When I arrived at Quest Africa, I was just another ordinary person, a young man who did not know what to do in life. I was a young man with the basic skills and knowledge of life but with today`s life and lifestyles I really needed more to help me deal with current day affairs. That’s why when I learnt about the Quest Africa program I was so excited to attend it as I thought that it would open up a whole new world for me in more ways than one, it would also better me as a person and also help me understand different kinds of people and their personality types, as I have had to spend all my time doing the program with them and getting to know and understand them for who they really are. The program has also helped me find out what kind of a person I really am, it has pushed me to my limits and if you like my breaking point as well, it has helped me realize my strengths and weaknesses as well as my limitations of what I can and can’t do.

When I started the course it was very tough for me since most of the staff which Quest was giving me were my first time doing them. First it was the Mr Banks hike, at first I was very keen on the hike and I think that was because at that time I had never hiked in my life. When we took off I realized that we had to walk in the bushes, climbing over mountains, crossing rivers and climbing over fences and it was tough, boring and I was over it quick. Luckily for me we were in teams and my team showed good teamwork and good communication, there were pushing me all the way and encouraging me the whole way.

The proper Quest day is full of tasks and I got to learn good time management and good planning. Sometimes if not all the times the task would be very tough and requires good thinking, good teamwork and commitment

I also improved my fitness level since I started the course. Almost every morning we do fitness and sometimes as early as 05:30

Then it came the Iron Will. At first I thought we would just go there and participate and I got to know that no one was going to do all the admin work for us but instead we had to do all the necessary preparations by ourselves.

We were struggling at first and would feel challenged because we would get less time for the preparations. With the good time management that we learnt and the good teamwork between the Quest boys we managed to wonderfully prepare for it. I also learnt the importance of planning ahead.

 I really enjoyed the business board games we did with Mr Craig Hattle.At first it was confusing and my understanding of what was to be done was a bit of a shady area, however as the games progressed my understanding of what was to be done was made clear as my team mates had explained the whole process of the game to me and I was therefore able to then contribute to the group and pull them out of a couple of sticky situations. It really showed me how the business is being run in the real world.

The personal development we did with Felicity van der Ruit helped me so much. I got to know my personality type, the type of person I am and the career that is suitable for me. I also found out the importance of goal setting and working hard to achieve that goal

Sometimes I would get people who would annoy me so badly and before Quest I would fight with people like that but here at Quest I learnt anger control and more importantly forgiving and forgetting.

When we were given the projects myself, Aidan Coutts, Devon Reynolds, James Bush and Mandrew Nocton-Smith were given the project of building a communal area in front of our tents. During the first term we were concentrating mainly on the admin side of it that’s the budget and the architectural drawings. When we got to site in the second term we all thought it was impossible to build anything at that site because of the state that it was in, there were rocks everywhere in fact it was more like boulders but Mr. Schultz encouraged us all to continue and he encouraged us all to pull up our socks and just get stuck in to it and see where it takes us. We had to change our architectural plans several times before we started our project to make sure that the designs would be approved, for construction to take place. We have a dining area, a chilling place, and a lavatory.

When we started to clear the site we found more and more rocks and we called ourselves the impossible project because we thought it would never be possible to complete what so ever. Yet alone possible to build anything at the site. We persevered and cleared the area of all the rubble and the its inhabitants (scorpions, centipedes and the odd frog) we found it challenging but at the end I think that it will be very rewarding, we have completed the foundations and now we are about to finish the flooring to be truthful I really did not think that it would be possible to get as far as we have on the project but with the support and constant teamwork we have managed to achieve goals that we previously had thought impossible.

During the first term Thursday nights were frustrating in fact there were the worst nights at Quest for me, just because there are the social acumen nights. I didn’t have confidence to speak in front of the public. I would struggle every social night but Mrs Stuarts changed she put me on to the right path and I have improved so much in my public speaking. Now when it comes to Thursday nights I will be the first to shower just that I am now enjoying social acumen, I have also improved my vocabulary.

My time at Quest has changed me a lot it has made me a better person overall. The challenges that I have faced here during my time have made me ready to face the world after Quest, at first when I came to Quest I thought it was going to be like any other school but after the first term I realized that Quest is unique. Most people who come out of school will never have the experience that I have had at Quest, a lot of people go into life without any real life experiences and so they don’t really know how to handle difficult situations when their parents aren’t there to hold their hands. I’m lucky to have come to Quest and learned all these things, now I know that when I go into the wide world to make my living I will be able to handle everything that it throws at me.