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. 

Holiday Activity

 Today in the morning I went scuba diving with my dad and my sister. We drove a while to the scuba center and after that transported with them to the diving spot. 

We have dived with two other divers and one divemaster. She was really nice and showed us a lot of exciting animals underwater. Although I was extremely excited to dive in Spain I was surprised to find out that the water was weirdly cold. The person from the scuba center explained to us that it was water from the ocean that mixed with the usually warm water of the Mediterranean Sea. 

Because of that, I made only one dive, instead of two as I did not feel comfortable enough to get into the water again. This is a part of being a diver - to be safe one must dive responsibly, without forcing or lying to oneself. 

Despise coldness I had so much fun on the dive I did do! I saw an octopus and a jellyfish among other sea creatures like fishes, tiny sea snails, and starfish. 

I love diving and believe I am learning something new from each and every dive.

Holiday Activity

 While on vacation in Spain with my family we have walked a lot. That was mostly connected to sightseeing and just breathing in the atmosphere of the cities we visited. Today however we took on a greater challenge. 

On our way to the seaside, we have decided to make a stop at Giblartar (which of course is at the seaside as well) where we went trekking on the hill called Rock of Gibraltar. I do not know if it can be called a mountain but I do know that it is 426m high and the paths on it have over 8km. I am not sure how much we walked, but it was a large portion of them. 

The most exciting part of the trekking trip was that we got to see the monkeys! They are called macaques and there are over 300 of them. I saw many of the monkeys, some very young and some fully grown. 

Even though it was so exciting to be there the walk turned out to be pretty tiring, but definitely worth it. 

From this experience, I have learned a lot about Gibraltar, and macaques, but what is more important I was exercising even or especially on holidays and I decided that I believe there should be more places like the Rock instead of zoos. It was amazing to see those animals in nature, not caged and living a free life. 

Amnesty International

 Today at the Amnesty International meeting we discussed the violence that meets sportspeople in Belarus. 

Because of the Olympiad, which causes a lot of publicity the sportspeople in Belarus were a target of oppression. They are being persecuted for their political views, arrested and bad-treated. 

There even were cases when they were arrested at the airports. Athletes are looking for asylum in nearby countries, like Poland. It is the next of many situations where Belarus had broken and still is breaking human rights. 

Holiday Creativity

 During this past week, my mom and I have been working on a new terras, build by my dad. I came up with the idea to colour it randomly, instead of in some kind of set sequence. And that is what we did. 

First, we went to pick out the colours of paints; we picked five - red, blue, yellow, green, and white.

Then we prepared for the painting, pick out work clothing, found the equipment and a speaker for music. 

After that, we got to work. It took so much time but it is finally completed! I am so glad to see the results. It was my first time painting wood like that, and the idea to paint it randomly just added a need for more creative and broad thinking - we wanted it to be as out of order as possible. 

I am very satisfied with the results, although it took us over 4h of work it was definitely worth it!

Amnesty International

 Today at the Amnesty International meeting we discussed repressions in Ghana. 

At the beginning of July 21 people have been arrested and charged with unlawful assembly as well as accused of spreading an LGBT+ agenda. 

Arrested people were in fact in the middle of a training session about how to support vulnerable groups. This was not breaking the law in any way, but the police were called and pamphlets and books (e.g. encouraging parents to love their children no matter what their sexuality is) were used as an evidence against them. 

Holiday Activity

 Today my dad and I took my cousins to the big public swimming pool. It was the first time I visited it since the pandemic started, but it was just as I had remembered.

We went to the shallow warm pool, where I and my dad decided each of us keeps an eye on one kid. We were swimming and splashing for a while and then I decided to get into the sports pool to really swim.

I had swum a couple of 25 meters-pools in breaststroke which is my favourite swimming style. After that, I went back to my family and we continued to splash around. 

I think this experience reminded me of how much I like water and swimming (in the garden pool it is entirely different). It also, as previous pool experiences this year taught me to pay attention and protect little children. 

I loved being in a pool with them and I am so sad they are leaving tomorrow!

These two weeks have been amazing and I was doing a lot of physical activity with them (including not only described swimming, but walks, game of twister, casual dancing and so on)

Holiday Activity

 Today my aunt, my cousins and I went on a bike trip together!

I haven't ridden a bike since... over two years ago. I wasn't convinced that the bike trip is a good idea and moreover the one I would enjoy but the perspective over real quality time with my family won over my dislike of bikes. 

We rode through the forest, close-by village, and another forest for about 3.5km to see the oldest pine tree in Poland. It was not that far, so we decided to circle and ride around some more, stopping for ice cream in the meantime.

This experience taught me that the expression "it's like riding a bike" is definitely justified, that it is good to try things one has tried and have not liked that much over again - maybe it will not become one's favourite activity, but it might not be as bad as one remembered. 

I also had to focus and keep the same speed throughout the whole rode, which had been tricky at times. 

Holiday Creativity

 Today I played violin with the older one of my cousins. She is 7, and I have never before heard her play live, because of the pandemic. 

I was surprised at how well she played although I should have been expecting that. 

I played some of the songs I practiced for her, and also gave her a few tips on how to make violin playing be more fun. 

It is very encouraging to know that I am the reason she chose to learn this skill and it is really rewarding to see the effects. I hope we have more opportunities to play together in the future.

Holiday Activity

Last weekend my little cousins came to visit us. They will stay here for two weeks which makes me so happy! It also means that I will be 'forced' to run a lot to keep up with them.

Today, however, except for the usual running around we went swimming in the neighbours' outdoor pool.  

The pool is not big but it was still really fun. 

Of course, it was mostly relaxing, but I had to be cautious as I was responsible for my cousins (one is 4, the other 7 years old). This time in the pool taught me how it is to never be allowed to lose attention and how still have fun even with crucial responsibilities. 

I believe we will jump into the pool at least few more times before they leave.

Amnesty International

 Today Amnesty International meeting took place. Unfortunately, I could not attend it, but I did my best to educate myself on the discussed topic. 

The meeting focused on Hungary and its violation of LGBTQ+ rights, which obviously are human rights. 

Lately, Hungary has introduced new anti-LGBTQ+ laws, which include censoring queer-friendly content on TV, making it impossible for trans people to transition and preventing non-married couples the right to adoption (non-heterosexual marriage is not legal in Hungary, which makes it equal to forbidding non-heteronormative couples adoption). 

These and more laws have passed in Hungary which makes it an EU member that is currently and consciously breaking human rights. 

Holiday Creativity

 Yesterday was my mom's birthday and I decided to do something special for her. As my sister is abroad and my dad is dreadful at cooking I took up the challenge of making her a cake by myself. 

It took lots of planning as I had to find the idea and the recipe for the ideal, original cake. I wanted it to be strawberry as it is still strawberry season. 

After I found the recipe I had to make the cake, I started doing it on Thursday, baked it on Friday, and made all the frosting yesterday. The biscuit of the cake was strawberry in itself which is what made it that hard. 

I had to improvise with the frosting as I wanted the cake to be one of the kind. Finally, I decided on three kinds: chocolate, orange, and strawberry. It took me so much time to complete but it was definitely worth it!

The hardest part of making this surprise birthday cake was that it had to be a secret, made in a room where my mom spends lots of time and, more importantly, I could not ask the person who knows the art of cooking best for help as she was not supposed to know anything.

Thankfully I managed to complete my goal and the cake was (and part of it still is) delicious.

Tennis

 This week was my last tennis training before I take a break for the holidays. The hour passed extraordinarily fast and I could not believe it's been sixty minutes. 

I think there is visible progress in my game if one was to compare it to last September. I think I've learned a lot this year and believe that besides strictly physical abilities tennis has taught me patience and teamwork. It also helped me deal with defeat, as I often lost our training matches. It has also taught me regularity - some Monday evenings it was really hard to get myself to go out again, but I always did and I believe that to be good for me. 

I am looking forward to starting training again in September. 

Violin Lesson

 This week I attended another one of my violin lessons. This time we focused mostly on the move of my right hand - the one which holds the bow and did not start any new songs.

I think this kind of work is really important as it improves the quality of sound produced, but it is also so different than just perfecting tunes. 

It was a very productive lesson and I am definitely going to practise the knowledge I gained during the holidays.

Tennis

 Today I have again attended a tennis lesson. This week I focused mainly on serves as this is one of the most important parts of the real game (it is impossible to win not knowing how to serve).

However, this move is really tricky for me as I do not only have to coordinate the movement of the rocket but first throw the ball as well. I hardly ever succeed in this part of the serve.

This has thought me patience as it can be very frustrating having to repeat one thing over and over again. But I hope that soon enough I'll be great at this part of tennis as well. 

 

 

Learning Outcomes

 

	Playing Violin	Tennis	Centrum Kultury WIlanów	Amnesty Inter- national
identify own strengths and areas for growth	✓	✓	✓
demonstrate that the new challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process	✓	✓	✓
demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience	✓		✓
demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively		✓	✓	✓
show commitment to and perseverance in CAS activities	✓	✓	✓	✓
demonstrate engagement with issues of global importance				✓
recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions				✓

Violin Lesson

Today I started my violin lesson by playing the c minor scale in 3rd position. I am happy to say that it is getting easier for me to play minor scales without having to focus this much on the signs they have - it starts to come naturally.

Next I came back to a Dashilla's Sea Shanty, a piece I have not played in a long time but it's in this scale, so my teacher thought it would be a good time to remind it. 

The first time I played it today I was not satisfied with it at all, but the second way around it sounded really great. I just needed that first one to remember it correctly. 

Then, I spend nearly half a lesson mastering the piece described in my previous post. It is extremely hard, I think the hardest I have played this year, but I would say it is going pretty well. 

I am happy with the progress I am making especially that the very act of making music brings me so much joy.  

Tennis

Today next to playing matches which became the usual part of my weekly training I have further practised the hand movements. 

I have noticed that my sense of space, as of where should I stop and try to pick up the ball, is getting better. I am really happy to have noticed that as my trainer says that is one of the most important things in tennis - be on the right spot at the right time. 

Although I am aware of the progress I am making my luck in wining the matches has changed and today I lost all three of them. I guess it's just the way it is.

Amnesty International Meeting

 Today I attended an Amnesty International Meeting on which I talked about two human rights issues I found. 

First was the case against people protesting against a racist and xenophobic group in France, against whom there were pressed charges as during the protest they have crossed the boarder illegally. Amnesty says they should not be convicted as it is not the people who fight for human rights that should be punished but rather those who share hate.

The second issue I talked about was the case of hunger in Madagascar, where millions of people are unable to get food because of the famine. The government of Madagascar has no way of helping its people as they don't have enough money to provide the food from abroad and the environmental factors make it impossible to produce their own food. 

Violin Lesson

 Today at my violin lesson I started learning the Second Waltz in c minor by D.Shostakovich. 

My teacher says it will be a great challenge for me as the sheets I have are written very high. They will require me to play in 4th and even 5th position. I have never played this high before!

Although demanding, the waltz is really beautiful and it amazes me that I am able to play it in such a short time from first seeing the music sheets. 

I have yet to learn to properly change positions, but I am sure that as I practise it will become only easier for me to hit the right note without much thinking. 

Lessons with Primary School Students

 Today was suppose to be the final lesson I would have with Filip as in a week he has his final exam. However, he asked me to meet with him (online of course) two more times. It must mean that he finds his hour with me helpful, which makes me really happy.

As he is having his exam next week we decided it will be best if he tries to solve an entire practice paper by himself - this way we will see how much he actually knows.

I noticed his progress and although he still needed my help in few of the exercises I can say that he did much better than he did at our first meeting.

 

Tennis

 Thankfully the tennis court could reopen and as I came back from Spain I was able to continue my tennis adventure.

At the first training in a month I have played three one-on-one matches and have won each.

I would say that this is beginners luck all over again, united with overconfidence of my opponents who somehow continued to practise despite closed courts. 

Apart from those matches I have also practised serves, which I am really bad at. I am trying really hard to improve, however this area of tennis is very difficult for me. However, I am still working on it and will keep doing that in the future. 

Violin Lesson

Today at my violin lesson I was learning another song from a Disney movie.

It's the one I used to play on the piano many years ago - Tale as Old as Time from Beauty and the Beast. That is one of my favourite Disney cartoons so I was really excited to play it again.

The piece is harder than it looks. The main thing worth focusing on is to maintain the same pulse throughout the entire song. It's a challenge as I tend to shorten the long notes and then can't keep up with the shorter ones. 

This song is really great and it's amazing to play it.

Lessons with Primary School Students

Today I showed Filip some new techniques I use to solve math problems quicker. He picked it up and we did a couple of example exercises so he could get better at it.

After that we went back to our usual plan which is just doing a practise exam. I showed him where the thing I showed to him could be used, and he agreed with me that it lets him solve the problem faster. 

I think I, as well as Filip, am getting better and better and I also feel more comfortable talking and teaching him what I'm good at. 

Windsurfing

 Today I had my last windsurfing lesson for now, as we are coming back to Poland the day after tomorrow. I have really enjoyed it and found it a nice change from the long time spend at home due to lockdown. 

After the first lesson I have left the area close to the beach with my trainer. I have felt more free than I did in a long time and I loved the wind in my (braided) hair and the water flowing through my feet. 

I have managed to learn a harder version of the front turn, although an attempt to do that still ends up with me falling into the water. But the water is so nice and warm that it is far from being scary. 

I hope to further pursue this new passion of mine during the summer holidays.

Windsurfing!

 As I have written in the previous post this week I am spending on an Island. I have decided to spend this time learning how to windsurf. 

My trainer is from Italy (although Fuerteventura lies in Spain) and he is teaching me in English. The first question he asked was how much experience I have. I said that I have had just one lesson before but I loved it and am eager to learn more. He was surprised and a little worried as the wind was strong today, but begun to teach me. 

At the lesson I got to practising both turns - one where you move in front of the mast and the other when you move behind it. I immediately got the ring of it and although we haven't left the beach I had so much fun!

I have some experience with wind so I did not find that part hard at all. I am also very proud to say I have fallen only a few times, which I think is amazing for a beginner I am. 

After the lesson my trainer asked whether I really had just one windsurfing lesson before.

I am extremely excited to come back tomorrow!!!

Getting to the top of Volano

 This week me and my family flew to Fuerteventura - one of the Canar Islands. 

On our first day there my parents convinced me to go with them to the top of Hondo Volcano. It was a long long walk but it was worth it to see the view at the top.

I was sad to discover that you could not see any smoke coming out of it but it was still an amazing experience, and the first volcano I have ever seen so closely. 

 

Violin Lesson

 This week I had played violin for many hours and finished it up with an in-person lesson with my teacher. As we did before we used this time to play things I am already good at, focus on something else and play duets. 

The three main pieces we played were Colours of the Wind I started to learn last week, Memory from Cats the Musical, which although short is beautiful. And, finally, Pirates of the Caribbean - the piece which we started in Autumn. 

I haven't played the latter for many weeks and so I was surprised at how well I played it on the first try. After that we played it in duet and it was amazing.

I really like playing together with my teacher, both because it sounds so beautiful and because it gives much more space for improving. It helps with mastering every part of violin playing: maintaining the rhythm, right tones and teaches to listen to someone expect yourself
 while still focusing on your line.