(07/25/18 – 07/26/18) Green Earth Science Activities

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Over the summer, I made an overnight visit to the GreenEarth Heritage Foundation to investigate the type of laboratory apparatus appropriate to the children. In doing so, I planned a few science activities and games with the kids, such as baking soda experiments, ‘invisible ink’ games, and arts and crafts.

During this time, the rain was pouring in the area of the foundation, so it was difficult to plan and communicate with the organization. There were many things to plan–logistics, program, food were just some of them. Nonetheless, I persevered through the obstacles of planning, and the visit ended successfully.

I also engaged in a tree planting activity.

LO1: Able to propose activities according to own interests and talents

LO2: Participates in an experience that demands an appropriate personal challenge; this could be with new or familiar experiences

LO3: Is able to develop a coherent action plan taking into account the aim or purpose, activities and resources

LO4: Gets involved in long-term CAS experiences and CAS project

LO6: Gets involved in CAS projects addressing global issues in a local, national or international context

 

(05/09/18 – 05/11/18) CAS Week (Bayanihan)

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During CAS week, my CAS group and I finally carried out our service project for bayanihan in White Cross Orphanage. Here, we had the fans we had raised money for installed, donated cabinets to organize the kids’ clothing, and held a hygiene drive with basic sanitary products like shampoos, conditioners, soaps, toothbrushes, and toothpastes. To conclude our bayanihan project, we threw a party for the kids with activities like patintero and tons of food.

Seeing the fruit of my labor–countless fundraisers, planning sessions, and shopping times–in the satisfaction of the kids and the facilitators of White Cross was definitely a rewarding feeling. Hopefully, the bayanihan project of my CAS group truly made a lasting impact in alleviating the lives of the orphans.

Link to reflection: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qxn856_8GSuHCe5pbcFOGzGTVwhkfWqmPaThju_WuK8/edit?usp=sharing

 

(04/21/18) Fundraising at the Fete

For our last fundraiser before CAS week, my bayanihan group and I raised funds for the White Cross Orphanage by selling water balloons at the fete. Though the process of filling and transporting balloons, as well as selling itself, was physically strenuous, our group was able to make a profit, which made everything worth it.

LO4: Is able to foresee potential challenges to the initial plan and consider valid alternatives and contingencies; Demonstrates adaptability to uncertainties and changes;

Prior to selling, Gabby and I decided to use our spare time to fill up more water balloons, which came in handy since it helped delay our shortage. When we were short of water balloons, though, I had to adapt by either selling alone or quickly shuttle between selling and filling balloons.

LO5: Is willing to take on different roles within a team; Readily assists others; Is able to identify, demonstrate and discuss critically the benefits and challenges of collaboration gained through CAS experiences

Due to our unexpected shortage of balloons, I readily helped in the filling of the balloons, despite my role being primarily a seller. Through this fundraiser, my idea of the importance of collaboration is strengthened, as our group would not have been as successful if we had not combined our efforts to achieve the optimum level of output.

TEDxBritish School Manila 2018

After months of hard work and preparation, the TEDxBSM 2018 conference finally occurred on April 16, 2018. As the sponsorship manager, I was tasked with finding sponsorships to raise funds for the said event. However, on the day of the conference itself, the work I was tasked to do extended beyond the realmof the finance committee–I was given jobs such as manning registration and helping the experience committee. TEDxBSM was all in all a successful event, and I am looking forward to seeing how it has yet to blossom over the years.

LO2: Participates in an experience that demands an appropriate personal challenge; this could be with new or familiar experiences; Increases expertise in an established area

Having already been a sponsorship manager in my previous school, I was able to use this experience in the TEDxBSM committee to develop my expertise in collecting sponsorships. However, this experience was still challenging in that I was a new student and thus had to build my connections with potential sponsors from scratch.

LO3: Is aware of roles and responsibilities when designing an individual or collective CAS experience; Shows responsible attitude to CAS project planning

As a sponsorship manager, I was aware of the various responsibilities that I had such as contacting and finding sponsors as well as being the primary drafter of the sponsorship letter, and I made sure to fulfill these responsibilities promptly and efficiently.

LO5: Readily assists others; Shows respect for different points of view and ideas; Is able to identify, demonstrate and discuss critically the benefits and challenges of collaboration gained through CAS experiences

I took the initiative to help others whenever I was free in jobs that ranged from heavy lifting to assembling. TEDxBSM was definitely a collaborative effort, as even when drafting the sponsorship letter, I incorporated different points of view and ideas to produce the final letter. The benefits of collaboration were endless–I don’t think the TEDxBSM committee would have been able to raise as much funds as it did if not for help that the other members of the committee lended to me.

LO6: Develops awareness and responsibility towards a shared humanity

While listening to the talks that occurred in the conference, I developed a deeper awareness of the issues that the Philippines and the world were facing such as gender inequality and poverty.

LO7: Is aware of the consequences of choices and actions regarding self, others involved and the community; Integrates the process of reflection when facing an ethical decision

Being in the TEDxBSM committee pushed me to further develop my time management skills–I was often faced with decisions as to whether I should be working on my tasks for TEDxBSM or for my academics, as whichever decision that I made would have an impact on myself and on my fellow committee members. I would continually have to reflect on these decisions.

 

 

(03/09/18 – 03/10/18) MIDYMUN Admin

On March 9-10, I became an admin for the first time, as I was requested to fill in for an initial lack of admins. The whole experience was definitely physically tiring–I spent most of the time standing up and running around to pass notes. However, it was definitely fulfilling, as I formed bonds with people from my school also volunteering at the event and even with some of the MIDYMUN participants (shoutout to Uno!).

LO2: Participates in an experience that demands an appropriate personal challenge; this could be with new or familiar experiences

Being an admin challenged me physically, as I was not given much rest throughout the entirety of the conference. Moreover, volunteering at this conference significantly reduced my time for my academics, forcing me to study faster and more efficiently to make up for lost time.

LO4: Demonstrates adaptability to uncertainties and changes; LO5: Readily assists others

Over the course of the conference, I was asked to fill in for admins from other committees who were needed elsewhere. I did this, however, with willingness as I knew that I needed to be of help in any way that I can.

LO7: Is able to explain the social influences on one’s ethical identity

While observing the debate in HRC, the committee that I was assigned to, I realized that most delegates offered to take gentle approaches on the issue at hand, which could be partially influenced by their relationship with others and their perception of the government.

(02/17/18) CSC Open Developmental Tournament

On February 17, 2018, I participated in the CSC Open Developmental Tournament, which is a table tennis competition open for high schoolers. Though I was quite nervous to be competing in table tennis again after more than a year, I was able to place second (with a close score of 3-2 // 11-8) and thus pass the elimination round.

LO1: Is able to undertake a thoughtful self-evaluation

After playing my last match, I decided to evaluate my loss, particularly, the reasons for it. I realized that my loss was primarily due to my lack of endurance, as I have not been able to train as regularly as I have before.

LO2: Participates in an experience that demands an appropriate personal challenge; this could be with new or familiar experiences; Increases expertise in an established area

Being busy with adjusting to the IBDP curriculum and preparing for my standardized tests, I unfortunately neglected sports and even exercise in general. Because of this, my endurance lowered and I became slightly rusty in playing table tennis. In response to this challenge, I attended training sessions to brush my skills up and gain endurance. All in all, because of these sessions, I was able to increase my expertise in playing table tennis.

 

LO7: Articulates ethical principles and approaches to ethical decisions; Shows accountability for choices and actions; Recognizes ethical issues

The competition itself often came in conflict with my schedule. I had two social events happening on the day of the competition, so I had to balance all three events and incorporate travel time (worsened by Manila’s often heavy traffic flow) to come up with a decent schedule. I recognized the ethical issue of prioritizing my commitments, so using ethical principles, I approached the decision to leave a social event early to make it in time to my competition. I showed accountability for this, as I had to apologize to the host of the social event for leaving early.

(1/13/18) Bayanihan Reconnaissance Trip #2: White Cross Orphanage

After recognizing the unfeasibility of our plans in our partnership with SEED Center Philippines, my CAS group and I got into contact with White Cross Orphanage and arranged another reconnaissance trip. The trip was overall a success since we were able to tour the orphanage, meet kids, plan our budget, and coordinate our CAS week with one of the officers.

LO6: Is able to identify global issues in the local or national community / Recognizes the global implications of local issues

The prevalence of orphans resulting from negligent parents is indeed a global issue as children who are not raised with care and instead raised in poverty and negligence are psychologically proven to affect brain development negatively; this is an evident issue in the Philippines but is fortunately alleviated by White Cross Orphanage. The global issues of this could be tremendous–children who are not raised in care are more likely to cause crime and hamper the safety of society.

LO7: Is aware of the consequences of choices and actions regarding self, others involved and the community / Shows awareness of the potential and varied consequences of choices and actions in planning and carrying out CAS experiences / Integrates the process of reflection when facing an ethical decision

Though SEED did seem to be a very solid option, after careful reflection, we decided that the mere 20-minute sessions that we could organize for the entire CAS week would not be enough for us to spend 3 entire days there and thus would be unfeasible. We had to weigh our consequences of either choice–having to put up with merely 20 minute sessions or having to redo the entire CAS process–and eventually decided on the lesser of both evils, which was to switch to White Cross Orphanage. We were also aware of the consequences on the community–the community at White Cross Orphanage would be helped instead of that at SEED.

 

(01/04/18) Cooking with Francine

In order to put our penchant for Tasty videos to good use, my friend Francine and I decided to spend an entire day cooking recipes from the aforementioned site and other sources. For breakfast, we made cinnamon rolls, and for lunch, we made an imitation of the Cheesecake Factory’s farfalle with chicken and roasted garlic. Dinner was a bit different since we decided to make two dishes: Korean BBQ Beef and Dulce de Leche Molten Lava Cake. Between lunch and dinner, Francine and I also walked around her village to ‘burn off the calories we were adding’. It was all in all a very fulfilling day full of good food and even better company.

LO2- Acquires new skills and abilities

In our walk, Francine and I had to trek uphill, which was something that I’ve never done before since I am accustomed to exercising merely in gyms and thus usually not confronted with hills when jogging or walking.

LO3- Is able to articulate the CAS stages including investigation, preparation, action, reflection (ongoing) and demonstration, moving from conceiving an idea to carrying out a plan for a CAS experience or series of CAS experiences

In order to ensure a smooth flow upon cooking, Francine and I had to brainstorm on the recipes that we wanted to make and make the following preparations such as buying ingredients and making sure that the equipment was working.

LO5- Makes valuable contributions

Because Francine and I were the main chefs in the kitchen, we both had to work to make sure that the food was delicious and cooked in the shortest amount of time possible.

LO3- Integrates reflective thoughts in planning or taking initiative / LO7- Identifies what is needed to know in order to make an ethical decision

Francine and I had decided to budget our time, money, and energy beforehand while planning and reflected on our past experiences in cooking to do so. We wanted to make more dishes, but after debating on the pro’s and con’s–both of which are needed to be evaluated in order to make an ethical decision–we decided that making 4 dishes was enough to enhance our cooking skills without exhausting ourselves or our budget.

 

(12/22/17) GreenEarth Heritage Foundation Christmas Visit

Just before Christmas, I travelled to Bulacan to once again visit the GreenEarth Heritage Foundation and attend their Christmas party. After hearing a progress report of everything that has transpired over the past year, I proceeded to give out Christmas goodies that I had prepared: socks, t-shirts, chocolates, and towels. It was heartwarming to talk to and play with the kids that I have bonded with as if time had not passed between my last visit–I will forever be in awe of their innocent and perpetually grateful hearts. In the end, despite all the exhaustion that I felt from waking up at four in the morning, traveling four hours to the venue, and even having to cross a river and walk going to the venue from then on, the smiles of everyone from receiving the gifts and just being able to see my team and I again made everything worth it.

LO1- Is able to undertake a thoughtful self-evaluation

Through the visit to the foundation, I realize that I am not as proficient in Filipino as I used to be and thus have to brush up on my skills in order to more efficiently communicate with the members of the foundation.

LO3- Demonstrates knowledge and awareness by building on a
previous CAS experience

During my first visit, I got to know the kids, and I used this information to help me decide on the gifts to give them for Christmas.

LO4- Gets involved in long-term CAS experiences and CAS project

This is the second of the hopefully many times that I’ll be visiting the foundation; hopefully, I’ll be able to make a more significant impact with every visit.

LO5- Is able to identify, demonstrate and discuss critically the benefits and challenges of collaboration gained through CAS experiences

During my visit there, I discussed the possibility of creating a project to help the foundation. This collaboration would be beneficial to me, as the foundation is something that I care for and can see myself putting in much work to help; however, I know that whatever project that I come up with will be difficult because of the foundation’s isolated area.

LO6- Is able to identify global issues in the local or national community

Poverty is a global issue, which I was able to identify in members of the foundation, especially because the isolated area wherein they live makes it more difficult to receive a stable amount of electricity or help from other organizations.

LO7- Articulates ethical principles and approaches to ethical decisions

Making the decision as to whether or not to visit the Green Earth foundation was not very easy, as I knew that battling the Manila traffic (exacerbated by the fact that it’s the Christmas season) was not going to be easy. However, I ended up deciding to push through with the visit as I realized that the help that I could give the members of the foundation was much more important than any struggle that I could face.

(12/20/17) MGCNLCA Christmas Outreach

In the spirit of giving and blessing others during the Christmas season, my former school, MGC New Life Christian Academy (MGCNLCA) held its annual Christmas Outreach wherein around 100-200 kids were brought into the school to learn more about the Gospel of Christ and enjoy a mini-fair prepared specifically for them. I was assigned to the logistics team, so I spent most of my time working behind the scenes to ensure the success of the event.

LO1- Aware of strengths & weaknesses

While preparing food, I struggled to open the plastic bags, which were tightly stuck together. Because of this, I suggested the idea of an assembly line to my group mates and ended up putting burgers and straws in the bags, which I was much more proficient at, instead.

LO5- Is responsible for participating in the group

The members of the logistics committee were divided into teams of three. Each team was assigned to a particular group of children and was tasked to lead them around the school and prepare their food. Additionally, the entire logistics committee worked to prepare the kids’ goodie buckets.

LO6- Recognizes the global implications of local issues

Poverty is very much commonplace in the Philippines, as it is a third world country, and this issue is accentuated during the Christmas season, as the Christmas holiday is very much celebrated in the is this predominantly Catholic nation. The inability to give and receive gifts or even just to celebrate Christmas with a simple meal could inflict the emotional state of impoverished children, who could feel like they are robbed of the integral part of their childhood. This could affect the world on the premise that many of these impoverished Filipinos could be sent abroad to work, bringing their loss of a sense of belonging with them.

LO7- Is able to explain the social influences on one’s ethical identity

The feeling of neglect that children may experience from not being able to celebrate a much advertised and highlighted holiday could invoke a loss of belonging in the children as they mature, affecting their identity and decisions.