing. We ran in the freezing cold wind to Falcon College. When we got there we did physicals. We did press-ups, sit-ups, star jumps, and ran a lot.

Then we played touch rugby. At the end of the physical we played open gates and after that we ran back to the camp.

Josh Thomas We started the day off with PT. I was quite happy because we only did a small amount of fitness and played touch rugby and open gates which the group and I enjoyed. We all agreed that we wanted to play touch rugby so we chose 2 team captains and selected teams without a problem, and for open gates two people agreed to be on so it was sorted out fast.

Brendan Sylvester Today we did English. It was help at the study centre on top of a hill overlooking the campsite. It was cloudy and overcast so it was cold and there was a cold breeze. The general feeling in my group was one of disinterest. We were not really looking forward to English and did not show much enthusiasm. We wrote a letter to an imaginary friend and then we wrote a poem about camp.

Daniel Pascoe We did electronics today. I felt like it would be fun and good to learn about electronics the group was very motivated and there was a competition on who could make an electrical appliance the fastest. We learnt things that we probably wouldn’t have learnt in a long time.

Robert Spencer After lunch we were meant to have a free but we had to learn about trees instead. I felt upset that we didn’t have a free. I learnt about the buffalo thorn. We had to look up about the tree. It was very interesting.

Joshua Gurney

4

Friday 2nd November This morning we did PT at 6:00am. It was mildly challenging and I felt rather lazy. I felt the group could have been a bit more enthusiastic but I saw that some people were trying. Our first activity was paintball which I thoroughly enjoyed. We were all determined and aggressive. I think a lot more planning and strategy could have been put in. Afterwards we learned how to shoot rifles. I learnt the accuracy and breathing when handling fire-arms.

In the afternoon we had history. It was interesting and very fascinating.

Most of our group members were listening. We learned about the history of Zimbabwe. If everyone listened to the teacher it would have made us all gain knowledge for the quiz.

Tarisiro Fundira We had a music lesson which was very good. I learnt a new sing and we all sung as a group.

Mike Balfour Saturday 3rd November Today we had the obstacle course in the morning at 6:00am. We had lots of fun doing it because we knew the course. Our group had a much better time. The group worked harder to get a better time and we used teamwork. I felt that the course was easier. We crossed the beam easier than before.

The group learnt that if we communicated more it would have been much easier. We used teamwork to do the harder things. We should have planned more before starting and executing the best plan.

Njabulo Moyo First we had science where we recapped what we already knew about classification. I felt slightly annoyed because we already knew about it. I think we tackled it well because we answered all the questions. I think we gained a better understanding about classification.

After science, my group had construction. It was in the hot sun and quite labour intensive. I was hot but looking forward to our task. Other members of my group were negative, however, some just wanted to get the job over and done with. We split up into about 5 groups and each group was given a certain amount to build. Some groups just began building carelessly and had to start again, but a few groups, including mine, were careful to work properly.

We learnt that carelessness gets you nowhere and hard work leads to prosperity.

Daniel Pascoe

5

Sunday 4th November We started the day off with cops and robbers. It was very fun and much better than fitness. Then we went for breakfast. After breakfast we had science which was boring and fun at the same time. We did a practical experiment called ‘elephant toothpaste’. We put dishwasher and two other chemicals. It burst out this yellowy foam which just grew. The foam gave off a steam which means it is hot and is an exothermic reaction.

Brendan Sylvester Monday 5th November Today we went to Mtchabezi Dam. The journey to the dam was tiring, uncomfortable and generally not enjoyable. We all sat in the back of a lorry and held on tight for our lives on the dusty back roads.

When we arrived at the dam we climbed up a small outcrop of rock. I felt hot and tired and frightened because it was difficult climbing at the hottest time of the day over dangerous rocks. The group worked as a team, waiting for the slower people and lending weaker people a hand over hardto-climb places. The group learnt that even sometimes, even if the task at hand seems hard, it can be enjoyable once we start doing it.

Hé Duan We got to the dam and we and we had to clean out all the oxygen weed in it so we cleared it and I picked up a rock and it sliced my left thumb and it wouldn’t stop bleeding. I got a plaster and carried on.

Josh Thomas I felt that we all could have operated more as a unit instead of some people sprinting ahead while some lagged behind, struggling. The rest of the day we were free to do whatever so I swam and went cliff diving off a dam wall 10m high!

Thembani Magazi Tuesday 6th November Today we got a sleep in. I was so happy. We were up at 7:00am and had breakfast. Then we did mechanics. We had to change a tire. We worked together as a team and finished our task. After mechanics we had lunch and then a music lesson. We learnt how to sing a song and where to stand.

After dinner we watched a video on sexually transmitted diseases. I was very shocked at the pictures.

Joshua Gurney Today, in mechanics, the entire team had to name objects in a vehicle, then we had to change tires.

At first I felt hot and exhausted. We started too quickly and didn’t think of a plan. I found that the group did well and we learnt how to fix a car and solve simple problems.

6

Wednesday 7th November First we had a geography prac. This was very boring to me and to most members of the group. If we’d had better attitude this would have gone a bit more smoothly.

Muhammed Valera Then we went to welding where we were given the task of making a bottle opener. I didn’t have enough time to make a bottle opener but I made the basic base of the tool. The task was delayed because there is only one file that you needed to smooth the ends. After welding we had snakes.

Webster Chirambasukwa Snakes for me was very interesting because every time I see a snake it’s either on TV or walking away in the bush, but this time I got to hold one in my hands. It felt very weird. The snake that I held was a kids python so it had strong muscles and it was cold. I learnt to overcome my fear and that if you are gentle with a snake, there is a chance that it won’t harm you.

Kundai Singano

Thursday 8th November This is the day that we set off for Pamula. I must admit that I was very nervous about going. We started off by doing a canoe race. I enjoyed it and found that I was stronger than I thought. The others seemed to enjoy the exercise too.

Michael Gunning We had to go around an island and pull numbers off a tub. My team won and I am really proud of them. We then made our way to Pamula which was 2.5km away.

Ryan Boshi We came back to Falcon to play a cricket match. We didn’t do well in the field and Falcon made a good total. When we batted we crumbled and we lost. At Pamula we had a potjie for dinner and it was very nice. We slept outside and it starting raining in the night so we got wet and didn’t sleep well.

Brendan Sylvester Friday 9th November In the morning we woke up at 6:00am for physical training. We ran up the mountain. I enjoyed it because we were going at our own pace. We just did the task without planning, we just went straight for it. The group learnt that we should stick as a team and work together. The group should not have left the other people behind and gone on without them.

Njabulo Moyo

7

Today we pulled Borris out of the lake. It was a very strenuous activity but it only took 5 minutes. We just decided to pull hard straight away. We learnt that if we put our heads together, it can be very easy. To make it easier we could have had pumped up tires.

Marc Landman After pulling Borris out the lake, we returned to Pamula and learnt about map skills and using a GPS. I enjoyed the lesson and though it was useful to learn it in the bush. Everyone learnt about 12 figure grid references and how to mark a point on the GPS. The exercise would have been better if we were given more than two GPS’s to share in the group so that everyone in the group gets a turn to use it and if we were given more maps to study how to use 12 figure references.

After a quick lunch, we set off on a long hike to the Seven Sister Campsite. I was extremely thirsty, tired, worn out and desperately in need of some water. When we reached the campsite, the group persevered with great determination on the way and often stopped to wait for the slower people and to encourage them. The group leant that when the task at hand seems so hard and long, it is better to hang in there and keep going to the last minute than to give up half way because, trust me, there is more in you than you think. The exercise would have been much easier if we were given a better GPS to navigate our way there and if we took the road rather than the bush where it easy to get lost.

Hé Duan Cooking was also a challenge as our team had to ration our food over the days, and we need to cook it well. I got annoyed with people who take more than they should, but I made sure everyone has food and it’s lasting. The people who can cook are the ones who sit around the fire cooking, and when it’s ready, we all just watch each other’s portions. The group is learning to only use what we need, saving food, and cooking.

It would be easier if we could cook better and if everyone took honest amounts of food.

Ettienne Nel We made our way back to the camp for the night. I realise that the experience is good for us and teaches us lessons about being independent and knowing how to survive.

Michael Gunning

8

Group 2 Monday 29th October 2012 We got up at four o’clock this morning. Feeling tired because I’ve had hardly any sleep. We had to line up behind the dining room for our physical training.

The first exercise was to carry tires up a hill and back down. After that we continuously kept running.

Ashil Ramjee After breakfast we had English which we went to the study centre for. We learnt about our surroundings and the culture of the Ndebele’s. After tea we did construction which we had to build a small tower out of bricks and a cement mix we made ourselves. It was hot and tiring but my group managed to do one layer.

After lunch we had debating, which we went to Falcon for. I was chosen to speak and my team won by 1 point.

Shane Brown Tuesday 30th October 2012 This morning we did the assault course. Our time was 32 minutes. We found it hard to get passed some of the obstacles. The obstacle that we lost the most time on was when we had to swing around the tree on a rope.

Anthony Hartman We then did Self Defence and First Aid. The First Aid was a good experience and we learnt a lot. The Self Defence was very fun. I liked the morals the instructor told us and I am now going to live my life the way we were told.

Samuel Tapera During this period I learnt that when fighting, I should fight for my life, not for my ego and so I learnt a valuable lesson. During tracking I was very interested with the different spores we saw and all the different tracking skills I picked up.

I have no negative remarks about this lesson, I feel that it was very productive and we worked more as a team when we set out to collect items for our museum.

Curtis Robinson We started the day at 5:30am to have an early breakfast so we could leave early for the school trip to Matopos and the Museum of History. The Museum was lots of fun and Matopos was also good.

We saw Cecil John Rhodes’ grave and it was huge!

Sam Garnett

9

We had a trip to Matopos and the museum which was very interesting. I felt good that we learned so much.

Ben Hobbs Wednesday 1st November 2012 At 6:00am groups 1 and 2 went to Falcon for fitness. The fitness was quite invigorating. My group generally enjoyed the fitness. We started off with a little bit of running down the field. We went on to play rugby and Open Gates. It was great fun and the whole group enjoyed it.

Lebohang Mwamuka When we came back, we had breakfast, then we went to the Falcon labs to dissect a frog. I don’t like frogs but having to gas one to death and cut it open hurt me in a way and did not feel right.

Shepherd Bosha At first I felt really squeamish, but as it went along I became a lot more interested. We were put into groups and had to follow the steps to finish the dissection.

Darko Limpic I cut most of the frogs open, because I like that kind of stuff. We’ve never done that so it was quite cool and we enjoyed it

Tristen Williams Second class was woodwork. I felt very important because it helped me to become more of a leader and to activate my creative side.

Ellis Rothwell I enjoyed woodwork because of the idea of using me hands to make things. The group tackled this with practically no planning, leaving everything to trial and error.

Munashe Masango The best thing for me today was the community work. For this we went to a dam and we had to take weeds out of the water. This excited me because we had pictures taken when we were wearing hats and clothes made out of the weed.

Brandon Molije Community work was the most fun I’ve had so far in the tour.

We were instructed to take weeds out of the dam. We were covered in leeches. Then we went into the bush to clear trees for fire wood. Covered in cuts and bruises but we did well.

Peter Davis

10

Thursday 2nd November 2012 In the morning we did touch rugby and a fitness exercise. I felt cold and angry because this weather is terrible. We did well as a team and we learnt that we are only as strong as our weakest link. We counted our exercises together and encouraged each other.

Samuel Tapera The group tackled the task great with lots of enthusiasm and worked to have lots of fun.

Rohn Rivers I felt cold and apprehensive at the beginning but in the end I felt good that I had got through the training. I think the group learnt that we are all getting stronger because of Quest.

Shane Brown After breakfast, we had a science prac. We saw an amazing chemical reaction, with many colours. It was a spectacular experiment. Afterwards we did our own experiment to see how changing the concentration of a solution changed the rate of reactions. This was enjoyable because everyone got involved.

We made a very big green explosion. It was really cool!

Sam Garnett We also did electrics and plumbing today which was very cool.

Ben Hobbs The second class was electrics, we did many things in this class. For example, I learnt how to wire a plug and make three different joints to connect wires etc.

In this lesson we also did plumbing. It required some strength but there was nothing wrong with our teamwork.

Ellis Rothwell I liked the electrics because it was easy and fun.

Munashe Masango After lunch we went to the study centre to learn the history of Bulawayo and Mr. Grant told us about Fredrick Courtney Selous, who came to Zimbabwe for hunting and got Lobengula’s permission to hunt in his land. I personally enjoyed and was intrigued by this. I think my team also enjoyed this.

Shepherd Bosha History was the best because we asked a lot of questions on the history of Esigodini and it was very interesting.

Tristen Williams Our group learnt that our beautiful country was once full of tribes.

Darko Limpic 11

Saturday 3rd November 2012 Our first session was shooting and Paintball. For the shooting I scored 86 which is good because it was my first time with a 2.2. That made me feel proud of myself.

At paintball I shot a lot of people but I got very annoyed with my team because they stayed behind cover the whole time so when I went to get the flag I got pelted with paintballs.

Tristen Williams At first I was scared of paintball but when I got shot I noticed that it wasn’t that bad.

Samuel Tapera I enjoyed shooting and paintball because I got to use a real gun for the first time, but paintball hurt (ouch!)

Shepherd Bosha The next class was mechanics. This would help us in the future because he taught us how to maintain your car and change a wheel. When your car breaks down you can fix it.

Ellis Rothwell First we were shown the components of a diesel and petrol engine. After, we learned to change a wheel safely and with no injuries. I learnt a lot about engines. I never knew most of the parts.

Anthony Hartman Session 3 was sports at Falcon and a free swim. I felt tired but good – I love swimming but it would have been better if we’d had more time.

Shane Brown Sunday 4th November 2012 We woke up at 5:30am and had to go to the obstacle course. Group 2A went first and they posted a pleasing time of 23:27 minutes. They noticed that they had to be more strung up and not to slack in the easy parts. Group 2B, including me, went on to do quite well but we still needed to concentrate on the rope swing. Our time was 19:10.

Sam Garnett This was our best display of communication and teamwork and the obstacle course was executed excellently. The group felt amazing afterwards and we are very happy with our results. We realised that communication was key today.

Lebohang Mwamuka

12

For Geography we did map work on a map of Quest water. Most of us found it easy because we had already done it. I learnt how to test the speed of the water as it seeps into the ground.

Ashil Ramjee We then had Falconry which was very cool to understand it.

The falcons are very quick and clever birds of prey.

Sam Garnett I was really excited to go see Falconry and see the birds they had. I was disappointed with the birds they had because one was a baby. A lot of people found the talk really interesting and also liked the birds.

Anthony Hartman Following that was photography. We sat and planned ahead for our competition. Sorting and organising is very helpful is what I’ve noticed through the duration of the camp so far

Curtis Robinson Monday 5th November 2012 We went early on the back of a truck to a dam called Mtchabezi. We were hot and tired but it was worth it. We climbed a mountain to get a team photo. Then it was every man for himself, mud fight, water rugby, swimming to the bottom etc.

Peter Davis Then it was our turn to go up the mountain to Pamula Camp Site. When we eventually got there we had to make teams of people for things like cooking etc. I was on the cooking team with Rohn, Bosha and Brandon. Rohn and I were the main cookers and we also had to cook for our leader who was Seb, who was cool. He had taken the group before who were the best cookers by far but after we gave him our food he changed his mind.

Ben Hobbs Tuesday 6th November 2012 After an uncomfortable sleep on the floor, our team woke up to make breakfast. The night before we had made a cooking squad which I was part of. Then we had a trip to the mountain next to our camp and climbed it. This made us feel good and gave us a sense of accomplishment. We made the two best climbers go at the front and make a path and the rest followed.

Darko Limpic

13

On Tuesday morning, Rohn Rivers made a delicious breakfast. From Pamula, we made our way to the dam near Quest. Our group was divided in half. We then competed in canoe races. This was a great exercise for teamwork and encouragement. The team did a decent job here. I believe we could have done better here if we had a more balanced couple each time we used a canoe.

Lebohang Mwamuka Sleeping under the stars was interesting then we went to the dam where we had to have canoe races. I really enjoyed this because one guy from the other team got out of their canoe and tried to capsize our boat.

Shepherd Bosha After this we set off for the Seven Sisters in this somewhat torturous heat. This journey made me understand my feelings a little bit better and made me realise the consequences of not persevering.

Curtis Robinson We then went on our 10km walk to Seven Sisters at 2:00pm, we filled up with water at every waypoint. Next we each made a shelter which was really fun.

Sam Garnett Wednesday 7th November 2012 In the morning we went down to a river to see how to filter water. First 3 people got a shirt and a teapot ready. Another 3 people dug a hole to get to the water. They used a bottle to fill the teapot.

Me and Hobbs made the fire and made tea for everyone.

Anthony Hartman When we got back we were told that we had a lesson on snakes. We eventually got there and it was very interesting.

We went straight away to take Borris. It took about four hours for us to take him out.

Borris was the biggest challenge for our group and took us the longest because after tying the ropes and taking it out of gear we were doing well until Cho, the new student, was told to hold the steering wheel and he put the car in gear which made it a lot harder. We did not know about this so the rope broke three times and at 8 the instructor figured out it was in 1st gear. I understand and I wasn’t annoyed with him but the rest of the team was rather annoyed.

Tristen Williams We went down by the dam by Quest to remove Borris. The task was hard for me because of the fact that it took so long for us.

Munashe Masango

14

Thursday 8th November 2012 On Thursday morning we ran form Pamula back to Quest. This felt much easier compared to the walk from Seven Sisters. Our first activity was maths. This was considerably interesting especially since we did a prac. We weren’t very focussed considering most of us were tired after the last three nights. The group was simply exhausted.

Lebohang Mwamuka For P.T we went down to the fields and played soccer. It was fun and not tiring but it was cold in the morning. For maths we learnt stuff that we had already learnt at school so it was boring but it helped the other people who didn’t understand the topic.

Ashil Ramjee After breakfast we did maths and this time we learnt about reflections which was fun. After maths we went and cleaned our dorms.

Shepherd Bosha Then we had a business session. I felt great learning new life and financial skills.

Munashe Masango Business was fun because we were able to see how saving at an early age can help you in later life. This time in welding, we made a bottle opener. I enjoyed this because I found out how to weld and I was happy with my finished product.

Anthony Hartman

15

Group 3 Monday 29th October On Monday we had to wake up at 4:30am because people were making noise on the previous day.

We then went to PT (Physical Training). We had to push tires up and down a hill. We found it challenging but we got through it because of teamwork and then went to breakfast at 7:00am.

Munashe Chikasha We did some science and experiments. The experiments were so much fun and enjoyable. In the afternoon we had debate. Some people were debating but I wasn’t because I cannot speak good English. In the morning we did some fitness when you are holding on the tire. Then we went for breakfast.

Arnold Musharu Today I learnt topics that I would never have learnt in class. We hiked to the top of a hill to the gazebo. On our way we analysed different types of dung and spoor (animal footprints). I got to know many of my team mates that I usually don’t talk to. Even though I have a lisp, today I showed my speaking capability and won best speaker. Debate teaches us to be good public speakers.

Nigel Vere After another PT session we went to the Falcon labs. We were fortunate enough to dissect a frog.

Once again, we were forced to work together as a team to ensure that we would not have to start again. The dissection taught us a lot. For one we found that our frog was a mother and it was pregnant and had eaten some bugs before she was killed.

Mitch Bell Tuesday 30th October During the Science practical we were testing the rate of reaction for diffusion and catalysing between solution A and water in five glass jars with each solution more concentrated. We found that the more concentrated the solution was the longer the time. We then analyzed and plotted a graph showing the rate of reaction between the five jars. This exercise was a pretty simple, straight forward and easy task to do. This was fun!

Shivan Trivedi Next we went to the workshops where we learnt how to connect two copper plumbing pieces together along with how to make threads on a metal plumbing pipe. Later we learned how to fix and set up an electrical system.

Paul Warhurst Day 2 was epic! We learnt how to do things ourselves like plugs and plumbing. We played basketball against Falcon College and it was very fun. We beat them. I scored a shot from the halfway line in the last three seconds and we were losing till I scored that basket and we won!

Innocent Hakulandabo 16

Wednesday 31st October We started with a session of PT from 6:00am – 7:00am. We played Open Gates, Indian Run, and several other very tiring activities.

Djordje Vidovic After breakfast we went to Falcon and climbed on to the buses and drove to the museum. At the museum we walked around and looked at the interesting exhibits. We wandered around for a while then we had a very insightful talk on scorpions. I've learnt about their breeding, poison and species.

Tom Reid Thursday 1 November We began our day with the obstacle course where we realised that a team is only as strong as its weakest man. Then we did First Aid and Self Defence. These two skills are needed to protect and care for your life.

Ryan Fourie Today we did the obstacle course. I was very angry that we didn’t finish because a person wasn’t carrying their weight and we spent too much time. My group learned that a person can be completely unwilling to complete a task.

Munya Murapa After breakfast we had to retrieve the flag in Paintball. I felt happy and sore and excited. We went in with plans and some of them worked. I learned that some people are good and teamwork is important.

Lance Chant Then we did community service. I thought it was going to be a lot of work so I was scared. There was no need for a plan except for when we had to de-weed the dam. I think we learned a sense of care for the environment.

Emmanuel Magamise Friday 2nd November We woke up later which was better and we enjoyed the physical training. We managed to do touch rugby and a bit of fitness. It helped us to see the benefits of having fun no matter where you are.

Tafadzwa Vinyu After another session of PT, we had a geography lesson at the study centre. The team actually concentrated for once. Next was construction which was challenging for some but after we got in to the hang of things, we were building at quite a rapid rate. After a good lunch we went back to the study centre for a history lesson with Mr. Dave Brant. It was the most interesting History lesson I have ever had!

Seth Jardine 17

For history we hiked up to the Geography study centre to learn about the Matabeleland rebellion. I was again tired from the hike up so I might have missed a few points but it was also interesting because history always is. We learnt about how Quiet Waters had a role in the Matabeleland rebellion. It would have been better if we’d had more rest before the lesson and if the study centre was closer.

Munya Murapa In music we were sitting quietly until some people started losing concentration and laughing. We got asked for the people who could sing or play guitar. I went up for guitar.

Andrew Lake Saturday 3rd November My birthday and the day of Pamula camp started off with an early session of PT with Open Gates and fitness. Breakfast was fine, nothing new and off we went to Pamula. By the time we got there it was basically lunch, three pieces of bread. I had one with ham and two with peanut butter.

At 2:00pm on the dot we left for our 16km hike. We arrived at the site at around 6:00pm. After a few attempts at making a shelter, we started dinner. Innocent, Emmanuel and Kwaramba along with my spices. It was the best food we had at camp. We fell asleep at about 8 on the grit.

Djordje Vidovic Sunday 4th November Today was an early day. We had to start getting ready for hiking and sleeping in Pamula camp site. We got to Pamula and it was chilled. We had to make our own food but on that same day we had to walk 10.3km away from Pamula.

The walk was very hot and hard and long so I started to get frustrated but eventually we got there.

Innocent Hakulandabo After making our mealie meal porridge and eating it quickly, we moved to an area of sand. We were forced to dig a hole which we then got some water from and we made tea. It tasted absolutely normal but it looked a blackish-greyish colour. We then moved on, carrying the extra equipment in turns. We took a short cut through the bush which cut off 4 extra kilometres. After another long, tedious hike, we were back at Pamula, but only just, as some people had washed their plates with the precious little water they had so we nearly ran out on the trek back. There was barely any rest though as we soon had to go to the dam and pull out Borris.

Paul Warhurst Pulling Borris out of the dam was hard. I was tired, frustrated, hot but very happy after we finished.

At first we had no real plan and everyone was just pulling, then we worked out a plan and worked together. We learnt to work as a team and stick to one plan and to make a plan and work together.

Tom Reid

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Monday 5th November All of us went in buses and lorries to Lake Dondorio, and we climbed its highest peak to visualise the scenery, and then we went fishing and had our lunch and just chilled at the lake banks in the shade. I was tired from the lorry journey and hot but the thought of the cool shade and a cool breeze by the banks consoled me.

Shivan Trivedi We were shocked at how low the dam was. The deepest place was probably up to your waste so we played water rugby and we fished but the best part was diving off the rocks. The fish were very hard to catch.

Mitch Bell We arrived at the camp in the evening after a long journey from the dam. I was extremely tired and felt like dropping to the ground.

Nigel Vere Tuesday 6th November We played open gates for PT then had breakfast. After breakfast we had a maths practical. We made and then learnt how to use the clinometer. After tea we went to welding. In welding we had to make metal stick men. We all had music after welding our people play the instruments.

Munashe Chikasha The maths practical helped me learn something new and important in my life. The practical was confusing but the group managed to go through and fulfil the maths task.

Tafadzwa Vinyu I really enjoyed welding and even though it was my first time it was really fun. Everyone tried to make the best thing they could. The group learnt about arc-welding and making objects and I think the whole group did their best.

Andrew Lake After lunch the whole of us form 2’s had music.

On our last day we have a presentation and we have to sing a song to them.

Hayden Silk

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Wednesday 7th November We started off with maths again, but this time we had a different teacher and it was on a different topic. It was on lines of symmetry on different shapes. This was fairly easy for the whole group.

Seth Jardine We then had snakes which was awesome. We got to hold some of the snakes and learnt about the different toxins that they inject to the blood and what they do to you.

Djodje Vidovic After lunch we went to play cricket at Falcon. We beat them by 72 runs. Then this evening we attended the mid-week chapel service at Falcon College Chapel.

Ryan Fourie Quest is almost over, finally. It was great but I think it would be better if it was shorter. PT wasn’t really PT, we played soccer and open gates. Breakfast was average and people were almost late for roll call. Business was great! I learnt lots of new tools like if you put money in a bank, it multiplies! I realised the things I wanted to do and how it will affect the market. Couldn’t have been better.

Munya Murapa Thursday 8th November In English, we wrote letters and talked about how to write in our journals. I enjoyed this lesson. We did not work as a team because we did not need to. I learnt that some people keep diaries to let their emotions out. I should have planned before I wrote the letter.

Kyle Mathieson Then we did mechanics. I didn’t really like this because I’m not much of a car freak. It was pretty easy, after the lesson I knew all the parts on that car. We were also taught how to replace a wheel, this was the best part of the lesson.

Emmanuel Magamise

Afterwards, we did water polo. I enjoyed it but it was a bit frustrating losing to Falcon. Everyone played well and tried hard but we didn’t have our full team. I learnt a few new moves and some new strategies.

Tom Reid Friday 9th November We had business after breakfast. I enjoyed business because it showed me some new ways to save money.

Nyasha Mkaronda 20

Today we played a full entire game of rugby and soccer in two different teams. We had fun. Then we had woodwork. We learnt how to make different shapes, for example, a sword, out of wood using many tools in the workshop. I was happy because I love making constructive things. We first took a block of wood and then shaped it using an electrical saw and then we used fillers and a grinder to smooth the finished piece.

Shivan Trivedi

Quest has finally come to an end after thirteen days of the course. It was great , don’t get me wrong but the mood is much more cheerful.

Paul Warhurst

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Group 4 Monday 29th October We woke up at 5:00am because people were misbehaving the night before. I didn’t like it because I was expecting that we were going to get a physical but we waited until 6:00am for PT. For PT we did a tire exercise where we had to roll it up a mountain and we had to do it as a team. After that we went for breakfast.

Francis Zvinavashe We made our way back to the camp for breakfast. Our first activity was paintball and shooting. Paintball taught me to use my brain and use strategies, rather than just running around shooting aimlessly at people. If you did that you got shot a lot and would be sore for the rest of the day. The shooting was also good because it taught me to keep still and concentrate.

Lochlan Butler Woodwork was our activity just after lunch. This activity taught me and my colleagues to build with wood and different skills with wood.

Travis Mackie We did debate at Falcon. The motion of the debate was “This house believes that a rustic school setting is a more conducive, healthier, and adventurous than an urban setting”. I got second best speaker with 88%

Carel Chirara Tuesday 30th October When we went for geography, I was expecting boredom as I hate geography with a passion. We travelled around looking at different things like rocks and trees. We all got tired quickly because of the heat. No one or very few people seemed to not enjoy it. After geography we did construction.

Ray Kazembe After a tea session, we had construction with Mr. Thomas. After he had explained to us what was needed, it was then time to make mortar. My group was extremely quick and neat in which we finished our task before the end of the allocated time.

Ryan Murray Afterwards we went to first aid and self defence. We were taught how to tie a sling. The teacher taught us all the priorities. Afterwards we went to self defence class with Mrs. Stone. She showed us a few moves and hurt me in most of the demonstrations.

Shao Li

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Wednesday 31st October In the morning we did not have fitness because breakfast was early as we were going to the Bulawayo Museum and Matopos. We left Falcon at 7:30am and travelled on two of their buses. The museum was really good for us and we learnt lots of interesting things. There was an ox which had the biggest horns in the world.

Anthony Tanner After we visited the museum we travelled to Matopos to eat lunch and we had fun walking around the picnic area. After we ate we were told a lot about Cecil John Rhodes and the effort he put in to making this country great and we were also told about his close men and his right hand man.

Afterwards, we hiked up the mountain and saw the grave with the remains of Cecil’s body and we relaxed and looked at the beautiful scenery. We then travelled back to Quest and relaxed a bit before walking up to the Pamula Campsite on a hill for three nights.

Aidan Onerati Thursday 1 November I woke up early and went to make a fire. I then woke the rest of the people and we made breakfast. I ate cornflakes and eggs. We played a few games, relaxed and, after lunch, we headed off the mountain. It was 10km and very tiring. I have a problem with my hip and so I was even more tired.

We left for the mountain at 2:30pm and arrived at 5:30pm.

Mahomed Karimsha There was no time for fun as we still had to take on an 11km walk to our next camping spot. The walk was long, hot and tiresome.

Our team made it through the journey, by kind helpful words of encouragement. I think this brought the group together and made us a better team. When we arrived, as tired as we were, we had to cook, make a shelter, and arrange supplies. I was very angry and tired but we got the job done.

Thabiso Masenda Friday 2nd November We woke up early at 6:00am. We cooked breakfast that was comprised of eggs, mince meat and baked beans. After eating we ran to a hill, where we climbed up to the top and back down again and back to the camp. We then had lunch which was quite filling and then we walked down to the dam and did some canoeing with was very fun. Today I learnt how to canoe and I faced my fear of water.

Tinashe Tsuro

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Saturday 3rd November We awoke early this morning and got packed and ready to head back to Quest (our group wasn’t too happy about that… for some reason… cough… cough… FOOD… cough). Then we ran back to Quest singing war-cries. Our group was expecting the day off but that didn’t happen. We had to go straight into a maths lesson which we all regretted because we were tired.

Troy Pieterse After tea, our first activity was community. We went into the bush and helped by gathering wood up and then we went down to the dam and cleared away the weeds. This activity implemented many different things on my team including helping others. After lunch we had a whole afternoon of free swimming. We all enjoyed the afternoon and had an early night.

Travis Mackie Sunday 4th November We woke up at 5:55am and went and did our physical training. I played rugby and then we went to the swimming pool where we did a relay race. After the relay race everyone had to do their best belly flop. We were half an hour late for breakfast so we had to sprint back to camp for breakfast.

Lochlan Butler After breakfast, we had maths again and it helped us remember a few things for example mode, mean, median. Then we had mechanics and we serviced and learnt about a small jeep like landcruiser.

Matt Hart My trip to the san to remove my stitches disenabled me to participate in the majority of maths but when I arrived we were taught mean, mode and median. My first whole lesson was mechanics with Mr. Schultz. Although mechanics was my weakest mark on my DAT results, I gave my very all. Our group struggled tremendously through and I would like to thank Callum, Mr. Schultz’s son who helped us answer the questions which were given to us.

Ryan Murray After lunch, the whole form had falconry. In this lesson we learnt a lot about the majestic falcon and we were very knowledgeable of the wonderful birds afterwards.

Travis Mackie Monday 5th November We woke up at 5:40am, I was so tired. Breakfast was early as we were going to the dam. We walked to Falcon and got into the buses. We travelled for about an hour until we hit a dirt road and had to get into the lorries as the road was really bad. When we got to the dam, we climbed the hill for a photo. When we got down the hill, we were allowed to go free and we swam all day. It was really fun.

Anthony Tanner 24

Today is a free day at the dam. Our first exercise was to climb up a gomo, we used teamwork to help some of our friends up.

After the climb we were allowed to roam around the dam. Some people went cliff diving while others went off fishing. It was a fun day.

Shao Li

Tuesday 6th November Today we had English where we learnt how to write a poem and be more creative and specific when writing essays. Afterwards, we did electrics where we learnt about the different parts of a plug and how to wire and connect one. Then we learnt how to connect two pipes.

Tinashe Tsuro Electrics and plumbing was a very interesting lesson and I learnt a lot. I will use these skills later in life. We were all allowed to go to the tuck shop after an exhausting but progressive music lesson. We were only allowed to use four dollars.

Today was very exciting. I think this camp is starting to improve and I am enjoying it more and more every day.

Thabiso Masenda We had a singing lesson and then at 7:30pm a pastor came to talk to us about HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. It was really scary and real.

Matt Hart Wednesday 7th November We woke up at 5:50am and made our way to the fields where we played touch rugby. We came back for breakfast and then went for our first activity which was snakes. The activity was very interesting and many people, including me, conquered our fear of snakes, we were told what we should do if someone gets bitten.

Lochlan Butler After PT we had probably one of the scariest lessons in my life: snakes. I tried to talk myself into it but once I saw this man with a decorated python around his body, Usain Bolt didn’t seem so fast. We learnt a heckload on snakes like how they’re not made to attack people, or at least “programmed” to, the three different types of venom, the most dangerous snakes in the world, and the different movements the snakes make which can be used as hints as to what they’re about to do.

Ray Kazembe

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We were meant to have a lesson on trees but the teacher wasn’t there so we did our white books with Mr. Trinci. I learned what I want to be in life. In sport I played soccer and it was very fun.

Mahomed Karimshah Thursday 8th November I woke up at 5:50am and got ready and went down to the volleyball court waiting for the obstacle course. We split up into two groups and then did the course. The obstacle course was so exciting and it tested our strength and mental skills. I enjoyed working together with my team. Our time was 28 minutes and 30 seconds.

Aidan Onorati We did our obstacle course today. We did quite okay. We got thirty minutes on our first try. Then we did English with Mrs. Heymans. We learnt how to write an anecdote. We were also shown how to accurately describe ourselves.

Carel Chirara We then walked up to Falcon where we had science. I did not really enjoy it but some things you have to do in life. You could not really work because we wrote a test. To me the lesson would have been more enjoyable if more people got involved after the test. Next was welding where I made a bottle opener. I really enjoyed this activity and I would like to thank Mr. Webster for helping me through this challenge.

Ryan Murray Business was fun because I love money and I put my mind to my work. I focussed and learned a lot about business. I enjoyed this day about business and I love business because I am business minded.

Kevin Mulaya Friday 9th November The rain filled the air with a cool breeze. The tent shook violently and I woke early. We started with science. My group did experiments with fruit and juice and we learnt how to check for acid, sugar and proteins. I found this educational and I enjoyed it. The activity might have gone better if people hadn’t messed around but it was good and I really enjoyed it.

Shao Li Now we had another science lesson where we dissected a frog. It was pretty cool but a bit freaky.

Then it was our tea break. We had a business lecture where I learnt a lot about how I can save my money.

Anthony Tanner We had a very interesting history lesson learning about battles and settlements that took place in the valley and in the mountains and about Lobengula and his Matebele tribe.

Troy Pieterse

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Group 5 Monday 29th October In the morning we woke up early and went to the bottom of the hill. We waited there for an hour because the teachers wanted to show us what it was like to wait while people act stupid and take too long. Then we went for a physical and hill sprints bit I think some people in our team did not do so well but we encouraged our team and they were able to struggle through it.

Keegan Silk At around 10:00am we went out to do a bit of map skills. It only took us a few minutes to grasp the concept since we had previously done something similar for geography a few months ago. Come lunch time, we hastily ate our lunch and set off on a perilous journey that dragged on and on for close to five hours. Our feet were swollen by the time we actually arrived which was at around 9:00pm due to our delay when we unsuccessfully had to look for jerry cans that contained our drinking water.

Joshua Masanganise We took the exact route that the GPS gave us instead of following the road which made us trek through really dense bush. We then stopped at a waypoint to look for water. We spent two hours looking for water and by the time we decided it wasn’t there it was already getting dark. Next time I will definitely take less food and more water and conserve it more. When we finally did arrive, everyone was finished and we still had to set up camp and make dinner. For dinner we had some delicious boerewors and some near raw potatoes.

Ross Hayter Tuesday 30th October We woke up at half six and had to find water using the GPS and co-ordinator. Me and three other guys were given the wrong directions. I was so angry. Eventually our instructor gave us the right directions to find the water and we found it 2km from our co-ordinates.

Rishal Patel

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We woke up at 5:30am to prepare food and packed up to leave. Four people went with one leader to go look for water using the GPS, whilst the others were cooking. When we were cooking it went well but a few people who were being inconsiderate kept complaining and nagging that they hadn’t had enough to eat when we had to distribute the food accordingly.

Other people were just lazy and did not do any work and just sat around. I personally think people should not complain if they actually did what they were supposed to do and to be thankful that there was food to eat. After breakfast, we left and headed back to Pamula. On the way we stopped to find water which we would filter and boil for it to be clean. This exercise was fun because we listened to instructions and did what we were told.

Taku Makamure Luckily we went back to Quest by bus and even had a lesson in preparing a poitjie so we didn’t have to cook. The group dug into our food and discussed the day behind us and then drifted off into a deep sleep under the stars. This sleep was soon ended though. Rain was falling from the sky. We were all too tired to find a survivors solution so we all shifted under the chalet verandas. And just as sleep was about to reclaim us Thomas Haddon yelled “A SCORPION BIT ME!” At first fear shot through me and all that was on my mind was the thought of the same fate falling on me. I sat in my sleeping bag watching as two guys and a coach helped him out and then after a little anti-scorpion prayer I drifted back to sleep.

Rory Tsapayi When we arrived we made lunch. After lunch Cindy came and told us that there was a tuck truck that we had to go to, to get food. We walked down to one of the dams to find Borris the tug not tuck truck! We were told we had to get it out of the water if we wanted our tuck. Immediately we used brute force to get it out. But this was a thinking test. We had to use our surroundings. We used our thought in and out of the water not the utilities around us. After a good twenty minutes, we got Borris out. Then the coaches and the leaders told us to get the pulleys and the levers that could pull ten times the amount we could. This taught us that if we are ever in trouble to use our surroundings.

Ryan Haunsell Wednesday 31st October Wednesday was once again a very early morning, because we had to go to the Natural Museum of History and Matopos. We saw pictures and statues of our natural history and many animals and their claimed evolution.

Some of us went to the museum tuck shop without asking. We were punished by not stopping at TM after Matopos.

Tafadzwa Zimuto

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Then we went to Matopos, had lunch and learnt about Cecil John Rhodes and saw where he was buried and all the four men were in the Matopos. We saw their memorial and their statues were on the walls but you can still see the guns and bridle strips they used. It was very good and I enjoyed it a lot.

Graham Shepherd Thursday 1st November In the morning we played Cops and Robbers for PT. I loved this activity, I thought we would do something strenuous but I enjoyed it very much.

David Bowl Then we had Geography time and year lessons with the falcon teacher. I was bored and uninterested. We learnt about different religious calendars. We then did a pendulum experiment.

We did it correctly and I did it with no nasty feeling. Then we had construction.

Nigel Jena Afterwards we had a lecture on scorpions. It was very interesting and I learnt a lot. Scorpions are amazing creatures but they are also extremely dangerous and should be respected. I should have asked more questions but I only started thinking of them after the lecture.

The construction lesson was fun in my eyes but the others in my group didn’t think so. The first thing we did was learn to mix cement which was called mortar. I found this fun but still the others did not. We had to build five courses of bricks. This means five layers. My team of six worked like a well oiled machine. The team was great and I was very happy about that.

Jake Greenway Friday 2nd November In the morning we were not too happy because we had to get up earlier than usual because we were doing the obstacle course which we had to get ready for because it was a team event. I felt that we all worked as a team and I was really tired.

Thomas Haddon Maths was next but I didn’t really enjoy it and I was hot but I tried my best. The group didn’t take it too seriously and we were messing around. We learnt how to measure angles.

Mitchell Enderby

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We had breakfast and made our way to the next activity which was first aid and self defence. We split into two groups, one went to self defence and I went to first aid. It was great to learn what to do in a medical situation. We learnt a lot.

Then we moved on to self defence. This was amazing, not only because you learn what to do when you’re in trouble but also being able to find pressure points.

This was an amazing lesson and was very enjoyable.

Ryan Haunsell Saturday 3rd November In the morning our group had an English lesson. We had to write poetry and after that everyone had to say it out loud.

Although there were shy people in our group, everyone managed to come out of their shells and open up to everyone.

I’m sure our group learnt to listen to people and not make fun of anyone. After English, our group had woodwork.

At woodwork, I was astonished at how much skill was needed for such a thing. Each person got a set of pieces together to do more on the time given. If you didn’t have everyone working, you wouldn’t finish.

Groups 3 and 5 went to Falcon for touch rugby and soccer. Just before we got to the fields, Mrs. Guthree’s dogs ran out at us but because nobody ran away, we were safe. I chose to play soccer and we were split into two teams. We had loads of fun because we listened.

Tafadzwa Zimuto In the afternoon we had free swim and were playing. Then we came back and practiced the obstacle course and we learnt that a team is only as strong as its weakest man. We helped him and had lots of fun.

Graham Shepherd

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Today was also Mr. Schultz’s birthday. He was so happy when we sang for him. We had a few games and then some fun with eggs and water. Today was an enjoyable day that I will never forget.

Luke Collins Sunday 4th November Paintball was a lot of fun. I got shot like, a million times. I won a point for my group but we lost in the end because of numbers. The group could have moved around more and spread out. The group could have been a bit more brave. Shooting was boring. I got 71 (not bad for my first time). The shooting was hard because the mat was burning. The group did pretty well but there were some exceptions.

Nigel Jena In the afternoon we did metal work. I felt quite curious to see what we could construct or make. The group at first started with no plan then afterwards we had a plan and managed to do it. The group learnt how to fix a plug, and know how to wire a plug and other electronics.

Taku Makamure After lunch we had a break where I got a much needed nap, then we went down to the school to learn about falconry. I found it interesting but not extraordinarily so. On the way back to Quest I found myself in a deep religious conversation with Carel Chirara. This made me want to attend chapel but unfortunately we were denied by Mr. Trinci. That evening (post chapel denial) there was quite a stir when Tanya Chambati enlightened Mr. Trinci on how many people didn’t like camp. This caused quite a controversy during which many people complained. I, on the other hand was advocating that camp wasn’t so bad. I feel that Quest is good for all of us and though it is sometimes hard I am growing as a person. Quest has made me appreciate the smaller things in life and has opened my eyes a bit more as to how much I love my family. I hope others have the same mind set.

Rory Tsapayi

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Monday 5th November We had breakfast at 6:00am and after our breakfast we all had to load ourselves into a truck and we travelled to a dam. The dam was very exciting we had a lot of fun in the water and I was very excited for the water things. It was much better than yesterday because we did not get in trouble and it was so relaxing and it was a once in a lifetime thing.

Bradley Perry Today we went on a field trip to Chimbezi Dam we had to climb the mountain to get to the top, it was a rock so obviously our team won. On our way down, my friend Luke Collins and I had a race to see who could get to the bottom first. I won! But I injured my hand on the way down by jumping off a high rock and my hand was scraped along a cactus and then a thorn tree. It was very sore.

Tuesday 6th November We had an hour longer sleep in the morning which was very nice to have. Breakfast was very tasty , we had egg, tomato and toast with butter. We then went down the hill to Falcon College to have a science lesson. We were learning about what herbivorous animals’ teeth look like.

Then we had to practice our song for our presentation. I was bored because we had to sing the same song over and over and over again but I learnt the words and I think that we are ready to present it.

Ross Hayter Wednesday 7th November The first lesson of the day was about snakes. I really enjoyed learning about the snakes because instead of just hearing about the snakes we actually got to see them and hold them! It also interested me when they took out the Puff Adder and made it show its fangs and let its venom come out and go into a glass. This helped the team because if anyone is bitten by a snake we would know how to deal with the situation and help the person and prevent them from dying.

We did science again today. It was okay, we learnt about animals found in the bush and we had to name them. I was surprised at how little I knew.

Rishal Patel Soccer was really fun and I enjoyed it a lot. We just had no plan and went with it. We learnt to work as a team better and to not just rush yourself.

Thomas Haddon Thursday 8th November Finally! After days of whining and crying over a rather dull science lesson, which actually wasn’t that bad but lacked enthusiasm, we were going for a chemistry lesson that totally rocked because of the various experiments we were allowed to try out.

Joshua Masanganise

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We had a lesson on business. I felt intrigued and inspired to learn more about the financial side of business. We listened and learned the advantages and disadvantages of financial issues in the world.

We learnt that we must make assets that will bring us income.

Kudzai Mtasa We then wrote a letter to ourselves and we will get them back in our final year at the college, upper 6, I will look back at this experience and laugh.

Mitchell Enderby Friday 9th November On the obstacle course, the awesome team 5, once again, smashed the record first with 23 minutes and then an amazing 14 minutes. Our teamwork was exceptional.

Jake Greenway We then came back for breakfast. After breakfast we had welding. I enjoyed this because I love working in a workshop. For welding we had to make a bottle opener and I was done in no time and had 45 minutes to spare and extremely enjoyed this.

Ryan Haunsell We did a geography practical and were introduced to the different grasses. Then we were driven around looking at how Quiet Water’s grass was suffering.

Tafadzwa Zimuto The in the afternoon we went up to the study centre which is up the mountain and we learnt about the history of Zimbabwe and specifically about certain people in Bulawayo. Like Lobengula, Cecil John Rhodes etc. this also did not involve a lot of teamwork but it was interesting.

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