Month: October 2018

Culturama Garba – Final Reflection

Culturama '18 - Activity

Culturama has been such an enriching and refreshing experience, I am so glad to have finally been able to participate in it.

My initial goals were to really enjoy myself in the sense of embracing the UWC mission – I wanted to fully immerse into my culture and comprehend others too. Naturally, because we were practising every week and closer to the performance, every day for many hours, I really understood what Garba stood for – a Gujarati dance that stood for colour and enjoyment. I could really see the fusion of the UWC mission and values in the ideals of Garba, during the dance I couldn’t help but smile because everyone was enjoying everyone’s company and having fun while still maintaining decorum and being collaborative and productive (LO5 – Collaboration). The environment was so warm and inclusive – definitely like our normal UWC community! Thus, beyond my goals, I went to a deeper level and connected my separate subcultures – Indian culture and UWC culture.

Moreover, in the final week, I saw all the other dances and learnt a lot more about the modes of expression of several cultures. I could see the differences and similarities and finally truly understood what the mission of Culturama was – to ignore the differences and allow all cultures could co-exist in peace through the expression of dance (LO6 – Global Value).

I’d say I achieved my goal pretty well in that I not only accomplished it but also enjoyed the process too. Moreover, I built upon it and acknowledged the bridging issues Culturama tried to raise awareness about (freedom of expression and cultural diversity). I also reflected on my areas of improvement during the process and worked on them (in my previous reflection, I stated that I wanted to be more supportive and encouraging and I did work on that and in turn, created many important friendships). For Kahaani, the Indian dance showcase, I want to see myself put in more energy as a dancer and I feel like it’s one of the true defining abilities as to how confident I am as a performer. Additionally, I want to make those same connections that I did in Culturama to really comprehend why I’m participating in these sort of art events.

A few photos of me (the girl behind in the first photo):

Video of final performance (Whole group)

Video of performance (Just me)

 

Yoga with Tampines MINDS (Initial Experiences)

Creativity Activity Service (CAS), Yoga with Tampines MINDS - Service

MINDS Singapore (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore) is an organisation that rehabilitates people who are intellectually disabled. I now have the opportunity with my equally enthusiastic peers to provide our clients with peace and allow them to embrace mindfulness by doing yoga with them. My goal is to simultaneously embrace two things: Yoga and social inclusion of the intellectually disabled.

One learning outcome I hope to explore in this service is LO6 (Global Value). One of a range of issues this service attempts to address is social inclusion of the intellectually disabled. I’ve learnt that there are inevitable and natural hindrances that occur within social inclusion of the intellectually disabled and I feel like allowing our clients with an escape like yoga can let them explore their own inner peace. After reading online, I’ve discovered that yoga provides so many benefits and I feel like this service provides the perfect avenue to blend some of my new found interests like yoga with pertinent issues like social inclusion.

However, I think it’s important to consider the possible negative implications of my actions and that’s where LO7 (Ethics) comes in. By participating in this service, I’m challenging the stigma against intellectually disabled persons and also I’ve acknowledged that my own morals and values formed some of the reasons regarding why I’ve joined this service. With that being said, I feel like I’ve become more principled from this service and my actions are now more justified.

Later in this service, I want to see myself explore LO1 (Awareness) in this service and hopefully, create awareness about our highly significant clients and their importance in society as well as the importance of yoga.

ITP Piano (Creativity) – Reflection 1

Creativity Activity Service (CAS), Piano - Creativity

Having learnt piano for a great proportion of my school life, I can confidently say I’ve grown to love it and consider it an important hobby and stress-buster for me. However, now I’m preparing for my Grade 6 piano exams which require effort, time and patience to excel in. So far, I’ve been focusing on my pieces and scales yet I still have my oral and exercises that I have to think about. I think my goal for the year would be to recognise the positive implications piano brings into my life and incorporate it into my lifestyle to maintain my own healthy mental well-being.

So far, my ITP experience has been more about LO2 (Challenge). The inevitable challenge is finding time every day to practice and make sure I’m improving in my skills and abilities. I’ve also taken many risks such as playing new and challenging pieces which makes it an even more challenging experience. I overcame these challenges by taking these risks and by being consistent in my commitment. Later in my ITP experience, I would like to be even more consistent with my practice and try to build my interest by discovering new techniques. Moreover, I find myself taking a lot of initiative (LO3) which entails me putting in my own individual effort into the process.

I plan to take my exam next summer, and I hope that during the process I can embrace more learning outcomes. However, I would like to be more self-aware and hence want to particularly see myself explore LO1 (Awareness).

 

Culturama Garba – Mid season Reflection

Creativity Activity Service (CAS), Culturama '18 - Activity

Having learnt a large proportion of the dance already, I feel quite confident about the performance. The best experience so far has been having the opportunity to celebrate my own ethnic culture that is otherwise inevitably difficult. Being able to embrace my culture as well as seeing others embrace it perhaps has been one of the most rewarding experiences (LO6 – Global Value)

So far, my biggest strength has been my dancing abilities naturally because I know the nature of Garba and that has, in turn, allowed me to put my best effort into the dance. However, I think I need to be more confident and be willing to help others who may otherwise be struggling. Therefore, till the Culturama date, I would like to see myself be more supportive and encouraging of others and I feel that only then will I be able to build the friendships I initially wanted to, which was a part of my goal.

I feel that my own experience in Culturama has been about engaging in LO4 (commitment). I show perseverance in every lesson by dancing and fully engaging in the activities despite me not being an experienced dancer. Moreover, closer to the Culturama date we will have to stay in school everyday for extended periods of time while still managing our other activities and services. Moreover, there is a lot of collaboration needed (LO5 – collaboration) as the whole cast have to work together to achieve a good dance showcase.

I really do believe Culturama is challenging me and motivating me to step out of my comfort zone. It’s building this resilience and zest within me which I would have never thought I could feel and thus, I’m confident I can achieve my goals with this kind of attitude. Culturama I believe can teach me skills about presentation and instil in me that confidence that will heighten my abilities in the future (e.g. better public speaking). Moreover, the collaboration and communication used in the process of Culturama allow me to better refine my social skills so, in the future, I can have more productive social interactions.

We have learnt around half of our dance and attached is a video with our progress. (I am the girl in the grey shirt)

#LO4 – Commitment

#LO5 – Collaboration

#LO6 – Global Value