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The past few months have gone really well, as I have managed to make the UWC tennis team. I am using all my skills I have learnt, to do my best and represent my school. Aligning with my goal of “Participate in a variety of sports, in order to enhance my fitness and gameplay”, I would say tennis is helping me achieve this. Firstly, this semester, I have chosen tennis to be my main sport. Tennis has improved both my physical and mental health. It has helped my mental health, as I have learnt about strategizing, planning a few moves in advance, but also learning to quickly adapt to the shot played. Tennis has undoubtedly enhanced my fitness, as during all of my tennis training & tennis games, I am running around the court lot (as I have learnt footwork is very important), as well as putting strength into my shots. I have also improved my gameplay - linking back to the mental side of tennis, by learning where to place shots, and when to play different types of shots. Furthermore, the second half of my goal was to pass my Grade 5 exam. I am working on this, as I have now chosen all my piano songs, and am learning to play them in time. I think if I keep going at this pace, I will soon be much healthier, and on track to pass my Grade 5 piano exam.

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These past few months, I have started a new sport: Netball. This aligns with my goal of using multiple sports to improve fitness and gameplay, as I used tennis before, and now I have switched to netball. Netball has been quite fun, as well as quite challenging. It has been fun, as I have learnt some new strategies, as well as I now have a better understanding of how the game works. I have enjoyed meeting new people, and working together for a team sport. Some challenges I have faced are mainly focused on the nature of the sport. When I first started, my shooting and passing skills were pretty minimal, however with practice, I feel that I have improved. Netball has helped improve my overall fitness, as during training, we do a lot of running. For example, some drills we do include running down the court, while passing the ball. For this reason, netball has also increased my stamina. Moving on, the other part of my goal was focused on piano. I submitted, and got my results of my Grade 5 ABRSM piano exam. I passed with merit! This definitely aligns with my goal, as I have achieved it! To reflect on my piano journey, I would say it went pretty smoothly. I made sure to practise regularly, and ask my piano teacher whenever I had questions. In summary, these past few months have gone well, and while netball was fun and challenging, I would like to start another sport, as my goal did state “a variety of sports”.

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These past few months I have done some netball, as well as started a new sport: Badminton. I think now that I have done 3 sports over the past year, I can successfully say I used a variety of sports to improve my fitness, as well as improved my gameplay in a variety of sports. Since badminton is a racquet sport, which I am familiar with, I didn’t have much trouble picking it up. I used to play badminton when I was younger, however after a few lessons, I started to remember it. I noticed many similarities with tennis, such as the importance of footwork, and position of racquet face. In my opinion, badminton is the most strenuous out of all the sports I have done this year, thus I feel that my fitness has definitely improved these past few months. In badminton, we had a heavy focus on agility, and for this reason my stamina has increased. I have also learnt some game tactics, and different types of swings. I have also learnt about making use of the court, as even though it is a small court, with different types of shots, I can utilise all the space on the court, to put the opponent out of position. In conclusion, I think I have accomplished my goal of improving gameplay and overall fitness through a variety of sports, thus improving my physical wellbeing

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These past few months, I participated in school events to help bring the community closer together. I volunteered in fundraisers, which made me feel part of the community. While being a participant in the fundraisers, I would collaborate and communicate with other participants, and talk about what we aim to do, as well as different ways to take action on the problems in today's world. On a smaller scale, I also helped out with the meet the teacher. This helped build stronger relationships within the local community, as the parents would feel more connected to the school, as they are interacting with students, and similarly, us students feel more connected to the school as we are communicating with parents and teachers. Furthermore, since my goal states that I am trying to create a sense of community, I would say I am following this goal, as by helping out in different volunteer events, I am trying to bring the community closer, by communicating and collaborating with everyone.

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Over the past few months, I have continued with my service Daraja Academy, which supports education for girls in Kenya. We have been raising awareness to our community, as well as fundraising through activities such as bake sales. This helps bring the community together, as by raising awareness, we all come to similar conclusions, and have similar feelings. This helps people get along better, and improves relationships. Additionally, my goal not only focuses on creating a community, but also focuses on sustainability. For this reason, I became a part of the Boomerang Bags service. In this service, we reuse fabric and sew them into tote bags! This helps reduce the amount of waste from both fabrics which would otherwise be thrown out, as well as minimises the amount of plastic bags people use. By sewing these bags, we plan on distributing them around the community, thus linking in to the building community idea. These bags are then going to go to places such as the library, where people can use them to bring books back home, and then when they are done, they bring the bag back, and someone else can use it. This creates a sense of community as everyone is sharing - and more importantly, creates a sense of community which values sustainability, as people will be contributing less waste, and hopefully take these sustainable practices into other ways - such as recycling old items (not just clothes.)

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During these few months, I have continued with both Daraja Academy and Boomerang Bags. In Daraja Academy, we have continued with raising awareness to the community about the issue of education for girls in Kenya. Additionally, I did an interview to become the  head of communications, which I did end up getting, and with this, I will continue to help bring the community together. By being the communications manager, I can communicate more with the community, and thus help bring people together. In Boomerang Bags, we have been discussing places that we can drop the bags off, in order for everyone to find these bags convenient, and want to use them. I think my actions align with the goal of creating a sense of community which values sustainability, as not only have we been communicating lots with the local community in both Daraja Academy service, and the Boomerang Bags service, we are promoting sustainability by showing that it can be simple and convenient. By putting the bags in convenient locations, people are more likely to use them, and then the habit of not using plastic bags will stick. In summary, through the services of Daraja Academy and Boomerang Bags, I have learnt to become a communicative leader who brings people together, and helps people understand how to lead sustainable lives.

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Tall Ship Sailing in Australia June 22 - June 30

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Tall Ship Sailing in Australia June 22 - June 30

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My outdoor appreciation goal was “To feel more connected to the vastness and importance of the natural world (specifically regarding the ocean)”. My tall ship sailing trip in  Adelaide, Australia, on June 22-June 30, really helped me achieve this goal in unimaginable ways. Firstly, during this whole trip, I didn’t have access to my phone, or any device. For this reason, I got to fully disconnect from the world, and experience the true meaning of nature. I felt connected to the natural world, as I had no distractions, I was purely surrounded by the ocean.

On the boat, we did many group bonding activities. This allowed me to improve my skills as a collaborator and communicator. For instance, we did an egg drop challenge, where we had to use cardboard, and any natural materials to surround the egg, and protect it from a 10m fall. We also had a scavenger hunt, where numbers were hidden around the boat, and we had to split up, create different roles, and find them. Another big part of the trip was this term called “happy hour”. Happy hour was 1 hour a day where we had to clean the boat, and each group rotated their roles. We were split into 3 groups, port watch, middle watch, and starboard watch. These groups would do different tasks at different times, and as the name suggests, would be on watch at different times at night. However in the context of happy hour, the three tasks which would rotate were: Scrubbing the deck, polishing the brass, cleaning the rails, hosing the deck; vacuuming and mopping the saloon, cleaning the galley countertops, putting away the breakfast materials; cleaning the accommodation area by mopping and vacuuming, cleaning the toilets and showers, making sure the emergency exit is clear. These tasks helped us focus back on what we often take for granted. Furthermore, each person in the group has a number, and these numbers were used to decide who was on watch at night, as well as who was on galley duty. Galley duty referred to the duty of making sure meals were ready. Eg: before lunch time, each number 6 in the group would get together and serve the meals, as well as after lunch, wash the dishes, dry the dishes, and put the dishes back. I even go to connect with my peers through board games such as Monopoly, and card games such as Bridge, and Hearts! I also felt connected to my peers, as we would need to wake each other up for different watches at night! Additionally, I learnt resilience, as in the beginning, I found climbing up above 20 meters to be quite nerve-wracking, however after multiple climbs I got more used to it, and felt safe.

Relating to the natural world, I felt connected to the ocean, and fully appreciated the vastness of it during our watches, and some of our boat handling tasks. For example, setting the sails out on the bowsprit, climbing up 10-30 meters on the rigging, leaning on the yards and tying the ropes up. By being physically disconnected to any land - even the deck of the boat (as the bowsprit is off the deck, and climbing up is just standing on ropes), allowed me to fully use my senses and experience nature. I felt the wind, I smelt the crisp ocean air, I saw the wideness of the ocean (and even some dolphins!), and heard the rocking of the boat crashing on the waves. Sometimes in our free time, I would just climb up the mast, and go to the top and just feel the thrill of being 27 meters up; or just sit in the net of the bowsprit, and watch the dolphins jump. I felt a part of nature, as there really was nothing around us, just nature. I even jumped off the boat (by swinging off a rope), and got to experience the chilly waters which I had been surrounded by from the past few days. Furthermore, I saw the stars at night, a whole sea of stars. I even saw the milky way, thus I realised that we are just a tiny spot in the world of the galaxy. Additionally, we realised how important weather was. On the second last day, it was extremely windy, however we utilised this wind, and even sailed at 30 knots! Even though it was raining that day, we still all had so much fun, as we realised we could make the best out of what may seem like challenging situations.

In summary, to answer my research question: "How can spending time in nature improve personal happiness?", I would say that spending time disconnected from the modern world of technology, allowed me to connect with people, and strengthen my personal relationships, as well as see the true beauty of nature. And for this reason, I think my personal sentiments have improved, as this was a life changing experience, which I will never forget, as I got to truly experience the vastness of the ocean, connect with my peers, as well as had the opportunity to experience life without any distractions.

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Recently, I decided that since I fulfilled my goal of passing Grade 5, I have decided to pursue Grade 7 piano. I have picked out most of my Grade 7 piano songs, and aim to take my exam in 2025. Starting Grade 7 piano has been quite challenging, as not only do I need to learn piano theory as another prerequisite section before I can take the exam, the pieces are substantially more complicated. I am trying to be resilient, and just keep practicing, as I know that the more I practice, the more familiar I will be with the piece, and the easier it will be. I have also started playing tennis again, as since piano helps my mental wellbeing, tennis will help my physical wellbeing. Currently, it is the pre-season of tennis, thus I am practicing my consistency, as learning some more new skills which I can use when the tennis season actually starts. I enjoy doing tennis, as by playing a sport I feel healthy, and that my fitness is improving. I think by doing two contrasting activities (tennis + piano), I keep my overall wellbeing in check (mental + physical), thus I have completed my goal on improving my mental and physical wellbeing.

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This year, I think that I have achieved my goal of: "To participate a variety of sports, in order to enhance my fitness and gameplay to improve my physical wellbeing; as well as pass my grade 5 piano exam, to improve my mental wellbeing". I have achieved this goal, as I feel that my overall wellbeing as improved tremendously, because my mental health is in check, and my physical health is in check. Furthermore, I managed to pass my ABRSM Grade 5 piano exam, and participate in 3 different sports this year. I have really enjoyed my healthy living journey, as not only have I gotten to experience many different types of activities, I also got to meet people along the way, and improve myself. I think that having both individual activities and group activities, helps keep a good balance in my life. This is because I learn very different skills, in the different settings - both of which are beneficial in life. By playing sports, I have met teammates, which thus has helped my collaboration and communication skills. By playing piano, I have learnt resilience, and time management, as I need to create my own practice schedule, and make sure I have practiced enough before my classes. Going beyond just the activities that I have done, my day to day habits have also changed because of the activities I have done. I find myself eating healthier food, as since my sports have made me become more fit, I care more about my fitness, and thus have been eating healthier. By eating healthier, this also makes sure I have all the right nutrients, which is beneficial to piano, as I am thinking straight, and am not distracted. I have also been trying to go to sleep earlier, as this will help my fitness and mental health. In conclusion, my healthy living journey has been a success, and I will continue to play instruments and sports in the future, as these activities have helped my overall wellbeing, (including my mental and physical health).

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I think I have achieved my service goal of: "To help build a sense of community which also values sustainability." I have achieved this, as from Daraja Academy, we have raised awareness, and brought the community together through bake sales, and other fundraisers. These activities have brought the community closer together, as everyone is working towards the same thing - improving and supporting girls education in Kenya. Furthermore, I have created a community which values sustainability through the Environmental Initiative Boomerang Bags. Boomerang Bags taught me the true meaning of sustainability, as well as how easy it is to incorporate sustainability in our day to day lives. I have helped build a community, as the bags we make go out to the community. This creates a community that values sustainability, as since people will be using cloth bags instead of plastic ones, they are also likely to change their other habits too (as they realise that using a cloth bag really makes no difference in their lives, yet makes a difference in the world). Additionally, these bags get returned, and used by other people. For this reason, this creates a sense of community, as people are sharing things with each other. In summary, I think I have helped make a difference in my local community by bringing people together, and helping with sustainability, as well as made a little difference to some girls in Kenya, by raising money for them!

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My NYAA silver journey has been rather straight forward, however still had its challenges. I would say that this whole journey has really improved my wellbeing as well as organisation skills. Firstly, my wellbeing has improved due to all my sports enhancing my fitness, and physical wellbeing. My mental wellbeing has also been improved due to my piano. Piano has helped me relax, as well as give me motivation - as I wanted to pass my Grade 5 piano exam. NYAA has also improved me organisation skills, as I needed to make sure to fill in my activities, and stay up to date with my reflections. This has also helped my time management skills, as I have learnt to manage my time, to get all my normal school work, balance my activity and service life, time with friends and family, as well as finish my NYAA work. I have also learnt to be organised, as I have had to email my supervisors, gather my photos, and practice my write-ups. When looking at service, I think I have improved my communication and collaboration skills, as I have had to speak up, in order to bring people together - as someone needs to be the one to take initiative. When looking at healthy living, I have improved my self management, as I have learnt to have healthier habits, to improve my wellbeing. When looking at Outdoor Appreciation, my tall ship sailing experience made me realise the true beauty of our world, and that there is so much more to life than just being online - as these days it is very easy for us to just turn on a device and not do anything. Healthy living, and service has also helped me realise this, as many of the activities and services I have done have been quite meaningful, especially because of all the friends I have made on the way. In summary, my NYAA Silver journey has helped me become more active and has made my life more meaningful - due to all the activities I have participated in, and all the people I have met.