Interview with Kyra Muzvaba (EAST SIDE)

Self-confessed geek and lover of all things Dystopian, Kyra thinks she will live her best Hunger Games life in the Apocalypse. She took part in a gruelling six-week wilderness expedition to Iceland and was a member of the British Explorers’ Society growing up. Kyra is determined not to have her opinion discounted due to her age. She says if she’s disrespected then ‘Storm Kyra’ may emerge. Describes herself as a mix of Jack Sparrow, Tony Stark and Sharpay from High School Musical.

So what made you want to take part in the Apocalypse?

I love post apocalypse themed shows. I was obsessed with them growing up, like Hunger Games. I'm a huge Disney nerd, so this just seemed really cool. Also, with my experience of camping and stuff, I don't know why, but in my head I thought it would be so easy. 

Did you do anything in advance to prepare yourself?

I did but not very much. I've done a few hikes in the past, having lived in Iceland for a while. Before taking part, I went on a couple more camping trips with my friends. I think I mostly just had to get into the mindset of accepting that I was actually going to be starving. There's no textbook or anything that can really prepare you for that. I think I did some self-reflection, but other than that I kind of just went in raw.

What skill were you most confident would help the group?

I don't think I was as physically capable as some of the others, like Lou. I think what I brought was more that element of fun. But I also think I was quite headstrong. It feels like a distant memory now, but I remember having strong opinions and ideas about how to do things, including how to communicate with the other group.

What was the biggest challenge that you faced in there?

For me it was actually my own sense of self identity, and how I was perceived within the group. I struggled with that because you want to be yourself, and I'm quite a fun, outgoing person, but then you realise not everybody is going to take that well, some people take it negatively. You have to really learn to just be true to yourself. Once you actually embrace that, it becomes fun. Towards the end I was having a blast, honestly having a blast the whole way through, it was really only the lack of food that got to me.

What was your first reaction when you walked into the town?

I thought it looked wicked, so cool. I didn't really know what to expect, but when I walked in, it felt like it was taken straight out of a book or a movie. I loved how immersive it was, I just wanted to explore, explore, explore. But then as the sun started going down, it hit me that we actually needed to survive, we actually needed to find supplies. I was so particular about it, wanting to search every single car and every corner to find everything we could. It felt like a game, like a simulator, like being in The Walking Dead.

What surprised you the most about the other people in your group?

How diverse everyone was, that really surprised me. I'm not very fit, so I assumed everyone else would be really macho and I'd be the odd one out. But everybody had their own strengths that they brought to the group, and I learned so much from all of them. Even people who weren't as physically strong taught me things. For a young person like me, waking up next to those people and realising how much you could learn from them, even though they were so different from me, was incredible. 

Were you shocked to discover there was another group?

Yes, completely shocked. I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first. Part of me was happy, thinking we could all live together in harmony, but then I remembered we were in an abandoned city with limited resources. It really brought out a different side of things, wondering whether we should take from them or not. Personally I didn't want to take from them, but when they took from us, my anger was something else, I was genuinely shaking with anger. 

Was there a moment you just thought, “I can't do this, I want to go home”?

I can't quite remember what week it was, but one low point was not being able to go to toilet for about two weeks, I really didn't like that. There was also a stretch, maybe mid-way through, where we were all just moping around like zombies. I remember thinking I actually can't do this, wondering why I was choosing to put myself through it, whether it was some kind of self punishment. I missed my dad, I missed my own bed. There wasn't really one big dramatic moment, it was more just the grind of doing the same thing every single day and wondering whether we were actually progressing at all.

What do you feel like you learned about yourself in there?

I learned how important individuality is, and how important it is to have people around you that you can learn from, without ever watering yourself down. I also learned so much from listening to other people's stories, especially since I was the youngest one there. I learned practical things, like how to change a tyre and survival tips, and life lessons too, from people like Laura and Bertie, or how to stay optimistic from someone like Stevie. You just learn something from everyone, and that's an experience you really can't get anywhere else. I'm honestly so grateful for the whole experience, it was an absolute hoot. I don't know if I'd do it again, but I probably would.

Has the experience changed how you think about contemporary life and the things we take for granted?

Culturally, where I'm from, my parents always taught me to be thankful. But once you start working and earning your own money, you start thinking you need certain things, like getting your nails done all the time or your hair done all the time. Those things go out the window after an experience like this. You forget that having food on the table isn't guaranteed for everyone, some people live the way we did in there every day. 

Did it shock you that full grown adults were still arguing and bickering over such small things?

It did shock me, some of it genuinely surprised me. At first I thought, you're all so much older, you don't know what you're talking about, but when it came to actually arguing with them it felt like we were all the same age, like we were all toddlers. It's crazy how something like starvation and aggravation can turn people, we were having tantrums, myself included.