Skill: Guitar
Over the course of one year I was able to drastically improve my guitar skills. This was due to three reasons. Firstly, I was able to stay consistent when attending lessons. By consistently attending lessons I was able to learn new pieces and new skills at a consistent rate. This helped me to refine and revise my skills and knowledge frequently. This allowed me to have a stronger understanding on musical knowledge and technical skills which will help me in the future when playing the guitar and other musical instruments. Secondly, I had set goals which I wanted to achieve. One goal was to pass my grade five guitar exam with a merit (75% and above) in december. Another goal I had was to achieve the NYAA silver certificate by 2019. I ensured to make my goals specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound. This type of goal ensured that I was pushing myself to an attainable level, and it gave me a sense of direction. These types of goals helped me when planning my weekends and freetime activities. I found at times I was bored with nothing to do, in such times I reminded myself that I could spend extra time strengthening my guitar skills in order to achieve my goals. This caused me to greatly improve my skills as I was consistently practicing the guitar. Lastly, reflecting on my progress allowed me to evaluate and assess areas which I could improve. When writing my reflections I often found myself saying that ‘I need to practice more’ or ‘I strengthened my piece’. This showed me that I did not always come to my guitar lessons with full confidence as I was required to revise the same material which I learnt during previous lessons. This showed me that I needed to revise more outside of class times. By doing so I was able to more effectively utilize class time and become more confident with my musical knowledge and technical skills. Overall, I am very happy with the progress which I have made as I have significantly improved my understanding and appreciation for guitar. By spending more time playing guitar I was also able to increase my liking for the instrument. This was good as I looked forward to practicing and learning the guitar more.
Service: Volunteering at a Pre-school
I participated in the SGM little kids service group. The group works to build relationships with children through arts, crafts and activities. This helps the kids become exposed to different types of people and builds their confidence when interacting with people. In turn I was able to do the same. The service involves a lot of people including children, teachers and peers. Through the experience we were required to collaborate with new people. When I had just joined the service I found myself to be more shy and less interactive as I did not know everyone who was in the service, due to this I did not take any leadership roles and instead played the role of a follower and bystander. However, as I spent more time with the people in the service I grew to become more comfortable and confident. This allowed me to participate more actively in group discussions and planning sessions. I saw myself slowly contributing more and more into the service as I began speaking more and volunteering more. Due to this I was able to make new friends which was good as I would not have otherwise interacted with these people. I was also able to improve my interpersonal skills with teachers and adults around me. I was able to better understand how to effectively interact and collaborate with people whom you are supposed to treat professionally and respectfully. Furthermore, I was able to develop my approach when interacting with kids. I was able to interact with many different types of children both shy and outgoing. This helped me to understand how to deal with different situations when talking to children. For example if a shy child does not want to talk a lot it may be better to support them and encourage them rather than just asking leading questions. Later on in the year I became the chair of the service. This shows that I was able to make a big progression from the beginning of the year and now when regarding leadership roles and confidence. I now guide other members in the group and communicate with our service partners. The experience has really helped me grow as a person and become more confident with myself. The service never felt like a burden and I was able to do something that I really enjoy while helping the people around me.
Sports: Badminton
I have played badminton over the course of multiple years but I was never able to consistently attend training and practice sessions. This was because I did not feel committed to the sport, the timings caused me to arrive home at late times causing me to not attend the sessions. However, as I wanted to achieve the NYAA certificate I needed to attend all the sessions I had signed up for. This gave me initiative to attend the sessions. In doing so I was able to improve my badminton skills as I had more consistent practice. I was able to acquire muscle memory regarding the strokes and techniques. Furthermore, I was able to improve my cardiovascular endurance as I was exercising often. This had many advantages. Firstly, I was able to improve my badminton skills as I was able to play the sport for a longer duration of time without getting tired. Secondly, I was able to stay more fit, this helped me feel better both mentally and physically in my day to day life. Before commiting to the sport I did not know the difference regular exercise would make on other factors. I felt more focused on other tasks and more clear minded. This encouraged me to keep consistently exercising and go further by eating healthier as well. I learnt many new strokes and shots that I would not otherwise know, this helped me improve my game as I had more techniques that I could utilize during games. I was also able to build relationships within the badminton community within the school. As we all have badminton in common we were able to get along well. This made me feel as though I had a group of people which I am comfortable with. Additionally, building trust and relationships with my coaches caused my training and feedback to be more specific allowing my game to further improve. Reflecting on all the sessions caused me to see what I needed to improve, as I had good relationships with the coaches I was able to ask for advice. I learnt that I need to improve my backhand and movement around the court. Overall, I believe that I improved my game, however, I still think that there is a lot of room for improvement. I have started to enjoy playing badminton more as I now know the people in the teams better, I also feel better when I keep consistent and am seeing progress.
Expedition: Australia ship sailing
The expedition was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am incredibly grateful for. I learnt ship and sailing terminology that I had never known before. I was able to work with a large number of people when setting sales, being on lookout and watch duties. This was the first expedition I have ever had in which I truly pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I usually never get sea sick, however after a few hours on the ship I found myself throwing up and feeling uneasy. At the beginning of the trip I thought I had got myself into a tricky situation and I wanted it to be over immediately. However, I had no chance but to be resilient and push through. When climbing masks and setting sales I felt incredibly uneasy as the masks were very high up and required climbing, as I felt uneasy climbing up was a challenge as the boat shook a greater amount at higher points. However, I did not want to slack off and do nothing to help the rest of the crew on the ship so I did what I could. The views at the top of the masks were incredible however, I was not able to fully appreciate them as I was so eager to get back down. Furthermore, my bed was located in one of the most shakey parts of the ship which did not help as I had no place I could go to feel less sick. Nonetheless, there were other people who ‘were in the same boat as me’. As other people were sick as well we were able to encourage each other and continue participating together. This helped me build bonds with other people on the ship which I would not have otherwise met. While I was very sick, I was still having fun with the people around me. Over the course of three days, I was cured of my sea sickness. At this point I truly started enjoying the trip. I found myself participating more when climbing and setting up sails as I felt more comfortable. I was able to climb the main mast which is the highest point on the ship. This is something that I would not have been able to do on the first day without falling sick. At the top I felt a sense of accomplishment as I knew I had grown as a person over the course of the trip. After this I ran for the role of ‘navigator’ for the ship. To do so I was required to give a speech. This is something I would not do at the beginning of the trip. Over the course of the trip I grew relationships and made long lasting friendships with people I had not know before. I learnt how to navigate a ship as well as sail a ship. It is an experience I will never forget and one I will always look back on.
