Wobulenzi reflection1

The DP1 class of 2013-14 took a trip to Wobulenzi Town Academy during the outdoor education week in October/November. Our trip was filled with first experiences and gave us countless opportunities to reflect on our own lives away from home. 

Learning outcomes:

1- Increased their awareness of their own strengths and areas of growth.

2- Undertake new challenges

3- Planned and initiated activities 

4- Worked collaboratively with others 

5- Shows perseverance and commitment in their activities

6- Engaged with issues of global importance

7- Considered the ethical implication of their activities 

8- Developed new skills

Celebrity 1: John Lennon

Learning outcome: Engaged in issues of global importance

Justification: Lennon was an ambassador of peace and devoted his life to convey the message of equality. He engaged in various activities which depicted him as a peace-lover. He used his social status and his reputation to raise awareness and act as a mediator of the Vietnam war and alleviate tension and hatred towards many civilians including gays. He used music as a device to convey many of his messages- 'Imagine', for example.

Celebrity 2: Gandhi

Learning outcome: worked collaboratively with others

Justification: He led India to independence and focused on the underprivileged people of his own country. Gandhi followed a non-violent civil disobedient approach in order to collaborate with his fellow Indian citizens, to achieve a common goal of independence. Although that was his main goal, he initially focused on smaller issues which needed to be resolved like poverty, alcoholism, and ignorance among others. He worked selflessly and his and his civilians efforts ultimately paid off.

Celebrity 3: Nelson Mandela
Learning outcome: considered the ethical implications of their activities
Justification: He was determined to focus on the abolition of poverty and racial segregation. Although he was arrested for almost 3 decades he was committed to his goal and was not discouraged. Critics argued that some of his acts of rebellion/protest were unethical, however Mandela's only intention was to revolutionise human rights, thus making him purely good at heart.

Celebrity 4: Terry Fox
Learning outcome: shows perseverance and commitment in their activities
Justification: Cancer is a condition which is prevalent and can affect anybody in the world, thus making it a global problem. Needless to say, there is no cure to this disease, and although Fox was diagnosed with cancer and had his leg amputated, he was determined to not give up. He then decided to run a marathon across Canada to raise awareness for his disease with an artificial leg. I think that this kind of action is the pinnacle of determination and perseverance and although the Marathon cost him his life, his efforts were extremely admirable.

Celebrity 5: Jane Goodall 
Learning outcome: increased their awareness of their own strengths and area of growth
Justification: Her initial beliefs based on common stereotypes about chimpanzees was contradicted as she conducted unconventional research to gather more information about these primates. Her research methods were questioned and frowned upon by some critics but she was not swayed by the other's opinions and only followed her instincts, thus making her the first and by far only human being to be accepted into the chimp society.

Celebrity 6: Junko Tabei 
Learning outcome: shows perseverance and commitment in their activities
Justification: On the 16th of May 1975, she became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest despite being buried in an avalanche. She has been climbing ever since she was 10 years old thus in my opinion making her an extremely committed and dedicated mountain climber.

CAS Initial Self-Review

What is your greatest accomplishment so far? How has this affected your life? What did you learn from it?

Unfortunately I cannot say I have accomplished anything which has been of any use to this world like finding a cure for HIV or donating a billion dollars to a good cause. I can, however, say with pride that I have always been an academically promising student and I was able to pass my IGCSEs with flying colours. Although this has not affected my life in a way which is drastic, it has allowed me to start the Diploma Programme, which I know will be a life-changer. My last two years of high school most probably will be the determining factor of my life as I will be exploring university options as well as career opportunities, that is, my future as a woman in a society, not just as a pupil at a school. 

I started my IGCSE course in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sadly after the first semester I was obligated to move to Tokyo for a while and then here to Uganda which meant that I would have to conform to a new syllabus, (as opposed to Edexcel O/Ls in Colombo International School, Kampala International School offered the Cambridge IGCSEs) as well as a different lifestyle and people. It took me a good while to learn and re-learn some principles, which made year eleven an incredibly challenging year for me. I strongly believe that I would not have been able to pass any of my exams without the unconditional support from my family, teachers and friends, which made me realise just how important it is to always have a strong relationship with the people around you. 

What are you really good at?

... This question really made me wonder- am I good at anything at all? I am horrible at sports, I go against the Asian stereotype by being arguably the worst maths student in the history of the universe, I can't sing or dance and I have a rotten sense of humour... in short, I have no particular talent that I am proud of. So I decided to ask my mother who just happens to know me a little bit better than I know myself, and she told me that I am an excellent baker (I did make some money by selling my rainbow cupcakes in the past), I am flexible (I can do the splits), I am an absolute bookworm (she has had to confiscate numerous books from me in the past because I would forget to sleep if I had a book at hand), and a hard worker. So although I was unable to pinpoint some of the things I am apparently good at, I found out that I am luckily good at certain things. (phew) 

Which struck me as a realisation that whether we are fully aware or oblivious about our actions, the others who surround us are affected by it in one way or another... 

Name one skill you have always wanted to develop in your life but that you haven't yet.

Without a doubt that would to learn the Arabic language! I can speak Japanese and Spanish because of my parents' nationalities and English because of the number of years I have spent at various international schools, in addition to French which I have been learning for the past five years. Indubitably my French is trēs loin from being perfect, but it's never too early to start learning a new language! With the help of my Sudanese and Lebanese classmates I will try and learn Arabic in the upcoming years... hopefully. 

Name one activity that you would like to try but that you haven't yet. Why would you like to try this?

This may seem incredibly random but I would like to try to bungee jump, skydive, or do any other activity which can be classified as outrageous. Having an over-protective father, I have never had the opportunity to partake in anything he would consider dangerous (which sadly included sleep-overs at my friends' houses). So by doing something like bungee jumping I think I would be taking my very first step towards independence and adulthood. However, whether I am ready to take my step towards financial independence from my father is another question. 

Name a person you admire right now. What qualities does this person have that you don't?

I've admired Mother Theresa for as long as I can remember. At one point I would just print and paste myriad quotes by her all over my room! I believe that every quality about her is so precious and her style of living epitomised the absolute devotion to God. She was a selfless, strong and a beautiful woman from the inside and out- and we can only aspire to have that level of peace and love within us. 

What's different about you now compared to what you were like when you were 10 years old?

I guess the most obvious difference would be the fact that I couldn't speak English back when I was ten years old. Learning the English language opened up a whole new world to me, so regardless of the hours I spent crying at the school counselor's office, I am so thankful that God gave me the opportunity to soak up the beautiful language which has now become a part of me. I was also tremendously shy, which is kind of hard to imagine being the parrot that I am now. 

Describe the kind of person you think you will be post IB. 

I can only hope that I will be the ideal post-IB student, matching every IB learner profile there is, however, I don't think I would undergo a radical change during the next two years so I am uncertain that I will change drastically from the person I am now. 

I am...

-My life in a nutshell- 

My name is Ingrid Saito Maciel and I just recently turned 16 years old, meaning I am a fresh DP1 student. My mother and my father are from Paraguay and Japan, respectively. I have lived in the USA, Japan, Paraguay, Panama, Bolivia, Sri Lanka (refer to the photograph on the left) and I am currently living in the capital city of Uganda, the pearl of Africa.

This will be my CAS  blog, where I will be posting what I am CASing about in school and outside of school. I have a bunch of really innovative ideas coming up so don't miss out! 

Thank you for stopping by and be sure to check out my TOK blog too :) 

peace xx