Baking Adventures!

Throughout the year, I have been learning to cook and bake. I want to work in the food science industry when I grow up, so this is merely an extension of my academic passions. About twice a month, I bake a large batch of some confection or savory good and share it with my classmates to receive feedback and further hone my capacity for baking.

Two weeks ago, I made these marvelous pancake cupcakes! A friend and I were joking around about how bakers become too creative and begin to combine recipes that should not be combined. I have seen multiple infractions of what I call “confection-ception”, or confections within confections. Brownies within cookies, cookies within cupcakes, brownies within cookies within cupcakes. As the joke evolved, we began wondering why no one had mixed pancakes and cupcakes before. But, with some simple googling, I found that it had been done:

Through thorough experimentation in the kitchen, I made a perfect batch.

Later, came chocolate cheesecake cupcakes:

Vanilla bean cupcakes:

And this raw vegan chocolate mousse:

And then, to try my hand at savory dishes, I made this gluten-free vegan pizza:

I have been veering towards veganism for a while. I do see a fundamental problem in relying on animals for so much of our daily consumption. The toll that large-scale animal production has on our planet is undeniable. Producing meat, milk, and eggs, requires more space, food, and water than any other industry. Cows produce a significant portion of the greenhouse gas methane. I feel that it is our responsibility as inhabitants of this planet to cut down on our personal consumption habits when it comes to animal products.

And, as I learned while making that heavenly vegan pizza, you sacrifice essentially nothing in the taste department :) 

Fringe Fest

This semester, I have gone extremely far out of my comfort zone with one project, the Fringe Fest. I have always been interested in the production of theater, but I solely studied it from afar or organized it backstage. I decided I wanted to try acting.

The weeks of rehearsal and stress have taught me exactly how taxing acting can be. I have never tried to mold myself into a character. I have never tried to learn lines. I have never forced myself to dance jerkily on stage in front of peers and teachers. These things terrified me.

During our first performance in front of Ms. Hargreaves, I was shaking uncontrollably. I blushed, stuttered, and staggered around the stage. However, we performed the entire thing. I didn’t die of embarrassment. No one threw fruits at us. In fact, all of the other actors and directors were incredibly supportive, giving me tips on how to calm my nerves. We practiced yoga together to get into the “flow”. I was so grateful to have found the theater niche.

With each performance, we got better. By the time we performed for the general public, we shone. I no longer shook, and my lines were forever ingrained in my memory. Our cast worked together like a well-oiled machine, and the chemistry between us all was palpable. The hours of practicing and complaining and telling dumb jokes and laughing until our stomachs hurt had brought into existence an incredible play.

Beatrice, one of my fellow cast members, and I actually wrote one of the plays we performed! It was called "Victory For All", and it consisted of wickedly witty humor and exaggerated movements. I had never written a play before. And even if I had, I never would have performed it if not for the courage I gained from the weeks of practice and encouragement.

No matter how scared you are of something, it will always be worth it in the end. 

Marich IC Trip

This year, I chose to forgo the ritual of the Senior Trip, a week at the coast, and return to Marich, in Northern Kenya. I have gone on the Marich IC trip for three years in a row now. I am very active in the Friends of Marich club, which raises money to implement small-scale sustainable community projects in the area. Last year, we built a bridge. This year, we built a second one. This one was incredibly special because it was built in memory of Sharon and Margaux Brown, a former teacher/librarian from ISK and her daughter. She was the founder of the Students for the Environment club, setting me on a path towards eco-consciousness. We used to argue about the TV show Lost and the book the Phantom Tollbooth. She recommended books that changed my life. ISK has never been the same after her passing. This bridge is an amazing way to honor her memory.

Marich holds my heart in a way that no other place can. I chose it as my 10th grade intercultural trip for the clear skies and filled schedules, but I was unprepared. Everything is dichotomous. Sweat during the day; shivers at night. Blatant poverty; the carefree attitudes of the people subjected to it. I remember the cry of a child who lost his mother to the unforgiving rapids. And the singular smile of a boy whose whole community is welcoming him into adolescence. After the trip, some friends and I founded Friends of Marich, implementing community-based projects in this beautiful, harsh place. Last year, we built a bridge to connect the community to markets, healthcare and schools beyond the treacherous river. This January, we will build another. The work required to achieve this presents another contrast. Despite all the painful persistence, the sound of another potential corporate sponsor hanging up, all I remember is the reward, the joyous singing of the community as we cut the ribbon.

The community welcomed us, as always, as if we were honored guests. We weren’t outsiders. We belonged, in the playful jangle of beads, in the rhythmic stomping of feet, in the cool air and the smell of neem and smoke. The people of Marich smile with more than their teeth, they see with more than their eyes. They live through so much pain and hardship. The fact that we could alleviate any part of that, through this bridge, made all the hard work worth it. Working on the bridge, too, was an amazing experience. Harmon Parker, CNN Hero and founder of Bridging the Gap, taught me the fascinating physics of bridge building. He showed me how to measure wire angles and place a foundation. I learned the invaluable skills of hammering nails (I can still barely do it. It takes me 60 quick hits to sink the nail. The experts do it in 3, tops), laying boards, and setting wire along the bridge boundaries. The physical labor was exhausting.

I wouldn’t trade this trip for any other.