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                                               FINAL REFLECTION

The CAS programme has allowed for me to learn new skills, develop previously existing skills, as well as forcing me to step outside of my comfort zone. I can definitely say that I am a different person to who I was starting this programme, as I strongly believe that I am now more outgoing and have developed the skill of being more selfless. 

1. What did I do?  Was I successful in meeting my goals?

Being involved in the orchestra has allowed for me to achieve my goal of earning the role of concertmaster. This role has not only taught me the importance of listening to others in order to succeed, but also the way in which I should be leading my section. It was not necessarily easy to achieve this and the amount of practice and work I had to put in was sometimes daunting as well but I am definitely proud that I was able to stick to this goal and finally achieve it before the end of my high school education as I’m not sure whether I will be given this opportunity again in the future.

2.  Why was the activity worthwhile?  

Working with the Junior school kids during Trashion Fashion was tricky at first as I found it hard to communicate with the kids as they didn’t really want to listen to what we were saying as they were more focused on starting to create their outfits. Additionally, there were constant arguments between the kids where they would fight about who got to use which material or accusing another of stealing their cloth. Although most of us found it hard to communicate with them to make things go as smoothly as possible as it was completely student-led, the excitement that the kids had during the activity made it worthwhile. Additionally, we started to receive positive comments from parents outside of the CCA where they told us that their kids really enjoyed it and could not wait till next week to attend the CCA again. This was really heart-warming, and the bond and friendship that we ultimately made with the kids made it all worth it.

3. What was the highlight?  

The Cambodia service trip that I went on was only the highlight within CAS but also one of the highlights of my whole school life. Although I had been to Cambodia before, this trip had a whole different light and caused me to experience Cambodia from another perspective. I absolutely loved working with the children at the local school as I not only got to experience what it was like during their lessons, but was also invited into their lunchtime activities which involved skipping rope or football. This trip reminded me that at the end of the day, what you have does not necessarily matter in the grand scheme of things as the kids that I worked with were so happy and content with what they had as they always saw the brighter side of things unlike some of us that tend to focus on the negatives of our life and forget to celebrate our achievements and positives as well.  

4. What was my biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge was understanding that sometimes it would be hard to coordinate an event and that it may not work out the way you envision it to. When I decided to join the Candygrams team, I did not expect that so much time had to go into cutting and sorting the Candygrams. I was disappointed that only a few people could help me with the process and I honestly felt like giving up and handing over the role to someone else so they would know how hard the process is themselves. However, I’m grateful for my friends that helped me sort these out during their own time and the joy that everyone had receiving their Candygrams made it worthwhile. 

5. How do I see myself developing as a result of this activity?

During badminton, I felt a sense of relaxation although I was still doing a sport. Since starting the IB programme, I found it hard to find a balance between my school life and social life. Although this activity was still held in school, it was a good break from my studies and responsibilities as I was able to enjoy this activity with my friends. This also ultimately caused me to reflect on what I deemed to be important in my life; whether it was how well I did in my studies, the amount of work I did within the school to benefit others or whether it was my own personal happiness in doing things that I truly enjoy.

6. How did this activity benefit others?  

The work that was put into raising money for the Cambodia project was strenuous such as wheeling an icebox full of ice-creams to sell around the school campus in the 34 degree heat. However, the money that we raised overall and donated to the Angkor Watt Children’s Hospital ended up funding a child’s heart surgery. Additionally, the hours spent cutting up A3 paper from old art books and turning them into small A5 art books ultimately allowed for the school kids in the local Cambodian school to experience the Arts that they would never otherwise experience as the school did not have enough money to fund an Arts programme and their families at home did not have enough money to buy art supplies as they tend to be rather expensive. 

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                                                Music Gala (Creative)

This year, our school held the annual Music Gala with the theme of “Heroes, Villains & Spies”. I was a first violinist in this and also given the privilege of being the concertmaster. As seen in the picture I’ve added above of the rehearsal times, the schedule was strenuous on top of keeping up with my academics. However, I really enjoyed playing the gala and was happy to be apart of it as it would be my last year playing in it.

Overall time spent:

42 hours and 45 minutes (According to mandatory rehearsals, this does not include to time spent during sections outside of rehearsals)

Self-reflection:

I really enjoyed playing in this as although I’ve participated in many different performances and shows, every performance is a new and different experience from the last. You not only get to know new people and get closer to old friends, but it has also taught me the skills of being patient and disciplined. Although I would feel drained at the end of each rehearsal, I would definitely do it all again.

[zoeibcas]

Badminton (Activity)

This term, I decided that I was going to join a lunchtime CCA as this was the only time that I was free because my afternoons were filled with other commitments. Although the CCA was short (12:15-1pm), I’m really glad that I ended up joining the CCA as I was able to meet new people, as well as carry out a sport that I really enjoy while having fun with my friends. It was also a really nice break in between a school day.

Overall time spent:

8 hours (45-50 minutes each week)

Self-reflection:

I really enjoyed this CCA however as the school year started to progress, I found it increasingly harder to commit to the CCA as council meetings started, as well as music rehearsals for various different performances. This required me having to find a balance between doing what I enjoy vs what I had to do; something that I found quite challenging as I always felt like I had to prioritise my roles within the school and in music from what truly made me happy.

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                                     Sorting out Candygrams (Service)

Once the Candygram submissions were over, we had to sort the Candygrams to each individual; censoring any explicit language, then counting the number of Candygrams they received to allocate the chocolate that will be given. This process took so long as there were thousands of Candygrams to sort through. Thankfully, a few of my friends came over during the weekend to help me sort out the Candygrams. 

Overall time spent:

14 hours

Self-reflection:

Although I had a few friends over to help me sort out the Candygrams from 8am to 5pm, there was still a lot to do once the had left. It was really hard to find volunteers to help me out as it was during Chinese New Year, hence many people were either busy with family or overseas. Because of that, I had to spend a lot of my own time sorting the rest of them out myself. 

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                         Boxes for Candygram submissions (Service)

To make the collecting process easier, we decided to create ‘drop-off’ boxes which we placed in a certain area of the school. This will allow the students to anonymously drop any Candygrams that they have bought someone according to their house. As there are 16 houses respectively in our school, we have to make 16 boxes which took quite a bit of time. We also had to make sure that the slits we cut were big enough for the Candygrams to go in, but not big enough for someone to take them out. The boxes we used were recycled boxes that were used to store A4 paper that we collected over the span of a month from the printing room. This ensured that we didn’t have to go out and buy boxes which will only then be thrown away.

Overall time spent:

4 hours (Collecting the boxes, wrapping the boxes, cutting out slits and placing the boxes at drop-off area)

Self-reflection:

It was pretty simple to create the boxes. However, the only tedious part was clearing out the Candygrams from the boxes as we had to make sure to stick the lid onto the box to make sure that nobody would remove any Candygrams without us knowing. This meant that we had to cut and re-glue the lids every 2 days after emptying them out.

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                                           Trashion Fashion (Service)

To mark the end of this CCA, we decided that it would be a fun idea to host a ‘fashion walkway’ for the kids to showcase their creations in front of their friends and parents. Although it was rather simple, the kids still had loads of fun and were super proud of what they had made throughout the term.

Overall time spent: (Over a term)

7 hours

Self-reflection:

I had loads of fun working with the Junior School kids. It reminded me of the simple joys in life as they would be excited over an extra toilet roll that they would be able to add into their costumes. Although this CCA only ran for a term as we had to then focus on our exams, I definitely learnt a lot from the kids in terms of communication and patience.

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                                         Hiking at Tasek Lama (Activity)

During Term 2 & 3 of Year 12, I did not have much time to join sport CCAs in school as I had commitments to music which often clashed with the CCAs after school. This has resulted in my dad and I going for weekly hikes at Tasek Lama on Sunday mornings. We normally start with walking on the padded tracks around the park before heading into the jungle treks. This normally takes us about an hour and a half to two hours; depending on whether it had rained the night before as it path can get very slippery.

The picture above was taken at the top of one of the tracks at around 7:30 am which was the earliest we had every made it to the top by. 

Overall time spent:

20-24 hours (about 2 hours every Sunday for the past 3 months)

Self-reflection:

Although I initially asked my dad to do this with me for my CAS blog, it ended up being a nice way to end the week and destress; especially with all the other commitments that I have. Additionally, it was a nice way for me to be able to catchup with my dad as I barely see him throughout the week besides during dinner. 

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              Passing on donations to Angkor Children’s Hospital (Service)

Throughout the school year, I have been volunteering to sell ice-creams on Monday lunchtime. The money that we earn from selling ice-cream gets donated to the Angkor Children’s Hospital. This year, we managed to raise USD$3000 for the hospital; just by selling ice-creams throughout the year.

I initially did not think that selling ice-creams would benefit the hospital at all, as each ice-cream was only sold for about USD$1 (BND$1.50). Additionally, it was really tiring selling the ice-creams during lunch as I had to wheel the cooler around school which made me sweaty towards the end of lunch. However, actually going to the hospital and seeing where the money was going to and who it was helping made it a lot more meaningful.

Overall time spend:

10+ hours (Selling ice-creams on Mondays and during Sunday events e.g Football Funday)

Self-reflection:

It was very emotional going to the hospital as most of the children were sitting outside waiting for help. The doctor that showed us around also explained that although they are doing the best that they can, some patients have to wait overnight to get help. This really put everything into perspective and made all the work worth it. 

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                   Art Sessions with Cambodian Children (Service & Creative)

Whilst painting the mural behind the classroom, we also took turns to carry out activities with the local school-kids. This included teaching them how to use different paints and colour pencils to create their own art book. This was done using the sketchpads that was made previously before we arrived.

This was a new experience for most of the children as they do not usually have the privilege of receiving Art lessons here as it isn’t seen to be ‘of worth’ and focus is only placed on subjects such as mathematics and the sciences. It was rewarding to see how much fun and excitement all the kids had whilst painting and showing each other their creations.

Overall time spent:

3-4 hours

Self-reflection:

It was really fun to paint with the kids and explain to them what different colours can be used for. Although there was a strong language barrier between us, the laughs and smiles we shared was undeniably understood as genuine happiness. This part of the trip was definitely my favourite as we really got to bond with the kids.

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                   Revamping a Cambodian Classroom (Service & Creative)

One of our biggest goals during the Cambodia Trip was to revamp a local Cambodian school’s classroom. The school we went to was about 50 minutes away from the centre of Siem Reap; the journey was long as the only way to the school was by following a single-lane dirt road that was full of holes and bumps.

The process of revamping the classroom included pulling off any posters they have on the walls, scraping off any tape or glue-residue, washing the walls and finally, painting the wall with a base coat. The design was then drawn onto the wall with a pencil - the theme of this classroom was food that could be found at the local Cambodian market hence, the chicken feet on the wall.

We then took turns to stand on desks to paint the murals whilst others were carrying out activities with the local school children in the class itself. They also had a chance to help paint certain parts of the mural.

Overall time spent:

8 hours (Two 4-hour afternoon sessions)

Self-reflection:

I honestly did not expect to enjoy working in the classroom as the environment I was in was very foreign to me as the only form of ‘cool air’ was coming from the windows that were opened in the classroom, the overall surroundings were dusty and there were insects such as cockroaches and ants everywhere. However, this only made me realise that this is why we were here - to improve the overall learning conditions for these children. I ended up really enjoying my time here; especially befriending the local Cambodian children whilst painting the mural.

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                                          Cambodia Project (Service)

Before leaving for the Cambodia Trip, we spent 2 hours during lunch and after school preparing sketchpads for the children to use once we got there. This included tearing out paper from old sketchpads, cutting them into A5 sizes and then sticking them together using masking tape.

As this was a rather tedious process, we divided ourselves into groups of 3 and created stations to speed up the process. 

Overall time spent:

2 hours

Self-reflection:

I initially found this process really boring as the process was very repetitive and we needed to make so many sketchpads as there was going to be many school kids. However, we managed to overcome this by creating the work-stations as I mentioned before which definitely helped speed-up the process.

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                                                Orchestra (Creative)

For the past 3-4 months, we’ve been rehearsing for an end-of-term ensembles concert which took place on the 26th of April, 2019. I played as a first violin in all the pieces.

As an orchestra, we performed 4 pieces; Neruda’s Trumpet Concerto in E Flat (I Allegro), Lehár’s Vilja Lied, Haydn’s Piano Concerto No. 11 in D Major and Mozart’s Divertimento K. 136. 

Overall time spent (Weekly practices leading up to the concert and actual performance):

25 hours

Self-reflection:

I found it hard to practice my part as the workload from school was quite heavy as it was leading up to the end-of-the-year. However, I overcame this problem through meeting up with my section to practice harder bits during lunchtime in school. Overall, I’m proud of the performance we did as an orchestra.

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                                  ‘Trashion Fashion’ (Creative & Service)

                                               24th of April, 2019

This is a fairly new CCA that was created by Year 12 students. It started with the idea of creating clothes from trash (e.g plastic bags, newspaper, cardboard, bottle caps) that would otherwise be thrown away. The CCA is  focused around the Junior school where kids from Year 1-6 are invited to come create clothes which later be showcased in a fashion show. This CCA runs weekly. 

This week, I helped a Year 3 girl create her ‘dream outfit’ which consisted of a plastic bag as a top, a plastic bag as a skirt, and various other plastic and newspaper cuttings which were used to decorate the outfit.

Overall time spent:

2 hours

Self-reflection:

I was shocked at the amount of fun I had working with these younger kids. The excitement that comes from creating their ‘dream outfits’ out of trash is absolutely heartwarming. Although it’s sometimes hard to understand what they want, I look forward to future sessions. 

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                       Selling Sorbet and Reusable Coconut Bowls (Service)                                                   18th April, 2019

Our school celebrate Earth Day annually. This year, each House was given the challenge to create a ‘Green Business’; selling a product that’s either sustainable and/or eco-friendly.

My house, Whistler, sold sorbet bowls with reusable coconut bowls that we made ourselves with the help of our brother house, Argus. The sorbet and reusable coconut bowls we sold was made completely by students only. We sourced the coconut bowls from a local seller; which was then sanded and varnished to be ready to sell. The fruits for the sorbet were based around fruits we could buy locally - reducing our carbon footprint from importing fruit. 

Pictures below are posters created by another student to illustrate the process that was carried out and the prices we sold our product for.

Overall time spent:

2 hours

Self-reflection:

We underestimated how many coconut bowls we had to produce. We only made about 50 coconuts bowls as they were very hard to produce. Because of this, we had a lot more sorbet to sell than coconut bowls. As the coconut bows began to decrease, our sales started to decrease as well as people we’re mostly interested in acquiring the coconut bowls. Because of this, we've realized that we should have offered to sell the coconut bowls initially then offering to add sorbet into the bowl for an addition cost. 

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                                          Selling Cookies (Service)

                                             17 of October, 2018 

On Polio Points day at school, we sold cookies to raise money for Pusat Ehsan.

Our goal was to raise as much money as possible during lunch. However, we knew we wouldn’t be able to sell all our cookies within this time therefore decided to continue the sales after school.

Before this, we decided to sell 3 cookies for $2. As our stall was near the performances, we had a lot of buyers. However, towards the middle of lunch, we weren’t making much sales anymore as everyone moved to the lecture theater for a talk. Because of this, 2 members of our group decided to bring some cookies to sell outside the lecture theater as people were leaving. 

Overall time spent:

1 hour

Self-reflection:

As our sales started to slow down, a few of us started to get disheartened and worried that we wouldn’t make enough money for a big profit margin. However, the change of plan with the distribution of sales throughout school helped to increase our sales towards the end; making it successful. 

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                               Baking Oat Cookies (Creative & Service)

                                              16th of October, 2018

In conjunction with Polio Points day at school, we decided to bake cookies to sell during lunch. The money raised was donated to Pusat Ehsan; ‘a non-government, charity organization committed to providing quality education, rehabilitation and training programmes for individuals with special needs’.

We decided to bake 2 types of cookies; chocolate chip and oat. My group was in-charge of baking the oat cookies. Although we faced multiple challenges such as buying ingredients and finding a kitchen to work in, we managed to produce about 100 cookies in an afternoon.

Overall time spent:

3 hours

Self-reflection:

Organizing the roles between ourselves whilst baking was rather difficult as some wanted to do the same role as someone else. In addition to this, we felt pressured to produce a certain number of cookies which resulted in us getting annoyed and flustered at times. However, we overcame this and manged to enjoy baking together overall.

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                                                  Hiking (Activity)

                                             12th of October, 2018

After a busy week at school, my dad and I decided to go hiking together at Tasek Lama. We did 3 rounds around the park as a warm-up before heading into the jungle. 

As we both had busy schedules and hadn’t been hiking in a few weeks, we decided to do 3 different paths instead of our usual 2. One of these paths was new to us and it was a bit more difficult than the other two. However, it was worth the hike as we reached the top to watch the beginning of the sunset.

Overall time spent:

2 hours

Self-reflection:

With my busy school schedule and other outside activities, I sometimes forget the importance of taking time out to do hikes like these. I’m looking forward to the next hike and I hope to challenge myself by taking a different route again.