Page 24 - Old Ratcliffian 2020 Edition

THE RATCLIFFIAN ASSOCIATION

GAP YEAR SCHOLARSHIP

COUNCIL The Association established this annual award to help one Year 13 student to fund a planned gap
The Association established this annual award to help one Year 13 student to fund a planned gap
year initiative in the intervening year between leaving Ratcliffe and continuing with their studies or
year initiative in the intervening year between leaving Ratcliffe and continuing with their studies or
employment. Helping alumni of the College in this way is in keeping with the aims of the Association;
by having such an award presented to a new leaver at Ratcliffe’s Exhibition Day, we are able to raise
awareness of the Association and its work among both new leavers and the current student body, as
improved engagement with more recent leavers remains a priority.

Each year, we invite Year 13s to apply for an award of up to £250, for consideration against set criteria,
with the winner being selected by a panel of Association Council members.

You can read our 2019 Gap Year Scholarship winner’s story below, whilst congratulations go to our
2020 winner, Hattie Lawrie (20), who hopes to travel to South Africa in early 2021.

MY GAP YEAR IN THE MIDST OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC

Having been awarded the Ratcliffi an growth in reforested areas and clearing Salvinia (a harmful weed
Association Gap Year Scholarship for which kills underwater life) from the river; this meant fl oating
2019, I had planned to spend some of my around on a little wooden square with nothing but a lifejacket
time exploring Southeast Asia…until the and a net in a river full of crocodiles! I also enjoyed a homestay
pandemic struck. The journey I was most visit in the indigenous community of Batu Puteh, just on the
looking forward to was Borneo. Fortunately, outskirts of the rainforest, which was both eye-opening and
this was my fi rst destination, so I got to rst destination, so I got to truly heart-warming. I feel so lucky to have had such a variety
this was my fi
spend a full two
spend a full two months on the island. I months on the island. I of experiences, especially knowing now that, if I’d gone any
tra later during the pandemic, I would have missed out on them all.
travelled through several locations in and velled through several locations in and
around the island, spending Monda
around the island, spending Mondays to ys to
F
Fridays working as a volunteer, and the ridays working as a volunteer, and the The beginning of March concluded my stay in Borneo, and after a
weekends sightseeing and immersing myself sightseeing and immersing myself few days exploring Kuala Lumpur, I moved on to Cambodia. This
weekends
in the culture. During my sta
in the culture. During my stays in rural villages ys in rural villages was vastly different from my experiences in Borneo and a lot more
such as hard-hitting. Seeing, fi rst-hand, how the wounds of Cambodia’s
such as Tinangol, Pituru Laut, and Narawang, I Tinangol, Pituru Laut, and Narawang, I
worked mainly on the construction of hygiene tion of hygiene tragic history persist to this day, in the form of both poverty and
worked mainly on the construc
facilities and schools; this meant that I spent
facilities and schools; this meant that I spent visible destruction, as well as the personal trauma carried by each
most
most of my days mixing cement and lugging of my days mixing cement and lugging and every person native to the country, was a visceral and intensely
building materials and equipment through the
building materials and equipment through the emotional experience. Our work in Cambodia was, understandably,
dense forests that surrounded many of these very centred around construction again. My knowledge of cement-
dense forests that surrounded many of these
rural communities! mixing and the building techniques that I’d acquired in Borneo
rural communities!
defi nitely came in handy there!
While living on the remote Mantanani
While living on the remote Mantanani
island, my work was centred more on marine I had such an incredible time living in the rural community of Beng
island, my work was centred more on marine
conservation. We focused on helping the people e focused on helping the people
conservation. W Pae and learning about another rich and beautiful culture. One
of the area to
of the area to create a sustainable system create a sustainable system day, however, after about a week and a half spent working in the
for beach-cleaning and recycling, in order to village, the local police showed up on our doorstep, explaining (as
for beach-cleaning and recycling, in order to
preserve the rich variety of marine life that so
preserve the rich variety of marine life that so translated by my manager) that there was a deadly virus spreading
distinguishes this stunning tropical island. My
distinguishes this stunning tropical island. My around the world, and that all foreign nationals were strongly
absolute favourite part of the trip was my stay in
absolute favourite part of the trip was my stay in advised to leave the country as soon as possible. Having little
the Kinabatangan rainforest – one of the most
the Kinabatangan rainforest – one of the most phone connection and no means of reading the news, this was,
ancient and biodiverse rainforests in the world. more or less, the fi rst I had heard of the virus, or, at least, the fi rst
ancient and biodiverse rainforests in the world.
Our group of volunteers set up hammocks in the I had heard of the scale of it. Trying to get home was certainly an
Our group of volunteers set up hammocks in the
heart of the rainforest, next to the Kinabatangan River, and I was
heart of the rainforest, next to the Kinabatangan River, and I was experience I will never forget! Both my travel insurance company
very much in my element, surrounded by the incredible colours and the airline I was supposed to be fl ying with had turned off
and soundscape! Our volunteering consisted of monitoring tree their phone lines, so I spent several days standing outside offi ces

24 The Old Ratcliffi an 2020