2021 Reflection

Hola~ As you know, today is the last day of the school year 2021. For this reasoning, I will be taking the time to reflect on how my year went. First of all, I think this year has given me a lot of opportunities to get out of my comfort zone and learn new things along the way. 

One of my highlights this year was definitely the Year 10 camp in Term 2. It was my first time attending a school camp and it sure was enjoyable and memorable. The camp consists of 3 days and 2 nights of staying in the Outdoor Education Boyle Lodge area. During those times, we were provided with outdoor activities that challenged us to connect and cooperate with the people within our assigned group in camp. I was in Group 4 with a few fellow year 10s from my kahui and a half from Mohua. They were all lovely people which I eventually became friends with after camp. One of the activities that I particularly liked in camp was the night activity called "solo." In which individuals have to stay in a certain spot in the woods and stay there for more than 45 mins without any flashlights or devices of any kind. The purpose was to connect with nature and your surroundings. I boldly volunteered to participate in this thrilling activity. At first, it was slightly terrifying as I am alone in the woods with pure darkness. However, I ignored the fear and focused on what was on the sky instead. It was a beautiful starry night sky. It was a little rainy but it wasn't too heavy. The whole experience was calming. It gave me time to reflect on my life and meditate for a bit. Coincidentally, I saw a wishing star. Which made my experience a lot meaningful and memorable. Other than that, the other camp activities were also equally interesting and memorable. For instance, the cook-out, flying kiwi, and sleep-slope required us to slide down our way back in the steep mountains. It was fun. Here's a picture of me and with the rest of the group 4 above ↑

The second highlight of my year was being able to cook my chosen cultural dish in Home Economics (cooking). As part of our learning topic around Cultural foods, we were tasked to make a certain dish from our chosen country. I picked South Korea as my country and have decided to cook a South Korean dish called "Jjangmyeon" which is technically a Black bean noodle. We spent the first few weeks researching all about our dish such as the recipe, cooking methods that are used to make it, etc. After the preparation, I was finally ready to cook the actual thing. The ingredients were slightly different from the ones that I have learned from the internet but I managed it and deal with it. Not going to lie, there were some moments of weakness during those times where I was so anxious and didn't what was the next steps. Luckily, my fellow cooking classmates helped me out a bit and it kind of lessen the pressure burden over my shoulders. In the end, my dish was delicious. It had this exotic mouth-watering salty taste from the black bean paste. But with all the pasta, pork belly, and veggies mixed in together. It was like a slice of heaven. I was overall proud of what I have managed to produce. Here's a picture of what my dish looked like:

The last, of my highlight this year was the prizegiving which was today. I managed to somehow receive a trophy award for an excellent attitude for Year 10s. It was my first time receiving a trophy award so it was quite unexpected yet a wonderful achievement to have and earn. I am grateful and thankful for the teachers that acknowledge my behavior or attitude as to be labeled 'excellent' for the year. Thank you. Here's a picture of me with my trophy award: (will load soon).

Overall, I think this year has been another good year for me. There were some ups and downs but I managed to get past it and survived another year in high school. Next year will be 2022. I am excited about what 2022 has in store for me and everyone. Hopefully, the pandemic and virus all over the world will soon disappear and things would go back to normal. I wish everyone the best summer holiday. BYE!