Final Reflection

I have to admit in the beginning I wasn't too enthusiastic about the CAS I will have to complete. I was planning on doing sports and playing violin anyway, but the idea of 'having to' to graduate... did not sound appealing to me. 

That is why I was surprised few weeks in, when I found that I actually enjoy it. With the amount of work I have to do in the IB Diploma Programme I realised I would have put off some of non-productive in a strict sense activities, as I simply would not find time for them. But CAS made me make time for them and every week, despite essays I had to write, I took out my violin and played. I would be in a different place, emotionally and physically, if I haven't done that on weekly basis. 

Another thing, which maybe I haven't enjoyed as much, but still greatly is what wouldn't even cross my mind if it weren't for CAS obligations - tutoring younger students. I have started doing this as a result of my voluntary work in Centrum Kultury Wilanów and it came with many challenges. First was that I had to keep organised and in touch with children younger than me, who would not always remember about our meetings. Secondly, I had to find a way to present and share the knowledge I have in an easy and understandable way and, moreover, do so over the internet. Keeping motivated and teaching a younger kid was by no doubt the greatest CAS challenge I had to overcome as it hasn't come near anything else I have done before - learning a sport or music, I am good at that, I've done it. But this was completely different. 

As I was writing the summarizing post I realised how much I learned through various CAS experiences:

I have started two completely new sports (tennis, beginning in PreIB and windsurfing, entirely during the Diploma Programme), played violin, cooked, did various voluntary work... In all these areas I greatly improved since the beginning of IB1 and those skills, whether they are physical or intellectual, will stay with me forever. 

Summarizing post

CAS PROJECT

There are the links to posts about my CAS project:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: CAS Project Update (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Amnesty International Meeting (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: CAS Project (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: CAS Project (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

LEARNING OUTCOMES

There are the examples and links to how I completed the learning outcomes:

Evidence of identification of strengths and areas for personal growth (LO1).

tennis:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Tennis (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

violin:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Violin Lesson (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

Evidence of undertaking new challenges and developing new skills in the process (LO2).

teaching younger students:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Lessons with Primary School Students (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

windsurfing:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Windsurfing! (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

Evidence of initiating and planning a CAS experience (LO3).

service at CKW:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Service in Centrum Kultury Wilanów (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

diving:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Diving trip!!!! (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

Evidence of commitment and perseverance in CAS experiences (LO4).

violin:

(posts from different times)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Violin (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Violin Lesson (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Violin Lesson (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Violin (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Violin (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

tennis:

(posts from different times)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Tennis (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Tennis (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Tennis (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Tennis (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Tennis (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Tennis (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

Evidence of demonstrating the skills and recognizing the benefits of working collaboratively (LO5).

tennis:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Tennis (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Project:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: CAS Project (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

Evidence of engagement with issues of global significance (LO6).

Amnesty International:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Amnesty International (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Amnesty International (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

Evidence of recognizing and considering the ethics of choices and actions (LO7).

Amnesty International:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Amnesty International Meeting (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Amnesty International (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

REFLECTION

Posts with well-developed reflection:

Creativity:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Violin (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

Activity:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Snowboarding (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

Service:

CAS Blog Anna Mazurek: Lessons with Primary School Students (annamazurekcas.blogspot.com)

Learning outcomes

 

Amnesty International

Yesterday was the last Amnesty International meeting that I will document on my CAS Blog. It started off with a presentation about protests that are and have been taking place in Canada lately. It was supposed to be the main topic of the meeting but we quickly drifted to what is now on all of our minds - War in Ukraine. 

The meeting took place yesterday and some shared their opinion that there definitely wouldn't be a war, that Putin has no interest in such and would not achieve anything this way. The majority of us, however, feared the consequences of an escalating conflict.

Looking at it from today's perspective, when the first thing I heard after waking up is that the Russian army has attacked Ukraine, it's a completely different discussion. I have started to think about ways that I can help, and I know so have many of my friends. We're with you Ukraine!!

Violin

Today my teacher proposed we train at playing double sounds. The trick is to play on two strings at once, which is ironic as at the beginning of learning violin you learn exactly how not to do that. 

This time however the point was to play always on some combination of two strings. 

I was surprised to find that it's hard to keep the sound steady when playing like that and that my bow would tremble making it even harder. 

We spend a whole lesson doing the double sounds, but I am still not satisfied so I will continue practicing this precise tune. 

Tennis

Today at Tennis it was just me and my mom. That hasn't happened in a long, long time. Because of that, I had a lot of individual practice - the same amount of time divided into fewer people resulted in a very intense training. 

Instead of making a few practice rounds and then playing a series of matches, we spend almost 40min doing individual exercises - 8 balls for my mom, 8 for me. This was tiring but also rewarding. I practiced both front- and backhand hits, this took me a lot of patients to repeat the same thing all over again, but I saw the progress afterward. 

Then I played two matches with my mom, and after that, we run out of time. I believe that I learned a lot - both today and throughout my entire tennis adventure. 

Amnesty International

 Today was the first Amnesty International meeting after the winter break. During this one, we discussed the controversy brought by a comic book by Art Spiegelman. The book was banned in some schools in the United States, because of its portrayal of the Holocaust. 

It was drawn and written by a Jewish artist, so the authenticity wasn't the problem, it was that some parents were concerned that there is too much violence for their kids to witness. 

This led us to a discussion about history, education, and censorship. Were they justified to do such a thing? I, myself, have not read the book, so cannot speak on this particular issue, but I believe we need to educate ourselves about the greatest tragedies in human history despite their drastic nature, the Holocaust included.

Violin

 At today's violin lesson I played another classical piece, which was a relief after working on jazz music. It is one of the most beautiful tunes I have ever played, but also comes with its challenges.

The main challenge in this one is that it has a large range of notes, from very low to extremely high. The low notes are not the problem, but to get to the highest points I need to reach 5th position, which I haven't done before. It takes me a lot of thought to get those bits right, but the satisfaction I get when I do is definitely worth it!

Windsurfing

 I have tried windsurfing 10 months ago, on Canar Islands, now I used the trip to Malta to revisit that hobby and improve my abilities. 

I spend 3 mornings on the sea practicing. I was the only windsurfer there, unless you count my trainer. It was great fun. 

I further trained in what I learned last year - both turns, and was taught how to do something entirely new - a beach start. This was extremely hard and took me forever to get it right the first time. After I also had to struggle to make the start, but once I did succeed, I felt amazing. 

Violin

 

Today I learned a new piece entitled 'Summertime' by George Gershwin. It is set in E minor and is made mostly of higher notes. It is a jazz piece, so it has a tricky rhythm. It took me a while to get the rhythm jazz-sounding as jazz has little rulers and trying to transfer it into classical music sheets takes something away from it making playing it correctly an even harder job. 

I enjoyed this jazz experience and will for sure come back to it, but after I play a bit of classic tunes as well. 

Amnesty International

 Today at the meeting we discussed an Israeli spyware system called Pegasus. It was originally designed to track criminals, used by police, investigators and so on. However, it has been used beyond that. 

There are reports that it has been used to spy on journalists, politicians or scientists. The investigation by Amnesty International made this case and this app laud, causing us to discuss and educated ourselves as well as many others around the world. 

This is a threat to our freedom and privacy and cannot be allowed. 

Tennis

 Today at the tennis lesson I practiced a lot of serves so that I can play double matches. My trainer says that in a real game they are responsible for most of the points. I am still bad at them, although I am getting good. 

At the practice rounds, I did not do so well, but later, in the game, I managed to get more than half of them right, resulting in our winning of the set. 

I am happy to be back on the court.

Violin

 Today's violin lesson wasn't much different from all the other classes. I played a few scales, starting with g minor followed by a minor, and afterward practiced pieces I have already played before. 

It was a usual lesson as I was too tired to dive deeply into anything new. I used it to relax and fly into the world of music and creative thinking, instead of worrying and stress.

Amnesty International

 Today at the Amnesty International meeting we discussed a law that was talked about in the Polish government last summer, but after protests have been put down. Until the 17th of December 2021, when it has returned to Sejm.

The law is commonly called a "Ustawa Lex TVN" and is a threat to the freedom of Polish media. It would basically force the present owner of TVN tv to sell the brand to somebody else, who would be easier to control by the government. 

The main polish media are already highly biased. This law would even further damage the freedom of information.

Snowboarding

 Last week my family and I have gone skiing in Italy. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we had to skip our yearly trip last year, but now the situation in Italy was calm enough for us to be able to go.

My parents were skiing and me and my sister have been snowboarding. I started to learn it a few years ago, last season just beginning to learn the turns. In addition to a 2 year-long break, I was really worried about my abilities this season. 

I was happy to find out that I still knew how to move on my board and have time doing it, however, the turns were an unbelievable challenge. I don't think I succeeded in making a single one during the first day. I was sad about that, but still excited for a week of winter holiday and just being in the high, white mountains. 

On the second and third days, I had booked lessons. We started slow, with how to fall safely, how to go with my back to the slope and so on. Then we got to turns. 

It was hard work on my part this entire week, but I enjoyed every bit of it. I had to plan the week beforehand: time with family, lunch breaks, lessons. I was proud of myself for not getting discouraged despite many falls, and even prouder when on the last day the turns weren't a problem for me. At all!

At the end of each day I would be extremely tired, but the feeling was rewarding and great. If I could stay here for another week, I would. 

 

Learning Outcomes

 

Violin

 As today was my last lesson before Christmas, my teacher and I decided to play classic Polish carols, including "Przybieżeli do Betlejem" and "Bóg się rodzi". 

I was surprised at how easy to play carols were for me, as all times that I have played them before I recall them as hard and tricky. This time, however, we managed to do three of them in one lesson, which is showing how non-problematic they were for me. 

With these pieces, I am planning on performing in front of my family on Christmas Eve and giving it a proper musical atmosphere. 

Unfortunately, this lesson like the ones before had to take place online, because of covid and public transport complications. I hope we will get back to having meetings face to face really soon.

Tennis

 This was the last tennis hour of the year 2021, as the Christmas break is coming and courts will be closed and my family and I are going skiing. 

It was a good last training, containing all: pure practice, single matches, and the double (triple) one. Unfortunately, I was distracted by the workload of school to be my best self, but I was not far behind. 

The matches went great, although I lost most of them, it was just by a few insignificant points. 

Overall, seeing my progress and the fact that going there every single week does make sense, and is improving my skills, I am happy with what I had done this year in that area. 

Amnesty International

 This Amnesty Meeting was purely organizational. We summed up the Letter Writing Marathon that took place last weekend at our school, where we argued for freedom and justice for people whose rights are being broken. 

We also summarized the entirety of what we have been talking about and why, as Christmas is coming and it is our last meeting this month, and even calendar year.

Tennis

Today we played matches again, my favourite part of training. We played both one on one matches and the weird triple one. 

Previous exercises my trainer made me do to better my serve really paid off, and this time, most of my serves, although not the strongest, at least landed in the right spot.

It is really encouraging when I see the progress I am making. It is slow, and usually unnoticeable by me, but in times like these, it is just the best to see that I am indeed improving.

I have two more training Mondays until the end of the year, and I hope they will be as satisfying as this one. 

Violin

This was the first lesson in December, and to get into the December, Winter, and Christmas spirit, I learned how to play Jingle Bells. 

To properly warm up, I began, of course, by playing a scale, A major, in which the song is set. 

I also did a few finger exercises to further improve my finger work.

I love playing violin and I am glad that I keep having lessons to improve that skill, even if it is just a hobby.

 

Amnesty International

 Today we revisited the issues in Poland, particularly the issues concerning the topic of abortion, which's criminalization is supposed to be discussed again today and tomorrow in the Polish Parliament.

We talked about the conflict between the Polish Constitutional Tribunal and the European Tribunal of Human Rights, which says that abortion is a human right, while the Polish Tribunal says that it is not conforming to the laws established in the Polish Constitution.

Tennis

Tonight's training was not very fascinating, it was all practicing hits and serves and no matches, which took the excitement of competition out of it. However, it really helped me to master the backhand hit, and greatly improve in serves. 

I hope the training from today will visibly pay off the next time we play the double or triple matches, as last time we lost all points depending on my serve. 

Vioin

 Today was the first lesson in a long time that was carried out online. It was because my teacher was sick, not too seriously to teach me, but we could not meet in person. 

As a new piece, she sent me the sheet music to an intro song from a tv show entitled "Polskie drogi" that aired in the 1970s. I never heard of this show before, and playing the music from it made me research and ask my parents and grandparents about it. 

This week's violin lesson gave me an insight not only into the world of mastering the instrument, but also into the history of my country's pop culture. I had an interesting talk with my grandma about the show, and I feel like I learned  a lot. 

Amnesty International

 Today we discussed problems in Qatar. 

The government of Qatar has promised that they would take care of workers' rights, but they have not delivered on this promise.

Over two million migrant workers are being abused and exploited according to the reports. 

Tennis

Tonight we were joined by another tennis player, who has more experience than any of the four of us. Due to the fact that there were more players than usual, we tried something new. 

After the usual training - warm-up, practice hits and so on, we played a version of a double match, but with three players on each side instead of two. It was an entirely new, and if I am being honest, weird experience for me. 

I did not know what to do, no matter which position I played, as in my team there was a person who is so much better at tennis than I am, so they took most of the balls.

I hope to get better at team tennis playing, as I believe I would prefer it to the one-by-one play, as soon as I get the hang of it.

Badminton

 This week I am visiting my aunt and cousins in Scotland, so instead of usual tennis training, I am posting about our badminton hour. 

We planned it days before and after we picked my little cousins up from school we all (me, my mom, my aunt and them) took a long walk to the sports center, where we had reserved two badminton courts. 

We played for the whole hour, in different combinations. Of course, with the kids, the play was not very demanding, but playing with my aunt got really intense. 

The last time I played badminton was in Summer, so quite a long time ago. First few serves and hits did not go as well as I would wish them to, but after few warm-up tries I got my old skills back. 

After the whole hour of badminton, we were all tired, but happy as well. It was a great way of spending an afternoon

Violin

 This time, instead of starting a new piece, like we did last week, we decided to review all that I have played before, so I could see the progress my teacher swears exists. 

Of course, 90min we had did not allow us to go through literally every melody, but we managed to get done quite a few. 

I started by playing the soundtrack from Pirates of the Caribbean, which I remember was hard for me last year. I mastered it, but still after a long break in playing it I expected it to go worse than it actually did. 

The same applies to all other pieces I played. Every single one on the first, or sometimes second try sounded as good as ever. 

It made me really proud and eager to learn even more and further improve my skills. 

The next lesson is in a week. I cannot wait, and will practice in between, if I only find the time. 

Amnesty International

The topic of today was COP26. 

It is an international conference that is supposed to decide on steps we, as the whole of the human population, take to save the planet and prevent climate change. Now it is being held in Glasgow, and hopefully, the right and responsible decisions will be taken.

However, it does not look like the representatives of various countries will decide to do enough, as most of the countries do not take climate change as a serious threat it is. 

We engaged in a powerful discussion about it, involving steps we, as individuals, can take to help stop climate change. I, myself, am attending Youth Strikes for Climate whenever they are happening. 

Amnesty International

 Tonight we discussed what is presently happening in Sudan. 

After the military takeover, people have been protesting, and force has been used against them. Harming the protesting citizens is a clear violation of human rights and cannot go unnoticed. 

Moreover, many government leaders are unlawfully being held captive as a result of the takeover. 

The military has also limited the access to the internet and imposed a state of national emergency, which limits the freedom of citizens

Tennis

The whole training today was spent on the individual, and then double matches. 

Firstly I played with Agnieszka (one of the people who is joining me and my mom every week), and I managed to beat her, although just one point and things would have ended differently. I was really proud of my victory, as it is her who usually wins, and here I was able to see how, if I am well-rested and determined enough my skills are just enough to match hers. 

Then I played with Marcin (another training buddy) and unfortunately lost, although nothing could bring my spirits down after the first victory. 

Lastly, the match with my mom, which I won as well as opposed to last week when she won instead. To finish the training we played one double match, me and my mom versus Agnieszka and Marcin. I am happy to say it ended in a draw, though we finished before I got a chance to serve (probably why it was a draw, as my serving skills are not as good as I would like them to be yet).

Violin

 During this lesson, we decided to revisit a piece I learned a long time ago - Canon in D major. 

As it is a cannon, it is a great opportunity to play together, instead of just solo. Playing in this way is entirely different than just playing alone - you need to better hear tunes, keep the rhythm and you cannot stop, as the other person will not. 

It is a great practice to anything really, and also loads of fun, as the sound of two violins is twice as beautiful as that of one. 

Tennis

Today's Tennis wasn't much different from all previous trainings I've described. I will focus on other things from today then.

It was really hard for me to get myself to leave and play as next to being extremely tired and just wanting to sleep, I have deadlines pining on me. However, I still went to play, as it is one of my responsibilities, I made a promise to myself and to my mom that I would be going with her weekly, so I am doing that, no matter how tired I am. 

Although I did go and tried to do my best at the training, I saw that I was not being my best tonight, probably due to the overload of work and a limited amount of sleep.

Hopefully, next week will be better!

Violin

 Today I attended my violin lesson, thankfully in person. 

This way of having it is better in a way that online learning just does not allow. Thanks to seeing me, and being able to better show me as well as move my hands, my teacher is capable of correcting my posture, more efficiently and with my better understanding of what I should be doing than when we are separated by computer screens.

I really value this kind of experience, as it allows me to better improve myself, which is what I am aiming for afterall.

Amnesty International

The topic of today's meeting was Old Public Institutions in New Afghanistan, and why and to whom they are harmful. 

We have been discussing it and the human rights violations it results in. 

 

Learning Outcomes

 

Tennis

 Today people we usually train were absent, and two others whom I have never played with filled their place. I immediately noticed their skill greatly exceeds mine and identified it as an opportunity to learn. 

This attitude began to be difficult to keep as I simply did not know how to defend myself against their attack. It was really frustrating and took a lot of self-control to keep playing, even though it seemed pointless (in terms of winning of course).

This is another thing I learn while playing tennis. I learn how to accept defeat and treat every game like this as an opportunity to learn more. I know that if one stays in their comfort zone it is really hard to improve, but it is also hard to step out of this comfort zone and face the challenge - which I am proud to have done today. 

(this week my mom didn't get a chance to take a picture of me on the court as we were always playing at the same time)

Violin

 Today I attended my first violin lesson after the holidays. It was supposed to be on Thursday, but my teacher had to cancel and we met today. 

It was so great to see her in person, it is definitely different than seeing her via zoom. She reminded me of correct hand movements and corrected a couple of things I have learned long ago, but that were not noticeable on zoom. 

I have started by playing D major scale, one of the easiest ones and the one in which Canon D is set. Then I practiced the bow movement to this very melody. 

After that, which took most of my lesson I started learning a new song, for which notes I post below. 

It is so great to finally meet for a violin lesson and to do it in person! I cannot wait to see what I am going to learn this year and what challenges it will bring!

Amnesty International

 Today at Amnesty International meeting we have discussed work camps in China. 

People there are kept in inhumane conditions and it is horrible to even imagine everything they have to go through. 

We have also discussed the influence it has on the global economy. It is awful that China can and is benefiting from violation of human rights and so are many of us, without intending or even knowing it. The awareness of this issue must rise, as as more people talk about it and know about it the better chances there are for a change. 

Tennis

 Today at tennis I played my first double match which actually made sense. 

My first try was last week, but I did not really understand what I am supposed to do, it all seemed pretty pointless to me as most of it depended on the serve. This week, however, I got a hold of it. 

I was in the team with my mom who is good at serves, which gave our team the opportunity to win. She started off and I tried to defend the court after that. 

I think we did pretty good as the match ended with a tie, which made me very proud. 

This is training in the thing I think tennis lacks - teamwork. I am always rooting for my mom and my friends, but I feel like when all the matches are played one on one it might be hard for someone to stay supportive when at the same time wanting to defeat your friend/competition. 

Violin

 Today I decided to spend some time revising the tunes I have played last year. I started with Pirates of the Caribbean because I thought they are both beautiful and easy. 

It turns out I was wrong, and the melody has some tricky parts. I spent quite some time making it as perfect as I remember. It was hard work, but so rewarding. I can't wait to meet with my teacher again and continue learning and improving myself.

What is the hardest right now is to find time, not for the lesson itself, but in between. With all the work I have in IB2 it is going to be extremely difficult to practice in my free time as I will hardly have any. 

Amnesty International

 Today I took part in organizing the Amnesty International bake sale at our school. Although I did not bake anything, I spent almost an entire 14:05 break sitting behind a table, selling cakes. 

Many of us have brought home-baked goods and even more, students bought them. 

This experience has helped me to learn how to organize an event in a big group, stick to the plan and keep my obligations. 

I have shared my turn of selling with my friend Natalia so it also gave us an opportunity to become aware of the latest events in our lives. 

Amnesty International

 Today was the first Amnesty International meeting in the new school year. It mostly focused on telling people who have just decided to join Amnesty International at our school how it works, what its goal is and what we will be doing. 

It was a short meeting, but it reminded me of the main goal of Amnesty International - protecting human rights and educating others about them. This is what I am planing on doing this year as a part of my Service. 

Tennis

 Today was my first tennis lesson after the holidays. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I did not forget much from what I learned 2 months ago. I played a usual couple of matches with my traning-mates and, although they won, I found it pretty satisfying. 

This was a challenge as I have not held a racket in quite a long time, and I felt others expecting me to be worse at playing than I used to be.

I had to be much more focused than I usually am because I wanted to show them that I did not forget that much, and am still good for my level. 

Violin

 After I came back home one of the first things I did was pick up my violin. 

I haven't played in a while as I wasn't home and I have missed the feeling of the instrument in my hands. 

I started simply by playing scales, then went up to my favourite Disney songs. 

I can hear the difference between my play in late July and now, and it has been only a month. I would not say that my progress disappeared, of course, it didn't. I will just need a week or two to remind my mussels of the way of playing.  

Holiday Activity

 I spend the entirety of last week on a yacht with my friend's family. I love sailing - the wind, water, sails, and you. It's just perfect. 

During the cruise, I spent a lot of time swimming in the water with my friend's siblings, playing and moving on a stand-up paddle, and just overall enjoying the Italian sea. 

However, my favourite and most important part of the yacht trip was sailing. I was surprised to find out I am one of the better-prepared people there, in terms of knowledge of sailing itself. And I was delighted when the wind finally appeared. 

We switched from the engine to sail power and I got hold of the store. The navigating was very different from what I'm used to as it was a big yacht and on the sea, not the lake. It took me a while to feel the boat and start making it go where I wish, but as that happened everything was perfect. 

I realized I have a lot to learn in terms of sailing on a big boat - my experience is mostly on optimists and Mazury yachts, but I also had so much fun. I learned something from the captain of our ship and I'd like to believe he has learned something from me as well. 

It was an unforgettable experience!

Holiday Creativity

 During the trip with my family, I do not have the possibility to practice violin, however, I am intensely thinking about it. I listen to a lot of music, trying to wake up my imagination, think about sounds and art in general. 

On the family holidays, I had thought of and posed on pictures, some of which came up really artistic. My dad loves taking pictures of me and my sister so I decided to help him by being a model and giving ideas. The picture I post here is of me and my sister misholding the Tower of Pisa. 

Holiday Activity

 This week I finally got to swim in the sea!! 

As I have written in my previous post my family and I were going to the seaside and this week this is where we've been. Every day I have been either in the sea or in the large outdoor swimming pool included with our apartment. 

I LOVE swimming and have missed it very much. In the pool, I have been swimming back and forth for a while as the water was warm, deep (over 2m), and just amazing. I was always convincing at least one of my parents or sister to go with me, so we also enjoyed each other company in the pool. This is what makes the holidays real!

We have also been to the beach where I got into the sea. It was really cold, but still very much fun!

Of course, while swimming in the sea one must remember to always be careful of currents and them alike, not to wind up in some dangerous situation.