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Podcast filming

Activity title: Podcast filming

Type of activity: CREATIVITY and SERVICE

Duration: Around 2 hours.

Learning outcomes:

❗️Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth;

❗️Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process;

❗️Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively;

❗️Demonstrate engagement with issues of global importance;

❗️Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions.

Activity description

On November 11th, my friend and I participated in filming of a podcast that is going to be a part of a show ‘Science Speaks’. We were asked to come and talk about the mental health, its issues and awareness about it, with focus on the youth in our community. We mentioned some of our experiences in the topic, discussed how does the society treat the people facing some of the problems related, and also stated what can be changes in terms of this challenge. The conclusion we have reached was that the young generations must be well-informed on where to seek for help, and that they should be encouraged by the social media, school community and their family members to speak up about their problems with professionals and people close to them.

Reflection

I am very happy that I have had the opportunity to participate in such an event. I find mental issues, especially among my generation, a great problem of modern world, affected by numerous factors. My friend Ana and I both talked about it freely and clearly stating our own opinions, which were pretty much overlapping. We both agreed that the first step in overcoming this obstacle in one’s life is acknowledging that the problem exists. Next step includes facing the fact that it needs to be solved with someone’s help – and finding a person reliable enough to speak about it. Usually, this should be a parent or a close family member. However, another issue can be caused by addressing a ‘friend’ who is not necessarily a person of trust, as they might take advantage of it and engage into bullying, or spread the information and expose the person already experiencing difficulties. Therefore, we have discussed who the mentally issued people can rely on and talk to, within the school community, their friends, family, or professionals in the field.

This has been an amazing experience, as we got to be a pert of something I believe is highly beneficial and engaging, since our podcast is just one of many, each regarding one huge problem of our modern society. For example, there were other podcast topics, that involved women  in science, contemporary art and its various aspects, etc.

[grabezstasa]

Exhibition of the French architecture

Activity title: Exhibition of the French architecture around the world

Type of activity: creativity

Duration: Once, for about 2 hours

🕳Learning outcomes🕳

🔹️Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

🔹️Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

🔹️Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

🔹️Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

🕳Activity description🕳

On Thursday, the 13th of October, the ambassador of the Republic of France visited our school and our city, and she opened the Exhibition of French architecture from around the world in one of the halls of the National and University Library of the Republic of Srpska in Banjaluka. I had the honor to attend the exhibition and its opening, alongside with friends who I learn French language with. Also, we were present during the ambassador's visit to our school, and we welcomed her.

🔹️Reflection🔹️

This exhibition was something quite different and new for me, as I was surprised to see how the French architecture had spread all around the world. We got to enjoy the photos of some of the most prominent buildings and monuments that the architects of France have projected and created. These were nothing less than stunning. Afterwards, we got the chance to spend some time at the cocktail reception, liking the recognizable and delicious French cuisine. The ambassador was very approachable, and even willing to take a picture with us, which meant a lot. We got to communicate with the native speakers in the language we are acquiring, which was also benefitial to our learning. Overall, we had the opportunity to attend an amazing exhibition, showing that the human ingenuity and creativity are unlimited, to meet very high-positioned, yet kind people and to practice our language skills. What an experience!

[grabezstasa]

ROAD TRIP TO HALLSTATT🇦🇹

Activity title: Road trip to Hallstatt🎈

Type of activity: creativity and activity

Duration: One weekend🎈

Learning outcomes:

Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth ✅️

Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience ✅️

Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively ✅️

Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process ✅️

Activity description:

Two of my friends and I recently decided to travel somewhere, and we picked Hallstatt, Austria to be our destination. This is a rustical town, a small place of great historical and cultural importance. It is older than Rome, one of two cities in Europe that have waterfalls in their centres, and the only one with the unique tradition of entombing. It has managed to exist for so long without being conquered or destroyed because of one sole reason - the Salzwelten salt mine. This mine is as old as 7000 years, and it is still actively working and providing the surrounding areas with salt.

So, we organized our trip so that we have time to visit it all - the salt mine, the town with all of its monuments, the waterfall, skywalk above it...

Reflection:

This has been an amazing experience. We got to walk through the hallways 400 meters below the ground, amazing holograms and presentations showing the first workers in the mine - people from the Bronze Age, slide down the long mines' slides, see the salt from all over the world and taste the authentic salt from the Salzwelten. We saw the first and oldest wooden staircase in the Europe, over 3000 years old. In the town, we visited the two catholic churches, the graveyard where only people whose ancestors were residents of Hallstatt for over 6 centuries could be burried, as well as the ossuary - The Charnel House, with over 2000 skulls and skeletons, some of whixh are painted in an authentic way. We took a lot of photographs, walked till our feet started to hurt, found some presents for our closest ones, learned some new things and collected many memories. I am happy that we spent our weekend like this, and I hope to have many similar gathaways in the future.

[grabezstasa]

Iranian Combinatorics Olympiad💡

Activity title: Patrticipating in the Iranian Combinatorics Olympiad

Type of activity: creativity and service

Date and time: September 24th, 2022; around 6 hours

Learning outcomes

Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth❕️

Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process❕️

Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences❕️

Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively ❕️

Activity description

This is the third time Iranian Combinatorics Olympiad, also known as the ICO, is being organized, and it is the first time that my country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is one of the participants. Last year, 27 countries from all over the world took part in this international event, each with its representative teams for both categories. Final number of the participaring country this year has not been published yet, but it is expected to be greater than last year's one, as  there are countries who have joined for the first time, like Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this competition, there are two categories - junior and senior contestants. Junior teams involve students of younger grades, and their test can be considered quite simple, as groups of up to three members have two hours to solve 15 problems. On the other hand, seniors, such as myself, also working in teams of up to three people, have five hours for solving 7 tasks that are given, implying that those problems are much more complex and demanding. I was one of the representatives of our country, and one of the two members of the only team representing our state - alongside with my good friend.

Reflection

As stated above, problems that we are given are very complicated and level of difficulty is considered to be quite high. However, even though I have competed in mathematics earlier, and even though this is not my first international competition, this olympiad was special. I feel that it is because it is so specific, and because I hvave never done a competition in one area alone - it is always a combination of a variety of topics. Combinatorics is one of the four main branches of mathematics. It can remind one of some sort of a game, it requires a lot of logical and creative thinking, knowledge in some theoretical background, counting and prediction skills, as well as a ton of patience and consistency. This, of course, represents a challenge for anyone who wishes to deal with this area of mathematics.

I personally think that the ICO was different than other competitions since it requires team work and a sufficient amount of knowledge that is relates to one large topic only, and since its tests are highly advanced and complex. I believe it is worth as a CAS activity because it has helped me practice my patience and concentration, explore further into the discipline of combinatorics, learb something new, practice team work skills and step out of my comfort zone by accepting a new challenge, which was not at all easy. Also, the fact that I am one of the representatives means a lot to me. Even though we are still waiting for the results and the final ranking list, as the process of composing that list is rather long and complicated, considering the number of works the examiners must read and evaluate, I am happy with what my team has accomplished this Saturday. Only thing I regret is that this is my last year as a senior highschool student, and first year that I have the opportunity to participate in this competition from my country, meaning that this is the only time I got to take part in the ICO.

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Wedding decoration

Activity title: Helping in the process of preparing wedding decoration and decorating the wedding guests

Type of activity: creativity and service

Duration: preperations last about two weeks; twice this summer

Learning outcomes

🌹Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

🌹Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

🌹Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

🌹Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Activity description

This summer, two of my cousins got married. It is a tradition in our country that two close relatives of the bride decorate the wedding guests as they arrive to the celebration, and I had the honor to be asked to do that by both brides. I gladly accepted that, and I agrred to help one of them prepare the decoration for the bridal salon. We arranged the tables, flowers, including her bouquet, and the small ornaments that we would be decorating the guests with. The preparations lasted for around two weeks, and my other cousin and I were very busy on the wedding day. As for the another wedding, I did not participate in the preparations, as the wedding was held in another country, but one of my friends and I together put small ornaments on over 400 guests, including the special ones, meant for decorating the closest and most important guests, such as the couple's parents.

Reflection

I am very happy that I had the opportunity to be a part of the couples' special days, and to be able to contribute to making these events perfect for them. As I spent much of my childhood with those two cousins, which are only a few years older then me, it was very unusual and weird to see them as brides, all beautiful, serious and all grown up. These two weekends are something they must remember forever, and I am proud that I was there for them when they needed me.

[grabezstasa]

🔹️Programming🔹️

Activity title: learning to code 💻

Type of activity: creativity and activity 💻

Time/amount: long term activity, around two-three hours per week 💻

Learning outcomes

🔷️ identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

🔷️ demonstrate that challenges have been undertakes, developing new skills in the process

🔷️ demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

🔷️ show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

⌨️Activity description⌨️

I recently had an idea that I should start to programme, or start to learn programming. I chose Python as my first programming language, as I have done some research and come to a conclusion that it is the best for beginners, such as myself. I am doing this activity on my own, and I have decided to take a few hours every week and dedicate that time to developing this new skill.

⌨️Reflection⌨️

Although I am interested in logic and its application, as well as in some subjects related to coding (im AI, for example), I have never learnt how to write a code. I did do it in primary school, though, but the language we used to work in is not at all contemporary or applicable nowadays, it was rather used to show us some basics of how the operating systems work. So, since I'm planning to pursue my college studies, and my career eventually, in STEM sciences, I figured learning how to programme could be of great importance and benefit to me.

Coding seems very complicated at first, and many would say that you need to be a math expert in order to gain knowledge or experience in this field. But none of this is true! Anyone can, relatively easily, understand what needs to be done in order to solve a problem given, after some time invested in learning and practicing one of many programming languages, and write a few lines of code that will do the trick. Even though I am still a beginner, I am glad to notice I've made some progress and the fact that I become more and more eager and motivated to continue learning after every successfully solved problem, bring me much joy.

[grabezstasa]

🧩Puzzles🧩

Activity title - putting puzzles together

Duration - long term activity, approximately one puzzle per two months; around 10 hours per puzzle

Type of activity - creativity

Learning outcomes

Identify owns strengths and develop areas for growth🧩

Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process🧩

Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience🧩

Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences🧩

Activity description

Puzzles are a great exercise for improving concentration, patience and memory. They have always been one of my favourite activities, and I have been putting them together ever since I was a little child. I still have some of my old puzzles, packed up in the boxes and storaged in the attic. Of course, the puzzles I am into today are much more complex and demanding. The biggest one I have put together consisted out of 2000 pieces, and it was a picture of a wonderful fireworks above the Sydney. The puzzle I have put together most recently is a horizontal panorama one, that I got from my brother on my birthday. It has got 1000 pieces, and it only took me two evenings to put it together. The word space is written all over it, but the letters' shapes are made of some of the most famous characteristics and objects of the deeper universe, as it can be seen in the picture.

🧩Reflection🧩

Apart from typical, flat, 2D puzzles, last year I tried to solve some three-dimension puzzles. My first such challenge was a model of the Eiffel Tower, and then ither significant buildings and monuments followed, for example the Big Ben or the Coloseum. 🧩 I also found a collection of space-inspired 3D puzzles, and I had an amazing time putting them all together. At this point, I cannot say which puzzles do I prefer, nor which single puzzle is my favourite one.

Puzzles, apart from being an excellent brain workout, help me calm down and relax. There are times when trying to find a single piece takes over 15 minutes, and these periods can have an effect oposite to relaxation. However, a wave of successful moves always follows, and from that turning moment on it is as if some obstacle has been removed, and the puzzle's progress seems to be accelerating. I like to think this is, in a certain way, a lesson. A lesson that helps us stay focused and patient when not everything is going according to our plan, because easier times always come afterwards, but only if we do not give up.

[grabezstasa]

Creative reading📚

📍 Activity title - creative readig

📍 Duration - long term activity, 4 to 5 times a week for 1-3 hours

📍 Type of activity - creativity

Learning outcomes📚

- Identify owns strengths and develop areas for growth

- Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

- Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

- Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

- Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Activity description 📚

I have always enjoyed books,  and I have read a lot of them ever since I learned how to read. Exploring new writers, topics, styles or periods is one of my favourite hobbies. I just love how every new text I read teaches me something new, abd each one challenges me in a different way, that I yet have to discover. I love reading everything. I do not mind any form of the book - I sometimes play and listen to audio books, I read in e-form using my laptop or my phone, or I hold a literal book in my hands. Some of the books I read were recommended, or even borrowed, to me by my friends or my family, some I have to read for school, some I bring from the library, and perhaps I was gifted some of them. I read in multiple languages - most of the texts I read are written in, or thanslated to Serbian, my mother tongue, I have read a number of books in English, and recently I read my first book in French language, and I am also preparing to read my first book in German, which I bought about a month ago.

At the moment, I am reading Humiliated and Insulted, written by a russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. Some of the works I have read recently include The Blind Owl, Le Petit Prince, Green hills of Africa, The second Einstein etc.

📚Reflection📚

Reading, in my opinion, is a very benefitial activity or hoby, as it further develops our imagination and encourages the growth of our creative thinking. As we read, we tend to picture all the scenes in our minds, which results in keeping our brain active and healthy. There is another very important thing. As I have mentioned, my friends and I sometimes talk about literature and we usually have recommendations for one another. This way, not only we are discovering new possibilities for reading, we are developing critical thinking and practicing communication skills.

In the picture below, there are some of my favourite books. Even though I like to read everything, more or less - by everything I mean different writers, genres, periods or topics, classic novels will always be my dearest choice. I grew up with some of these books, and all of them had left a great impact on me, so I can never possibly forget them.

Reading, naturally, requires effort, but putting it in is not a problem for someone who looks at books as a kind of passion. There is another challenge that all the readers face, and it is finding time to read something they want. Even though it is sometimes difficult, I try hard to find a few hours each week, that I can spend relaxing with some book, running away from everyday life and all of its problems, obligations and quick temper, and searching for new food for thought.

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Rafting

Activity title - rafting

Duration - around 4 hours

Type of activity - activity

Learning outcomes

- Identify owns strengths and develop areas for growth

- Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

- Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

- Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of workingcollaboratively

Activity description

A few of my friends and I decided to try out rafting together. It is a very popular water sport, unusual and sometimes even dangerous, which is why we chose it - and we couldn't possibly regret this decision. We paddled, swam, jumped in the water and laughed all the time. It was truly a blast to spend a day like this - outside in the nature, having fun with people dear to me.

Reflection

Although we went rafting recreationally, and although this is not my first time doing this sport, this afternoon was a bit different. As the world championships in this sport took place in the river Vrbas recently, all the gates and other features were still there. After about half of hour on the raft, and signing all the papers and listening to the necessary insturctions earlier, we got to the place where the competition has taken place. Our skipper explained how the contest takes place and what are all the rules and then we had a couple of attempts of competitive rafting. He led us, we paddled according to his instductions and, to our great joy, managed to reach a gate upstream in comparison to our starting position. This was, in my opinion, best part of the day, and a new, really exciting and useful experience in which we got the opportunity to learn something new. Team work, however, was the most important lesson of the day, as in all times our work had to be synchronized. Finally, this has been an amazing experience, and I believe there are hardly any better ways to spend a day.

[grabezstasa]

An afternoon at the Youth Centre

Activity title: Joining a panel discussion and visiting an art exhibition

Type of activity: Creativity, Service

Duration: around 4 hours

Learning outcomes

Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

Activity description

On Tuesday, 29th of March, together with my classmates I visited two open panel discussions, that took place at the Youth Centre, here, in Banjaluka. The first discussion was about the pride parade, and whether it can, should, or will take place in our city in the near future. In the second panel, international and intercultiral relations among the six Ex-YU countries were discussed. In between those two sessions, we checked out one of the exhibitions that were presented.

Reflection

I have really enjoyed this afternoon. First discussion thought me some things I never knew, and it has deffinitely raised awareness of the difficulty of the challenges LGBTQ community is facing. For example, I've never heard that there were multiple attempts to organize a pride parade in Banjaluka. Only drawback that I could find here is that none of the opposite views on the situation weren't given, since all the participants and visitors were supportive towards the mentioned community, its members and the idea of an event such as pride parade taking place.

As for the other part of the #slobodanarodu event, I have always been interested in the country of Yugoslavia and its unique, yet powerful system. It has been a pleasure to hear others' views on topics such as connection and similarity of music and culture of all the Ex-YU republics. I am glad that this discussion was not just a history lesson, but rather a variety of shared real-life experiences, comparisons based on facts that aren't written in the books.

I think this was a very useful and educative activity. I learned a lot of new information and got to hear others' thoughts on two very interesting topics. The exhibition, as can be seen from the photos that I have taken, was a collage of a bunch of graphite photographs taken within the local area. They, when deeply analyzed, represent some of the biggest problems and challenges of the society and individuals alone.

[grabezstasa]

Promoting IB program

Activity title: Presenting IB program

Duration: For about 3 hours, on Monday, 14th of March

Type of activity: Service

Learning outcomes

Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

Activity description

I have visited two highschools in my hometown, one of which I had attended, before I decided to enrol in the IB DP. I think this program is great (I wouldn't be in it if my opinion was different), but a lot of people don't know it even exists. As it is usually done in March, IB students go and present this program, talk about its advantages, courses, exams... I have done this in four classes that, if they decide to, can enrol IB at the end of this semester.

Reflection

It was honestly an honour to me to be one of the representatives of the IB program. I did my best to explain how the courses work, what the relationship of the students and teachers is like, how important the final exams are... I can now only hope that the students have heard something new and that some or all of what I had said could encourage them to consider studying in IB DP. If I see some of them in one of our classrooms, I will be very satisfied and proud.

[grabezstasa]

Ljepljenke workshop

Activity title: Ljepljenke workshop

Duration: around 3 hours, on Friday, 25th of February

Type of activity: Creativity

Learning outcomes:

Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

Activity description

This week our whole class participated in a workshop called Ljepljenka. We had visitors from Slovenia that explained us the concepts of creating poetry in a new, unique and crative way. We cut out many words from the newspapers we had brought to this event and we decided on the topic of our song. After that, we placed the words on a big panel/paper so that they form a certain shape, related to he theme, and so that their order makes sense and thet the message is understandable.

Reflection

This has really been an amazing experience. We worked togehter, as a team and our theme was ,,Dela drakonskog društva'' or simply ,,Dešava se''. We made a song about all kinds of problems that are going on in the world, including war, hunger, networks, communication... I have never heard of songs of this kind before, but now I actually like them. I am looking forward to participating in another workshop like this, and maybe travelling to Slovenia with my team to present the song we have created.

[grabezstasa]

Music and teaching

Activity title: Playing piano and assisting in teaching children play

Type of activity: Creativity and Service

Duration: 2-3 hours a week, long term

Learning outcomes

🎵 Identify own strenghts and develop areas for growth

🎵 Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, devrloping new skills in the process

🎵 Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

🎵 Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

🎵 Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Activity description

I have been playing piano since I was about ten years old and it is still one of my favourite hobbies. I first fell in love with this instrument and the music it creates when listening to my sister play. She graduated at the Academy and became a professor of piano and some other subjects. Every Saturday, she teaches group or individual classes of piano, solfeggio and the theory of music. I occasionaly join her and assist her by checking the students' homework, practicing warm-ups with them, explaining them some musical terms such as scale, interval, dominants and roots...

Reflection

My intentions were never to become a professional musician, even though I don't plan to ever stop enjoying music. I have attended primary musical school and completed four grades there. Music is something that calms me down, keeps me diisciplined, creative and amazed. Up to this day, I have developed enough skills so that I can learn and practice a new piece by myself. These pieces are usualy songs that I like to listen in my free time.

In contrast to playing the piano, helping my sister regularly is a new role for me. I have given her assistance a few times earlier, usualy when a semester is finished and the students are looking forward to showing theis parents and siblings what have they mastered. But now, I am trying to attend this weekend lessons as much as possible, because I can notice that it is benefitial for everybody involved. It is certainly making Saturdays easier for my sister and more interesting for her students. And for me, the best outcome, I would say, is the sense of achievement and fulfillment I get afterwards, when I come back home. And we all have so much fun each time, that we can't wait for the next week!

[grabezstasa]

Learning German

Activity title: Learning German language

Duration: Long term activity, 6 hours a week

Type of activity: Creativity

Learning outcomes

📍Identify own strenghts and develop areas for growth

📍Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new areas in the process

📍Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

📍Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

Activity description

German is considered one of the hardest languages, because it has difficult grammar and a lot of unique words that aren't shared with other languages. I am attending German course three times a week with an aim to master this language. Since I still don't know where am I going to study and attend college it can also be useful, in case I decide on countries as Germany or Switzerland. But enrolling in a university is not the only reason why I am learning German. I have been learning it since I was eleven years old, in primary school and I think it would be a waste to stop now. Languages themselves are always useful and great to know and they are welcome for anybody who is willing to travel a lot.

Reflection

I have been studying German language since sixth grade, when I was about 11 years old. I didn't like the language at the time, but now I love it. Learning it also taught me that not everything we don't like at first is bad or wrong in some way. Even though I studied German for first two or three years just because I had to, while attending primary school, now I attend a course that is not obligatory and it is simply because I want to.

My plan in the future is to finish the level I am currently at - b1.1 - an go forward to he next one. I also bought a book that has been translated to German from its original, Serbian language. Since I have already read this book in my language, it is going to be easier to understand it, and definitely benefitial. I hope to learn many new words and phrases, as well as to improve my reading and comprehension skills.

[grabezstasa]

SKIING

Activity title: Skiing on mountains Jahorina and Kupres

Duration: 4 days

Type of activity: Activity

Learning outcomes

❄ Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

❄ Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

❄ Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

❄Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

Activity description

As we do every winter, my family and I went skiing. We decided to visit two mountains: Kupres and Jahorina, and ski for total of four days. These mountains are not so far away, but they might be two our favourite destinations for skiing.

I learned to ski when I was around ten years old, and I have enjoyed this sport ever since. Even though it is dangerous, extreme and difficult to many, I love skiing. It is relaxing and tiring at the same time, and also always interesting, never boring. It is also challenging and demanding, but yet so easy and natural to learn. Another great thing about it is that, once it is learned and practiced, it cannot be forgotten, just like riding a bike.

❄Reflection❄

As I said, I have been skiing for around 8 years and I am sorry that I didn't start to ski at a younger age. That way, I would have even more time to practice it and enjoy it. The point of this sport, in my opinion, is to teach us that we mustn't give up. In order to develop and improve skiing skills, one must fall, and get right back up, no matter how many times it happens. In a similar way, we must learn from all of our mistakes in life, and that way succeed at making our dreams come true.

Skiing is not just a move one learns to make when on the track. It is a sport that encourages people who love it to explore, improve, be responsible to others on the track, be friendly to the nature, spend time outdoors, breathing the freshest air, to be fit and healthy, careful and risk-taking, all at once. That is why skiing is an amazing sport, and one of my favourite ones.

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Volunteering

Activity title: Volunteering at the AC

Type of activity: Service

Duration: two hours

Learning outcomes

Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Activity description

On the 24th of December, I went to the American Corner in Banjaluka, together with my classmates, to volunteer. We organized this activity in order to participate in celebrating Christmas, as a part of CAS Christmas Fair. When we got to the facility, we first talked to the coordinator there, and agreed on what needs to be done. Cleaning the shelves, arranging books and different devices such as laptops and small robots, packing up the presents for other volunteers and partners of the facility, preparing everything for an upcoming event and a lot of fun followed.

Reflection

Even though this was not my first time volunteering, I find it a very fun and educative experience. Best lesson from this day, I would say, is the importance of working together, as a team. We sort of split in a couple of groups, so while ones were arranging the shelves with books, others were cleaning computers or doing something else helpful. This way all the job was done in only two hours!

American Corner is an amazing place and I have never been there before. My classmates and I were also taught how we can make ourselves the members of the organizations and so become its long-term volunteers. Since I am happy with how my first volunteering day at the AC went, I am seriously considering this option, knowing it would give me the opportunity to spend more of my days like this - helping others and receiving nothing but sense of accomplishment and fullfillment from it!

[grabezstasa]

Yoga practice

Activity title: Doing yoga exercises

Duration: 5 days a week for half an hour

Type of activity: Activity

Learning outcomes:

Identify own strenghts and develop areas for growth

Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

Show commitment and perseverance in CAS experiences

Activity description:

Yoga is both a skill and a form of physical exercise, but also a way of baring with everyday life and a stress relief tool. I first started doing it by practicing some stretches after workouts. I soon realized that I felt better in this last part of exercise, than while acctually working out. Then I tried something new - I transformed stretches into real workouts, by making them harder and repeating them multiple times.

Soon after, I started to research about yoga and started to like it more and more, from day to day. I also tried performing some real yoga poses and hold the position and balance in them as long as I can, and I would feel amazing after succeeding and unusually motivated to work even harder after failing.

Reflection:

As I mentioned, yoga is a great thing with which one can find peace, own kind of balance of body and mind. Honestly, I have felt a lot better ever since I began doing yoga exercises, which was around two years ago. I usually do these in the morning, right after waking up, to get ready for everything that I am going to face throughout the day, but I sometimes like to stretch in the evening, right before going to bed, since this leads to higher quality of sleep.

Yoga, for me, is great because of pushing myself into trying new things, learning, constantly creating new, higher goals and working hard and persistently to achieve them.