How have the past two years impacted me?  How have my beliefs and values been affirmed or challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic?

Over the past two years, I completed my IGCSE course, endured my first examinations, as well as dealt with the personal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.  These years have been incredibly stressful for me, especially during the months of the exams, and preparing for them in the months before.  COVID-19 in the beginning impacted me through the circuit breaker, where we had to get accustomed to online learning.  That time was particularly hard as I felt the situation was detrimental to my learning.  It challenged how I viewed myself in how self-motivational I could be.  Another way that COVID affected me was by not being able to go back to my home country and visit relatives.  I value being able to spend time with family members, and the pandemic has affirmed that family is important for me.  

What do I want to get out of the next two years?  What kinds of tools and strategies can I use to face the challenges of the IB?

The next two years will be dedicated to the IB programme, and I will be focusing on finishing high school and figuring out what I want to do in the future.  Some examples of the challenges I could potentially face are not being able to complete assignments on time as a result of poor time management or finding that I cannot understand what is being learnt in class.  Getting enough sleep will also be a challenge these next two years as I often do not complete tasks until late at night.  Some tools and strategies that can help me to overcome these challenges are making lists of what I need to do and set enough time to focus on my own mental wellbeing, such as getting adequate amounts of sleep.  Adjusting my mindset to be more optimistic will help me a lot as well to prevent myself from trying to control too much of my life.

Where have I come from?  And where am I going?

I have come from a place where I felt incredibly stressed, having to deal with sudden changes and adjust plans to fit those changes.  I am heading into a time of finding out who I am as a person, and into my last two years of high school.