Looking back at project week I think that the experience was really good for me to learn about not only the world but also myself. I think that I learned a lot about how to plan a trip and how much actual work and planning goes into experiences like this.
The end of the trip was probably the most hectic part, with us having our first flight delayed then only having a really short window for our layover for our next flight. This was really stressful but we made sure to stay together as a team and not leave on and another behind during the process. Reflecting on PW I think that I achieved Learning Outcomes 2 & 5 I worked together with my team at every point along the way, and this was really helpful for me personally. It challenged me to stay in constant contact and up to date with all of the sections of planning for our group. Each member of our group had a direct purpose and that was really helpful for our learning.
Looking back at project week it was a really good experience not only from when we did things like hiking but also for giving us the opportunity to make more of a global change. During our trip, we spent 2 days working with our service partner, and the other 3 doing activities and exploring Chang Mai. I think that both parts of the trip had an impact on all of us. We needed to work with the NGO in order to create a change. And we needed to
During the trip, things went overall really well, with no “Major” Errors happening, most of the challenge for us during the trip was finding stuff to do during our unplanned time such as going to the market. This was challenging as we need to properly plan for the additional activities and what we were doing.
I think that during the trip we really accomplished learning outcomes 7 & 6. We were constantly considering how our actions affected what was going on around us and we engaged more directly than any of us ever had with issues on a global scale.
Project Week has been one of the most interesting and fulfilling experiences that I’ve taken part in so far in IB. I think that it’s been really fun to work with my friend to create a handcrafted experience and I think it’ll be unlike any trip we’ve done before. For my group I am the First Aid Officer, this means that I have had to go through an online course as well as a full day course. So far I’ve already learned a lot about not only first aid but also myself and the types of trips I want. I think that this has also helped me to improve my negotiation and compromising skills with big changes to certain aspects of the trip being made throughout.
One of the biggest changes we made was to switch from an action and service oriented trip to a creativity and service trip. During this change, we needed to secure bookings and reconfirm locations. All of this work was really stressful however it was also really rewarding because of all throughout we knew that our trip was in our hands. All of this was on top of the fact that two of our group members were against this change and wanted to stick with an action service focus.
Another major hurdle for us as a group was assigning roles and making sure everyone did what they were assigned. When planning it was obvious the most important thing we needed was accountability and responsibility to make sure that everyone did their required tasks and then some, just to make sure the trip would be fun for all of us together.
Overall I think that the planning of Project week has been mostly related to Learning outcomes 2 and 3. Where I have gone through challenges and planned my own activity along the way as well. This had really helped me grow and understand.
Softball is one of my personal favorite sports with the sheer amount of theory that goes into the game. I think that when transferring from baseball I faced some difficulty with the rule changes but after taking softball last year and learning from my experience I’m ready to go into the new year with a focus on skills development and training for the future. Being on the B team has allowed me much more play time than I would otherwise get from an activity like this if I was on the A-Team instead. I think this aspect of softball has helped me with learning outcomes 1 and 4. In that I need to work on things like my accuracy and my hitting, I think that I also show 4 through the multiple training sessions a week with no games in this season. As it is pre-season we only train for the season.
Recently I had a really meaningful service moment for myself. It was during one of the sessions when we were at evergreen and I got a chance to have an interview with Mrs. Josephine(one of the residents of evergreen). During our interview, I had a chance to see a perspective I never had previously. As an expat, I don’t know many older Singaporeans who have lived here their whole life. So it was really interesting to see her perspective on the changes in Singapore and the ways in which Singapore has evolved during her time here. In an unexpected twist, she sees the changes to Singapore as positive. Understanding that culture may be lost to this societal shift she still looks upon them as a change for the better. The changes have made more opportunities for the next generation of Singapore. I think that since joining Memoirs of a Pioneer Generation I’ve learned a lot about the different people of Singapore and experiences that we share. I think that since starting Memoirs of a Pioneer Generation I have worked with learning outcomes 5 and 7. Not only have I realized the importance and ethical nature of my actions through my time spent with the people of Evergreen. I think I’ve also had some great opportunities to work with other students to collaborate and create activities.
Gili Eco Trust is a global concern (GC) service group that leads awareness and fund raising events to help protect the coral reefs and marine life of the Gili Islands in Indonesia. I have been a part of the GC for 2 years now. It has really helped me to understand the importance of our actions as well as the effect that we as a species have had on the environment. During my time at the GC last year, I took on the role Head of Logistics. However this year I would like to try and get the role of Chair for the GC. I think that if I were to get the role of Chair I could help lear the GC to raise even more money as well as gain more traction at the school.
I think that so far during my time working I Gili Eco Trust this year I have been able to see learning Outcomes 6 and 3. At the very start of the year, we helped to organize and run an event called “Swimdoniesa” alongside several other GCs. We all worked together to raise funds for different causes in Indonesia and the rest of Southeast Asia. This event really helped me to refine my planning skills as well as my leadership, as I was running the stall for long periods of time.
Student-led Marimba is a new activity I am taking this year I’m taking it to take a risk and look at a new side of music I haven’t looked at before. I think it is a really interesting activity and takes a spin on music that I’ve never seen before. I think that in the future it’s going to be exciting to play at events like the upcoming unplugged. I think that these will require more dedication and most people will be coming in from outside of school. Overall I think that Marimba has had a strong focus on learning objectives 4 and 5. In it we work as a group and coordinating with others is essential to our success. Like I said before it is also a new instrument that I have never tried before so as we go I am improving and picking up Marimba as a skill.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jQyz88btMMX2LJAL9y24cIbFvzGMCk36
This year I chose to continue with one the same sports I did last year, rugby. Rugby however only starts in the second season so for the first season I’m doing pre-season rugby. I think pre-season rugby focuses most on learning outcomes 4 and 5. Since it isn’t necessary for the team some people just skip it, but I think that doing pre-season first will really help later on. As a team sports rugby is assured to help from bond and encourage collaboration, not just between the players but also between players and coaches. During pre-season, we train on the field every Tuesday morning, and for most other weekdays we are in the gym after school. So far I’ve found it very difficult to get back into the swing of things, with it being both physically and mentally taxing. It’s hard to find that incentive to go, and waking up each Tuesday at 5 am seems even harder than last year. However the more I train and wake up the easier it becomes and the clearer my goals become. I think rugby really helps me to have something to focus on that’s not schoolwork. I think this is an important part of balancing out my life. Pre-season rugby also really helps as a start to extra circulars as later I’m going to be doing proper rugby and softball and still having to juggle everything else. Pre-season works as a warm-up for what’s to come.
It’s the first term and for my CAS service, I have decided to go to Memories of a Pioneer Generation. Its a service centered around meeting with the elderly Singaporeans who have been here since before Singapore was even founded. In terms of CAS I believe this experience falls under learning outcomes 1 & 2. I think that not only have I identified my areas for improvement I’ve also found challenges to face with this service. During this service, we go to the elderly and we build a relationship, this is done with the goal of recording their individual stories. So far we have only really focused on planning with only one real trip to the center. I think that this service will be really helpful for my communication skills, a lot of the people we are meeting with are older and often they don’t speak fluent English or English at all. These kinds of non-verbal communication skills will help improve my general life skills. I can’t wait to hear some of the stories that will come from my upcoming experiences.
The Story of My Learning Starts Here
