Kahaani has been an activity/ event that I have participated in since the 9the grade. This year Priyanka and I had made the decision to audition to be dance leaders. We planned, and collaborated and were given the chance to lead a dance. Leading in Kahaani came with many challenges, people not showing up, unexpectedly quitting, getting COVID, and time management. However, it was incredibly rewarding. Our dancers picked up the dance really well during our short practices and performed beautifully.

 

Leading with a partner helped improve my collaboration and communication skills as we had to decide music, choreo, formations, costumes, everything really in a way that both of us were happy with the choice.

Yesterday was my first Culturama practice for culturama India. I really enjoyed the process of signing up and the audition process. I was slightly nervous during the auditions but I am excited to work with the rest of the team in preparing for the final performance. Dance and culturama, from my past experience, has taught and helped me to work on my Collaboration skills as all the dancers need to be in sync and work together to make sure the dance looks nice. Dance is also a challenge for me because of the nerves that come with performing on stage however every time I perform I become slightly less nervous. I also feel that the style and skill level of the dance in this years culturama is much more challenging. For example, the Bhangra uses a lot of energy and is a very upbeat dance however, I am not a particularly energetic person and I find it challenging to perform with a lot of energy. It is very important to me that I try to emulate that energy in the dance as it is key to the style of dancing and will make the performance look more lively and enjoyable. As I am in grade 12 and am really busy, sue to other commitments (Other activities, service, EE, IA’s, assessments, UNI things) I also want to manage my time effectively and show my commitment and resilience. Because I want to do this dance and work with a team I have to make sure that I can do my best and give the dance the attention t that it deserves.

 

#LO5, #LO4, #LO2

Singapore evolving Covid-19 situation has caused schools to go back to home-based learning. As school’s have been shut down so have activities. Though I can no longer Physically attend Yoga sessions I am using this time at home to do more Yoga. I feel that the yoga I have been doing at home has to help me feel better and give me a break from staring at the screen the whole day. This is a very stressful period, IA’s, EE, and just general studies. I think yoga has been a form of mindfulness that makes me focus on my mental and physical wellbeing. I am following yoga YouTube videos and just doing general stretches and exercises.

#LO1, #LO2, #LO4

Linked is the Reflection which Shreya and I (The founders/chairs of the NeuroScience Society) recorded after our last session for grade 11. We decided to end this week (right before the April break ) as after we come back exams for most of the members (who are in grade 10) will commence, and it wouldn’t be very realistic for our members to attend.

We are looking forward to taking the next steps for our club including Promoting for next year, Printing sticker, and deciding on how to pick our new chairs.

#LO3 #LO4 #LO5 #LO7

This year my MUN experience was very different from my previous ones. I was a delegate in 2 conferences and a chair in 2, all of which were held online. I learnt many new technical skills related to zoom and the importance of being a good chair. This year I was in the advanced training group, and when attending conferences I definitely think that I showed that. I enjoyed participating in more advances conferences like IASAS and chairing our UWCMUN conference.

The other two conferences I attended this year were a bit of a letdown but taught me many things. The importance of respectful and organised chairs. In MYMUNOFS as a Head Chair, I understood the struggles of having chairs who didn’t pay attention and were very rude, and inappropriate with delegates. In SEASAC the chairs were unprepared and inexperienced and in both situations in hampers the conference for not only the co-chairs (or Head chairs) but also for the delegates. unattentive delegates can make debate dull or boring, but inattentive chairs completely ruin conferences. It also made me reflect on how I can learn from these experiences. There are many types of chairs, ones that sit back, do the bare minimum and just facilitate, and then there are attentive and helpful chairs that teach and help first-timer delegates, and try to make the debate interesting when it slows down.

I remember my first MYMUNOFS conference, Ian (one of our schools’ trainers) was the chair, he was attentive, and involved., When the committee made mistakes he respectfully pointed them out and made us better delegates. However, in these other 2 conferences, there was a reluctance and acceptance that first-timers will learn and that they will not be good. However I believe that as Ian did many years ago making mistakes a learning opportunity is the only way to better delegates and actually allow first-timers to improve, otherwise, those delegates may have the experience, but they may never understand their mistakes.

That is part of the reason why I really appreciate our school’s trainers and having to “learn” MUN, because we are taught to become better delegates, and often that is why our school is very good (and we usually win the awards).

Next year as I apply for more chair opportunities I want to use the knowledge and experience I have gained to help delegates become their best selves, as well as learn and continue to reflect and improve on my own skills as a delegate and Chair.

#LO1 #LO4 #LO2

• • • SEASAC was a pretty boring conference. With the mindset that I was applying and attending an advanced conference, it was a let down to have a very basic beginner debate. Most delegates in my committee were first-timers who didn’t really participate. Essentially 3 or four mainly UWC students were at the heart of our committee.
    • Though the debate didn’t get very interesting or deep It was an amazing learning opportunity. I was able to learn how to explain my ideas to inexperienced delegates who didn’t necessarily understand the nuances of the debate. At the time I was definitely challenged as it became frustrating to explain concepts regarding economics, following your stance, and diplomacy to delegates (some of whom were in MIDDLE SCHOOL OR GRADE 9???).
    • At times the Head chair was also unaware of the THIMUN procedure as he was a FIRST TIME CHAIRS (I myself have chaired 3 times and it was interesting but sad to see the chair unable to follow procedure, especially him being head chair, the sad part was that the dep chair didn’t really help him). Our dep chair had “wifi issues” ( though she later admitted to just waking up late), and even left debate at times partially because of actual wifi issues but also random breaks and her desire to play basketball. I did however understand the dep chairs frustration of being a rep chair considering she was ACTUALLY an experienced THIMUN chair. Overall this conference also taught me a lot about what I would not want to do as a chair.
    • It was weird to have half the committee not turn on their cameras as the feeling of debating a person isn’t the same if you can’t see their face. However, considering that some of those delegates were from Myanmar and the current political tensions, unfortunately, made it difficult for them. It was however interesting to see the global value of MUN for these delegates who were struggling and how MUN became a community to do something practical and interesting to talk about serious issues like the one in Myanmar.
    • Some delegates in my resolution group were fairly good and it was nice to participate in the creating of a fairly good resolution.  In the end, I did end up winning the “Highest Commendation Award”, Though I’m not fully sure what it means. To be completely honest I wasn’t too surprised that I got it seeing as not many delegates participated and most of the ones that didn’t make any sense, low-key shouted, did not understand basic MUN. I do think I could have won best delegate however I did try to correct the struggling chairs (sometimes perhaps slightly passive-aggressively), and at times was not very diplomatic out of sheer frustration. After this experience, I have learnt that after assessing the level of the committee if delegates are not experienced it is not worth it to try to tell them they are wrong as they are not going to understand. It’s better (if you are a delegate) to leave it to the chairs, even if they choose to do nothing about it.
    • There was also the challenge of virtual conferences and planning them for delegates which were hard for this school. Online conferences are also difficult considering hours of staring at your screen for debate is difficult and it gave me a headache.
    • #LO1, #LO2, #LO4, #LO6

068e02f1-30e1-4471-987e-581deac1e4db

Above is a link to my Kahaani Final performance. Overall Kahaani 2021 was a very enjoyable experience. This year I had my friend Priyanka in my Kahaani dance. As this was my third Kahaani experience I had some skills when it came to dancing and performing, in fact, this year I was put in the front and centre of my Kahaani dance. Kahaani this year was very different due to the Covid 19 pandemic, we had to wear our masks all the time except for when we were dancing (or taking pictures), there was a lot of restrictions and rules regarding safe distancing which we had to follow. As for the dance itself, I faced another challenge, during the last song I messed up during the end. This was primarily due to last-minute changes and not enough practise on my part to make sure I was confident with that. However, I don’t believe that little mistakes during the performance mean anything. I learnt many skills and changed some of my attitudes, which is what matters the most. For example, I learned skills which had to do with leadership, organisation, and communication, all of which I had mentioned in my previous relationship. I also had a positive attitude throughout Kahaani because of the amazing people I was surrounded with, my friends, dance leaders, and other kahaani dance members. When I was initially allocated to the dance I was in I was really sad as I hoped to be in a certain dance with all my friends on the same day however I’m really happy with how things worked out. I also talked to Amara one of the chairs in Kolkatta GC to understand the way that we would be fundraising for the service without selling tickets. People ended up donating how much they wanted during the performance as well as on an online link.

#LO1, #LO4, #LO5

Our kahaani performance is next week. We have been practising our dances for a couple of weeks. As we near the performance me are rushing to finish off the dance, learn transitions, and polish off the moves. This year the Kahaani dance I was in had leaders who were in the grade below me. However, they were extremely professional and it was clear that they had previously lead because they were very good at teaching the dances. However, there were many challenges which we faced. For two weeks of practice, our dance leaders had grade 10 mock exams and they were unable to come to practice. This was a challenge however they asked Priyanka and me to step up and help lead the group for that short time. The dancers we have are really respectful and listened to everyone. I’m excited to perform in Kahaani this year. I know it will be an interesting experience as we won’t be able to watch other dances and have that kahaani community feeling. We only have 2 more practices before the final performance and I hope everything works out. This year Kahaani made me show leadership skills and I am very grateful for the opportunity. #LO2( challenge) #LO4 (commitment, showing perseverance, resilience.)

Kahaani is an annual dance performance that showcases dances from India and supports the service Kolkata GC. Kolkata GC helps give women in India, some of whom have disabilities, support by helping them through the arts, creating jewellery as well as dancing and singing. I have participated in the Kahaani dance event in grade 9 and 10. Kahaani has been enjoyable and has improved my dancing skills, as well as my confidence and collaboration skills with my other peers. My grade 9 kahaani experience was probably my favourite. I was able to improve my dance skills and I happened to have all my friends in my dance. Last year, however, the dance was a lot easier and I was put in a dance group with ONLY people from the grade above. It was not very fun but I was able to learn new things. This year I have 2 people I know in my dance group, which is really exciting. I hope to get to know the rest of the Peers in my dance and am excited to work creatively. I was surprised to get into a dance on Wednesday, as I thought I would get another day, all my friends have it on Thursday changes some of my previous plans. I hope to have a more positive experience than I did last year. I also hope to learn about how to lead a dance as that is something I would be interested in doing next year. I am also curious as to how Covid will change dancing while social distancing.

#LO4 #LO2 #LO5 #LO1

The annual UWC Model UN conference will be held online due to Covid-19 restrictions. This will be a challenge as it hasn’t been done before. The procedure and all the delegates and chairs will have to learn and challenge themselves in this situation. In this conference, I am a deputy chair for the Disarmament and International Security Council. I have to research a specific global issue and create a report to give to the delegates of the committee as an overview of the topic. I was given the topic of Combating the proliferation of weapons to non-state actors with special reference to the MENA region. When I was first assigned this topic I didn’t understand what it meant. However, after extensive research, I have a strong understanding of the topic and managed to finish this report (a week early too). Linked below is the research report which reflects my knowledge and understanding of this global issue. The conference is in December and I am excited to be the chair and lead this committee and to collaborate with the head chair from Dover.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CBJz8hhluQ-YGqdNLxR2EokfL2OaBERPYuRxqTTI59U/edit?pli=1# 

#LO2, #LO6, #LO4.