In conclusion, this activity was very interesting because it was a way too help the parents of the younger students out. This service activity however involved considering the ethical implications of my actions. This was probably the hardest part of the event. For example, when a parent asked you how well are we doing in Math HL, which is the course I was in charge of during the event, in theory I should asnwer honestly. I should have answered that we were not doing well in Math and that since a long time ago we had not been taught properly and this was probably going to continue in the future. In fact, this issue extended to other courses where students, myself included, had to study by their own and where the teacher played the role of a "resource provider", not a teacher. Websites are easy to find. I did not answer this to that question however. I answered that it was tough and we had to work a lot and put a lot of effort. I did not say all of the truth so as not to worry the parents. Nevertheless, now that I look back I should have been completely honest.

During this activity I have met all of my learning outcomes:

1. Undertaken new challenges.

4. Worked collaboratively with others.

7. Considered the ethical implications of their actions.

Before the Activity:

The school and my class have planned to organize an afternoon at the school where students and parents of 10th grade can come. This evening will consist on presenting and talking about the different IB courses at our school and how do they work. As students, we are going to organize ourselves in groups depending on the subjects we take. For example, I will be in charge, with another classmate, to present to the parents and students of 10th grade what Math HL is all about. This whole evening is organized to orientate both students  which next year will do the IB and their parents.

These are the learning outcomes I'd like to achieve with this activity:

1. Undertaken new challenges.

4. Worked collaboratively with others.

7. Considered the ethical implications of their actions.


During the Activity:

The evening was organized very well. It was something completely new to me. I had never participated in a similar type of event and therefore this has been a new challenge for me. I have had to work collaboratively with my classmate in order to answer the questions to all parents. They asked a lot of questions, generally related with our performance in Math HL, the degree of work we had to do or the topics covered or the those which will be covered in the future. I answered some of the questions and my classmate answered the other ones I did not know. We made a really good team and the parents were very happy with the information we gave them.

The Chess Club has been very interesting personally but we did not achieve our goal of spreading chess throughout the younger students in the school. The club caused a great impact in my class and in 11 grade's class. Nevertheless, that was it. I still don't think the Chess Club was a failure because those who did enter the club, like me, learned a great deal. We are all much better players. For example, now I am aware of A LOT of horrible plays which my classmates ("clubmates"?) and I made which could make you lose the game. On the other hand, now I know a wide range of plays which can help me win the game! These are generally ways of baiting the enemy into losing an important piece or ways of defending or attacking. However, I have a very big problem when it comes to concentration. I lack concentration in lage stages of the game. Generally, I start winning but as time goes by I grow too confident of my advantage and end up losing because I stop focusing. Staying concentrated and focused is probably what I have to practice the most.

During the activity I accomplished these objectives:

2. Increased awareness of strengths and areas for growth. (I am now aware in which areas I have to focus especially in order to train properly and become a stronger chess player. This are is my concentration in the game.)

8. Developed new skills. (I know many more plays and now and different and more intelligent ways to stop my opponent form developping his or her plays, defending or attacking! This has been an enormous development for me.)

Nevertheless, I did not accomplish my first objective, 1. which is the following:

1. Undertaken new challenges (I wanted to undertake a new challenge by becoming a teacher of the chess club. I would teach the young students who do not know how to play chess at all or just know the basics as I don't have the level to teach the more experienced students. The problem is no young students have come to the chess club so I have not had the chance to be a teacher and undertake a new challenge.)

Bakuva has taught me a lot of things. During the days I have gone to this organization I am much more aware about the society we live in and that certainly not everybody has the luck some of us do. I feel all of us citizens should help these people out which do not have enough resources to live a decent life. The only difference between them and myself is that I was born in a different place and in a different familly. If everyone in the world had this clear things would go much better.

This is the type of children I met in Bakuva. In the past I was not comfortable when it comes to take care of children, even less comfortable if I did not know them. However, the more time I passed in Bakuva, more of an extrovert I became and I was able to be comfortable with the children there. This is the most important thing I've learnt.

In the future, after I finish IB I will be taking part in other service-related activities such as this one because I think I learn a lot from these type of experiences. Bakuva, in conclusion, has been great!

During this activity, I have achieved the following outcomes:

1. Increased my awareness of my own strengths and areas of growth. (Now I am aware about how must I develop as a person in order to be able to take care of children as best as possible. Being extrovert and not so cold and introvert as I was at the beginning with the children in Bakuva has helped me to make the most out of this activity. However, I think this is a quality I can further improve by participating in other similar service activites in the future.)

2.     Undertaken new challenges (taking care of children is something completely new to me. Taking care of children in risk of social exclusion and helping them with their homework and trying to make them have a good time was an even bigger challenge for myself.)

7.     Considered the ethical implications of their actions (As a volunteer of Bakuva I had to behave in a very polite and correct way at all times. This is because us volunteers were seen as an example by the children there. This was something very important I had to have in my mind at all times.)

8.     Developed new skills (I am introvert when talking to little children and taking care of them. This is why it is so difficult to me to carry out activities such as this one. Being able now to teach them mathematics or play chess with them for example is a degree of closeness I had never reached when taking care of children and I am proud of it.)

Overall, this activity has given me the chance to relax and have fun, helping in the process to have a more positive and balanced lifestyle. It's impressive and look back how much I have learned. At the beginning I thought this would be boring and relaxed... I was very wrong. I am glad my hairdresser talked me into archery and will certainly in the future keep on with this sport. Who knows if someday I'll end up in a championship! What I most liked about this sport is the concentration you need. Archery could be described as some kind of meditation. You cannot shoot if you are not relaxed. You would start trembling, your muscles will not be coordinated and most importantly, your mind could not function properly. Your mind and body has to work in perfect harmony, like a clock. This is the way to hit bullseye every time. For the next time I go bow shooting I already know which are my weaknesses. My main weakness is that I am too impacient when it comes to aiming. I shoot to early, even before I have fixed my muscles in place and this causes the arrow to tilt and not go straight. Another weakness I have tried once and again to correct but I have been incapable of is my front shoulder's position. When shooting, the shoulder should be down and relaxed. This way you can more easily pull the string and hold it in place without moving in order to aim properly.

During this activity, I have accomplished all of my objectives which were:

1. Undertaken new challenges. (Archery was something completely new to me)

2. Increased awareness of strengths and areas of growth. (I am now aware about how to improve in archery. The next time I meet a bow I know which areas I need to focus more intensely)

8. Developed new skills. (Now I am capable of shooting arrows from the distance used in the olympics, 18m indoors. When we practiced I usually hit around 8 points, bullseye being 10. This is a very good score for someone who is a beginner!)

My archery course is finished and it has been an intense experience. I am amazed about how much I learned during these two weeks! My teacher says I am a very good student and that I learn very fast. It really makes me proud after all of the effort I have put into this activity. However, I've come to realize how exhausting this sport is physically. At first I though archery was not a "real" sport in the sense that you do not run like if you would be playing soccer for example. I was very wrong. My back hurts, my leg hurts, my elbow and my shoulders hurt and my arms ARE BURNING. This IS a tough sport.

The first weekend of the bow shooting course has already finished. We are around 9 students in the class, most of them older than I am. However, we cooperate very well in order to help each other out. Archery is certainly very interesting and am already very passionate about it! It is very tough. nevertheless. This is because when you are about to shoot you have to have an enormous amount of details in your head and complete all of them like if it was a checklist. Turn your wrist, look sideways, the back must be straight, both feet parallel to each other at both sides of the shooting line, don't hold the bowwith your hand, hold the bow still by the tension with the string, relax, breathe, let your front shoulder go up and the back shoulder down, pull the string until it reaches your nose, hold still, dont hold the arrow too strongly... And the list goes on! I think I am liking this sport because it is very mechanical. My teacher has told me how in Korea, home of archery elite, children are taught this sport since a very young age in P.E class and during the first three years, they never even get to shoot an arrow. The children only practice how to get the position right, how to stand, how to pull the string, etc... I am particularly motivated now because during the course you always use the same bow which the club lends you. Upon starting each class the teacher lets you add another piece of equipment to your bow such as a sight or a horizontal or vertical balancing iron bar. Moreover, I feel very good with my performance up until now. I have obviously an infinite room for improvement but I am the only one in the rookie grop which is capable of now holding the bow will shooting and when I shoot, the bow just falls and swings, Korean-style. Below I have posted a link to a video so you can see what I mean with this.

Minute 1:60: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M4-hB9t3kY