Wow.. what an interesting 2 years it has been. To say this global pandemic was unexpected is an understatement. I never imagined my last two years of high school would be spent mostly online, but I have learned and grown so much from this experience, and I continue to do so.
Ever since March of 2020 we’ve all had to drastically change our lifestyle, being restrained from leaving our household for months on end and finding new activities to do within the vicinity of our rooms. Doing school from home has definitely been different, and difficult to say the least, but in comparison to the struggles many have overcome during this pandemic, I have to say that I’m very grateful for the opportunity to continue my higher education even from a distance, as I know that isn’t the case for many.
Despite the negative impacts this unprecedented situation has brought upon us, I want to take a moment to reflect on all the great memories I have at OSC, ranging from physical activities, creativity, and service.
Junior year started off with DP Orientation, which was a 3-day trip to Kitulgala that allowed us to get to know each other through outdoor adventures and team bonding experiences. We went on long nature hikes, we went waterfall repelling, we rafted, and even went body canyoning. Not only was it great exercise and a lot of fun, but it allowed me, as a new kid in the school, to integrate with the student community and get to know my peers for the next two years. Overall, it was a great experience, as I wrote about in my dedicated post, and I have very fond memories of that trip.
Throughout my CAS journey, I have also written many posts that talk about my SAISA journey, whether it be volleyball or football. I have talked about the games we played in preparation for the final tournament, which was always very engaging and prepared us well for the final tournament, and I also went into greater detail about the trips themselves (Jordan and Oman). Not only was it a great tournament with regards to the sport itself, as we got to the finals in football and fought hard in volleyball, but we also got to stay with host families which allowed us to integrate into a different culture and adapt to their homelife throughout our stay. Overall, SAISA’s were my favorite part of the entire year and my time here at OSC, as we built great teams, traveled together, and got to experience different cultures and communities. The SAISA experience as a whole, reflects learning outcomes 2 and 4, as we’re constantly challenging each other to strive for better results, but most importantly, as it’s a team sport, we work together as a group and overcome our challenges together, as a collective. There’s no better way!!
Gecko Inc. formed a huge part of my service aspect, which I have also written a lot about in my posts, seen as it also became part of my CAS project. I found great pleasure in teaching younger kids how to swim, as not only was it a chance for me to be active, but I also got to communicate with kids who speak a different language and therefore learned from their culture at the same time. They were great kids to teach, they always listened and their progress became obvious as the months passed by. Sadly, since the school closed down due to the pandemic, we weren’t able to physically teach the kids for over a year, but that didn’t stop us from utilizing our resources to help them from a distance. My fellow service leaders and I recorded instructional videos for the different swimming levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced), put captions below them, edited them, and uploaded them to youtube so that the kids could see them and continue to learn despite the lack of a pool and the physical teaching hours. We found that this was an effective way to keep the kids engaged and make good use of both of our times and resources. Such an activity reflects learning outcomes 3,4 and 5, as going through with such a project requires initiative and planning to make sure things go smoothly, it involves working with others, both my fellow service leaders and the kids involved, and finally, it shows perseverance and commitment, as it isn’t easy to teach kids from a distance, especially when there is a huge language and overall communication barrier. But it’s safe to say our plan went ahead well and had a great effect!! Hopefully, by the start of next year, the service group will be back to in-person teaching with the new Gecko Inc. service leaders!!!!
Let’s not forget about meditative coloring, which formed part of my activity for the majority of junior year. I can’t even begin to express how relaxed I felt after my 1-hour coloring sessions every week. Despite not being the only one in the group, we were all silent and colored our own part of the large painting, which in turn formed a large communal artwork, and we were all very proud of the results. I do wish we could have continued this activity throughout senior year, but due to the closure of the school that wasn’t possible… However, I continued the coloring sessions in my house, as I claim it as one of my hobbies either way, so I had all the materials ready and continued alongside my meditation-through-coloring journey!!
Lastly, we can’t forget about my Quarantine Diaries!! This new series began at the start of quarantine in mid-2020, where I had to find new activities at home that would still fall under the C.A.S criteria, and it’s safe to say I did!! Whether it be swimming in my pool, running in my garden, helping out around the house, or fueling my artistic journey, I managed to find ways to continue my C.A.S journey in a safe manner, despite the lack of resources from school or external sources. This definitely reflected learning outcome 2, as I had to challenge myself to find new ways to do activities that I did before, but at home, and it definitely enhanced my skills in many aspects; both physical and mental. It wasn’t easy to transition from school to home in said aspects, but it was definitely a great challenge, and now that I’ve overcome it, I’m proud of how far I’ve come!!
All in all, it’s safe to say that this wasn’t a normal year, by any means… but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t grown, learned, or developed my character into a stronger, more resilient person. If this experience, of learning at home, performing C.A.S activities at home, and pretty much learning to adapt to life at home, has taught me anything, is that I have to make the best of all situations, find the best in them, and grow. At the start of the quarantine, I felt lost, lonely, and uncertain. I didn’t know the extent of the situation, or more importantly, how long it would last. When I looked at the news, I would grow worried, and my uncertainty would increase. However, as time went on, I learned to adapt to the situation; I found new ways to stay active like working out in my room, running, and swimming, I found ways to help out the world through the internet, such as signing petitions, spreading valuable information, and keeping myself informed about global issues. As for activities, I found plenty of things to do, such as; creating new artworks and trying out new techniques, coloring, playing the piano, playing board games, and much more. This year has changed me as a person, but for the better, I will never take my life for granted again and I will continue to grow more resilient, perseverant, and ready to overcome any obstacles that may come in my way.