My Essay

This is the essay that I had to write about my I-SWEEEP and science experience! It just sums everything up, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Every human being is unique. What makes you unique is not only your character and personality, but also your background – where you have grown up, how you have been raised, and the type of people that you have been surrounded by.

Living on a fruit farm in the Eastern Cape in South Africa, attending Yellowwoods Preparatory school and boarding school at the Diocesan School for Girls, my friends and my family have all contributed into making me the person that I am today.

I have always thought that no matter what you have accomplished and experienced in your life, everybody has a dream, or many dreams. I am one of those people who have many dreams, and I also have always believed that one day, at least one of them would come true.

When I began my science experiment, and entered the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists, I had no idea that it would have such a big impact on my life. As I conducted my experiment, I developed a passion for it, and when I explained my experiment to other people, I think that they were able to see my passion for what I was doing.

Being chosen to be a South African representative was not even in my wildest dreams. When I was told that I would be attending the I-SWEEEP Science Fair (International Sustainable World: Energy, Engineering and Environment Project Olympiad) in Houston, Texas, I could not believe it. I was shocked and overjoyed – not only was I a South African representative, but I was going to travel to America, and explain the science experiment that I had a passion for. It was truly many dreams come true.

Preparing for I-SWEEEP was definitely a lot of work, and took lots of time, but in the end, it was all worth it. There were three of us South Africans that were chosen to present our projects – Shraddah Rajcoomar, Kobus Strydom and me. It was very exciting to not only meet my fellow finalists, but also our two delegation leaders – Priscilla Moodley and Fourten Khumalo.

I shared very special bonds with Kobus and Shraddah during I-SWEEEP, and Priscilla and Fourten were wonderful delegation leaders. Even though it was a serious time, we were able to have fun, as Priscilla and Fourten were always there to guide and help us if we needed it, but we were also able to venture off and make friends from all over the world. I honestly could not have imagined I-SWEEEP without these four people, as they made it so memorable and amazing.

We stayed in the Hilton Hotel America, Houston, Texas, and when we arrived at the hotel, I could not believe my eyes. It was magnificent. After having a very filling and delicious lunch, we checked into our rooms (which were divine) and then went to the GRB Convention Centre (George R. Brown) to set up our projects. The Convention Centre was huge, and filled with places for each finalist to set up their projects. We all bought a display board, and then began setting up, and making sure that our projects looked presentable and scientific. Priscilla and Fourten were very supportive and helpful while I set up my board, which was greatly appreciated.

The Opening Ceremony was a cultural, spirited and lovely event. We were able to watch Indian, Mexican, Chinese and other traditional dances, and also find out more about the hosting city, Houston. Luckily, Kobus was chosen to wave the flag for the flag ceremony, and so we all felt very proud watching the South African flag being waved up on stage amongst all of the other countries.

The Public Visit Day was when students from Houston all came to look at our projects, and experience the fun of science. There were many exhibitions that you could look at, and it was very interesting meeting so many people, and being able to tell them a little bit about my project, and South Africa.

Our first field trip was to the Science Museum in Houston, which was filled with so many interesting facts and exhibitions. We watched a 3D movie about how researchers have been trying to get into a tornado so that they can find a way to warn people when a tornado is about to form. In America, they have many tornados, which can be destructive and cause grief and loss to many people. The movie was honestly quite inspiring, as in the end they were able to get into a tornado and collect a sufficient amount of data, which will be analysed and used for many years.

There was also a room filled with gemstones, which was beautiful. We all spent a lot of time admiring these gems, as we could just not believe how beautiful they were. There were also many other exhibitions to look at, and it was interesting reading about them while walking around.

Finally, it was time to be judged. We were to have a morning and afternoon session, and in total this added up to 7 ½ hours of judging. It was wonderful to have some of my judges enjoy my presentation, and even though I was extremely nervous, I enjoyed speaking about my project. When I didn’t have a judge, I was able to make friends with people around me, and we all had a lot of fun telling each other about our countries, and what it is like living in them.

After the judging, we had our social evening, where we swapped pins from South Africa, and other people gave us pins from their countries. We were also given passports, where people could stick their flag in and write who they were, so that you could keep in contact with them. The social evening was very enjoyable and lots of fun. It included games such as tug-of-war and musical chairs.

On our final day in Houston, we went on our other field trip to NASA Space Centre. NASA was amazing. I never realized how much work and planning it takes to be an astronaut, or even being involved with the projects at NASA. Building the space shuttles, and researching all takes years to do, and the documentary that we watched was very touching. It was amazing to have been able to experience NASA Space Centre, and I learnt so much about space and astronauts.

The Awards Ceremony was very surprising. Kobus, Shraddah and I all sat at the back of the hall, as we thought it would be the best way to see everything on stage. Little did we know that we would actually have to walk onto the stage! Again, there were performances during the awards ceremony, which were lovely to watch. When all of the awards were announced, I felt so proud hearing all of my friends’ names being called up for something, especially when Shraddah and Kobus joined me to receive a bronze medal. Also receiving a special award took me by surprise, but I honestly could not explain how honoured I felt as a South African to get two awards.

This would all not have been possible without the support of my family, friends, and Eskom Expo. This journey has honestly been incredible, life-changing, and unforgettable, and when we left Houston, I actually felt homesick, as I wanted to go back!

ISWEEEP was amazing, and I enjoyed meeting people from all over the world, and being able to learn about different cultures, and making friends that I shared special bonds with and I can keep in touch with in the future. ISWEEEP made the Science Fair such an amazing and memorable experience.

I have learnt about interacting with people from all over the world, and that working hard definitely pays off. If you work hard, and enjoy it, you will be able to achieve, and show people your passion for what you do.

Once again, I would like to thank Eskom Expo, the international, national and regional delegation leaders for all of their support and guidance.

I feel so honoured and blessed to have met so many people from all walks of life, and been able to have travelled and attend I-SWEEEP. Returning from this incredible journey has left me with memories that will last a lifetime, and I feel that I have become a more confident, outgoing and independent individual.

Eskom Expo has allowed me to experience things that were only ever real in my dreams, and being able to have gone overseas to present my project was such an honour, and an unforgettable experience.