Even though it was grade 12, I decided that I wanted to continue stretching myself to continue extending my passions. This time, it was by signing up for the FLCP (Foreign language program) for Japanese in school.

For some context, I have been teaching myself Japanese for two years using online resources. As a result, I have memorised quite a lot of vocabulary, however my grammar has been quite weak as I haven’t had the opportunity to ask anyone proficient in Japanese questions about sentence structure. Ultimately, that’s why I took the class. I wanted the opportunity to ask questions about grammar and continue forging forward with improving my Japanese.

I feel like this has been largely successful for me since my Japanese has improved a lot since I started doing the activity. The contents of the class itself are quite simple, however, I have appreciated the ability to ask our teacher specific questions about the language. Combined with my own practice, this has allowed me to improve my Japanese a lot since I started!

Below is an excerpt from an essay that I actually submitted as a university application essay! I think it’s especially to learning outcome seven as it shows how I have had a positive effect on my community (outside of just community service).

Lockdown in Singapore due to COVID-19 was challenging to collaboration––not only in school, but also in my various commitments outside of it. Last summer, I was undergoing an internship where we all had to work remotely, and it was incredibly strange going through the experience without any direct contact with the people that I was working with. However, over time we found ways of connecting and grounding ourselves in the project even when we were apart from each other.

Every morning, we had our team check-in, a small meeting where we would discuss our weekend, how our day was going, as well as progress on the project that we were working on. I found that in these meetings, we were able to connect with each other. Ultimately I made good friends with some of the people in the company, and I still talk to them about technology and other projects today.

I think that the crucial feature of these meetings was their regularity. Due to the fact that the meetings themselves were very relaxed, focusing on our project but also other features of our days, as well as the regularity of the meetings, created a very comfortable space amongst us that helped to foster collaboration. I realized that a very similar philosophy applied to mentor time in our school, a small period of time before school starts to get ready and talk to other people that may not be in the same classes as us.

Even though we’re not in lockdown anymore, I still think that this style of interaction is quite important, and is something that I want to take with me to university and beyond!

P.S. I don’t have many photos of myself during my internship (it was mostly at home). But here’s a video of how one of the components works!

CAS is particularly difficult during this time of year, as a lot of us (myself included) have to juggle academics, activities, and university applications. It’s often difficult to stay organized––but there are a few methods that I have developed that have helped me to stay on top of things.

I think the first point to address are the different planner apps that my friends recommend me. I’m not sure why, but I feel like using these apps doesn’t really work well for me, as I spend too much time organizing my planner rather than doing actual work. I tend instead to use a simple notes document to lay out my tasks for the day.

There are also a few things I do to blow of some steam after working. I enjoy playing instruments, and also play video games in my free time, to socialize, and relax as well.

Overall, it’s been a challenging year, but I feel like I have been able to achieve good balance.

Project week was an interesting experience, regardless of the fact that we weren’t able to actually go. It presented a valuable opportunity to plan an independent trip, and organise activities with individuals and organisations that are not necessarily affiliated with the school.

Our planning document was quite comprehensive––we were convinced that it had the requisite detail for the plan to be approved.

I was personally in charge of the safety aspect of the trip, as well as organising cooking supplies if they were necessary (in case we opted to go camping). Here is a copy of my role in the club.

I was also responsible for liaising with key figures within the school in order to clarify different aspects of the projects, and approve it.

Here are some of the links to our internal documents:

• Proposal
• Timeline

I think that the biggest challenge so far is with balancing time between academics, and my different commitments. Since I also have a lot of projects outside of school, as well as university applications due in soon, I have realised that I need to find a way to prioritise tasks, and keep a clear head in the midst of all the pressure. So I have tried out a few things.

Every night now, I use a meditation app called ‘Headspace’ before sleeping. It’s quite useful in that it allows me to rest without worrying about different tasks, deadlines, and generally stressful things. It has been quite effective for me, and is something that I will likely continue doing even into college.

The other way I cope with stress is just by doing things that I enjoy. I have been teaching myself Japanese for two years, and whenever I need a break from academic work, I like to learn new vocabulary and pick up some grammar. It’s a nice change of pace, unless I am learning Spanish when I get tired, in which case switching to another language does not assuage my exhaustion.

CAS is challenging because it stretches you and makes you focus on many things simultaneously. But for me it was valuable as it allowed me to find ways I can deal with multiple expectations and still thrive!

#LO2

I think that one thing that has kept me going with CAS is social element that comes with it.

I remember being terrified and completely clueless the first time I went to the gym for CAS. I had a general idea of which muscle groups I wanted to exercise, but I didn’t know how to operate any of the equipment–save a few dumbbells. Luckily, one of my good friends and also a bona-fide gym veteran was there to help me out. He showed me the ropes for a lot of the equipment there, and introduced me to some useful exercises that activated specific important muscles.

Generally speaking, I feel like I have had a lot of social interaction within my CAS clubs, and that has really helped me to stay motivated and keep trying to improve. I hope that I can continue going strong with CAS in the future, and also pass on that motivation to the others around me!

#LO4

Fitness with Hougang Care Center was one of the most impactful services that I feel like I have done. At the end of it, even in spite of having to be online near the end, I feel like we could all recognise the impact that we had made on the lives of our partners. It might not have necessarily been exceedingly meaningful for all of them. After all, I’m sure it could have easily have just been seen as a once-a-week obligation for them to play some strange new games with some strange teenagers.

But I do feel it was evident that they did enjoy the activity… And even if to them it was just a way to break the monotony of regular life and meet some new people, I think it was a worthwhile thing to do. It certainly felt worthwhile to me, at least.

I do see a lot of interesting places that this service can go, especially given the restrictions on communication due the coronavirus situation in Singapore. It might be astute to use this time to develop awareness for the issue of mental health, and bring it to communities even outside our school. I feel our regular involvement with our partners, while incredibly important, can be expanded to benefit a larger audience. Perhaps this could be achieved with regular exercise videos or zoom calls. The possibilities really are limitless.

Even if I can’t participate in the service actively in Grade 12, I do feel like the service has great potential for growth. I feel honoured to have been a part of this effort to reconcile mental health within society, and I am excited to see where the new group can take the service. Of course, this was all made possible by our partners at Anglican, the participating student group, and our helpful supervisors Emma and Chris. I’m really glad to have had them along the way.

Anyways~

Onwards to even greater heights!

#CAS