aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog

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FINAL REFLECTION ON CAS EXPERIENCE

SERVICE

For the service part, I was regularly attending my local library, took part in school activities, and was helping my neighbor with taking care of her cat. Thanks to doing these activities I learned quite a few things. Firstly, I learned that it is easy relatively easy to engage in the local community. I have been living near my library for 5 years yet only in the previous year I have discovered that I could be a part of it. It was honestly so much fun to be connected with local institutions and meet new people there. I have made new friends during my service and read a lot of books thanks to the broad access to positions I had. My coordinator in the library showed me their oldest historical book and even gave me a personal desk in the library’s office. During my whole service there, I felt welcomed and was always happy to help. I enjoyed spending time in the library so much, that I promised that after my final exams I will continue to come on Mondays. Thus working in the library gave me the opportunity to learn new things, meet other people, discover my strengths and abilities, and develop myself on multiple levels.

From engaging in school activities, for example in bake sales, I have observed that I can have a positive impact on the world, by combing being in the school environment and ideas. The bake sale was my and my friend's idea. After executing our plan we collected some money and could give them to a charity, which was a great success for me. 

From taking care of Felek, my neighbor's cat, I learned how to be a cat owner. My parents would never let me have a dog or a cat, thus I was happy that I could form a bond with Felek. I gained knowledge in a completely new non-academic category, which now left me with skills about cats' diet, how to play with them, and how to read their behavior and body language.

Also, from being a part of the habit of humanity group in the DP1, I learned more about the world and that to help is to be updated. Now I regularly try to read news concerning global events and try to help people on a local scale. For example, I was making care packages for people fleeing from Ukraine and created a habit of being aware of what is going on around the world, since awareness is the first step to organizing support.

CREATIVITY

For most of the creativity part during my CAS journey, I was cooking and coloring. 

Cooking is a basic life skill, thus I am satisfied that throughout the stress from school and daily chaos, I managed to focus on something so valid. I improved my eating habits during these past two years and gained knowledge about the nutritious value of food. Not ot mention, that cooking made me more prepared for leaving for university and living without my parents. It also taught me how to plan out meals, what to buy during grocery shopping, and how to prepare dishes in quick, yet healthy ways. I am proud of my progress in the kitchen and I will continue to develop my passion for food.

From coloring, I discovered that it is a perfect and accessible way to relax oneself. I also learned how to use and combine colors. Other skills I gained through coloring are having more patience, determination, and motivation. Now, coloring for me is a way to escape from my current worries and focus on something beautiful and truly colorful. 

ACTIVITY

During these past two years, I would run and continue to be a horseback rider.

Running let me experience the physical progress my body can make and the challenges it had to conquer. I used to run poorly, and now I can easily make a 5K run. I am truly proud of myself and happy that although sometimes running was too tiring or I was lacking motivation, I proceeded to do it. I also observed that running is a physical form of happiness for me, thus I will continue to practice running and will even invest in some better running shoes, as I am now sure this activity and sport is for me.

As for training equestrianism, I am joyful that I was able to combine it with the school. Such training is much more time-consuming than for example running as I have to spend time getting to the stable and then taking care of my horse. Yet, I managed to keep up a professional level of equestrian and good grades in school. Thus I gained time-management skills and increased the levels of my emotional intelligence as working with horses requires a lot of it. I also let myself become attached to one of the horses, Happy, and then had to experience her transfer to another stable. I remember that after seeing how she drives away in the trailer I wanted to stop riding. Yet I persisted and met another amazing horse named Seledyn. If I had given up riding I would have not met him. Thus, it was a lesson for me that even when times are hard, the future awaits and can be better than I could ever imagine. Now I have a solid bond with Seledyn and I have never been as motivated to continue my journey with horses.

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SUMMARISING POST

1. Evidence for completion of CAS project.

Name of CAS project: Handmaking bracelets to raise money for the Kassisi foundation

https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/cas-project-update-4-18122022/dvw8lj3znsgz

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

first example: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/creativity-22022023/6z4jiel48p0k

second example: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/activity-17082022-today-i-went-snorkeling-for/zgxlnygwy0ar

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

first example: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/activity-14082022/r3cukpsdicaw

second example: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/creativity-23072022/nht3ddtzlhrz

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

first example: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/activity-16012022/toe33wpjgp3u

second example: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/activity-8092022/y0ezc9dgr7ey

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

first example: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/service-6022023/nkns46yjroaw

second example: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/service-26012022/v8lq64qlktcw

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

first example:https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/service-04052022/322xg4sy5sm8

second example: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/service-04062022/c9wr2hp9y6zt

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

first example: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/today-i-participated-for-the-first-time-in-an/g4kmvwhfto0d

second example: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/service-5122022/a0d3eo9vbogp

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

first example:https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/service-1704-2404/ae71kb5d9imb

second example: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/activity-9052022-today-i-was-focusing-with/a28qn86vc6rp

9. Evidence of reflection on significant CAS experiences.

Reflection on Activity: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/activity-5022023/m7c8ny4gptgr

Reflection on Creativity: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/creativity-22102022/ktjy8s6fo2aw

Reflection on Service: https://at.tumblr.com/aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog/service-13022023/xgsc8fw1iz0d

[aleksandra-lejcus-cas-blog]

CAS Learning Outcomes - February

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CREATIVITY - 22.02.2023

Today I completed another drawing. It represents tree frogs on lilies that are yet to bloom. This took me a lot of time and precision as I used a few layers of colors. It was a bit tiring at some point but I decided to keep going, and my determination proved to be fruitful.

Although this drawing took a lot of motivation and patience, I am glad I decided to finish it as it is one of my fav rote prices. I also added some poetry about frogs in the background, which I think makes the picture come together.

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CREATIVITY - 7.02.2023

Today I prepared shrimp again. It is one of my favorite recipes, and since I had more time today I decided to make it again. The shrimp came out perfectly cooked, the nuts added some texture and the spinach leaves gave some color to the dish. 

I believe that now it is one of my signature dishes. The worst part of it is the fact that the preparation time is time-consuming but other than that meal is scrumptious. It also teaches me time-management skills and how to multitask in the kitchen. 

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SERVICE - 13.02.2023

Today I sorted all audiobooks and registered new ones, It took me about two hours of placing them in alphabetical order. I then sorted books in the children's room and added new movies to the library’s collection, as recently the library obtained a lot of new positions through donations. 

By registering books and seeing how many titles were donated, I started to think that it is better to borrow a book or a film from the library rather than buy one. That is because we usually don’t read the same book twice. Also, when purchasing a book, we tend to spend a lot of money on it, it takes place on our bookshelf and produces unneeded waste. I believe that the concept of the library is fantastic, and I am really glad I got to see its mechanism by volunteering at my local one. 

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SERVICE - 6.02.2023

Today I was again making some birds with my friend Julia. She likes physics and was telling me about her future academic plans, which we were crafting the birds together. The birds are for decoration of the library for the small kids and also for the room in which there are organized free English lessons. 

During this afternoon I spend such a nice time with Julie and crafting the birds made me relaxed after school. I also talked a lot with Julia, who told me that I am one of her closest friends. I am glad that she could confide in me today, as she is not feeling comfortable around her school friends. After we were done making friends she told me that it was nice of me to listen to her. Then, on my way home, I started to think about the dying art of conversation and that people could easily help each other if they would communicate better.

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ACTIVITY -  19.02.2023

Seledyn is as healthy as a horse again, thus we are back with a training schedule. Today we integrated our training exercises checking his response to my signals and working on him being relaxed. He was behaving super well and concentrated on me throughout the whole hour of our work. I also got a new pad, which is presented on the picture. 

I am proud of him and can see how much progress we made in the last couple of months. I hope soon we will be able to achieve even greater results and strengthen our bond. 

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ACTIVITY - 5.02.2023

Today I visited Seledyn. We focused on groundwork and transitions between three tempos: walk, trot, and gallop. Unfortunately, during the middle of my training, my trainer told me that there is something wrong with Seledyn’s hind legs movement. I got concerned, thus we stopped the work and since the vet was at our stable, she quickly observed Seledyn. As it turned out, he is temporarily injured. Even so, the vet said he will be able to work again in no time, thus I am joyful that the injury is not that serious. After our interrupted training, I gave Seledyn a quick bath and a lot of bananas.

I believe that this training reminded me that horses are just animals and sometimes they need a break too. I will now come regularly to Seledyn and take care of his leg, and spend more time with him from the ground rather than riding him. 

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CAS Learning Outcomes - January

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ACTIVITY - 16.01.2022

Today I had an awesome training on Seledyn. We jumped a lot and he was listening to me carefully. What I enjoyed the most throughout our training is the way he would understand my signals and how hard he was trying his best. Such determination and focus coming from the horse are one of the best feelings ever, and it is challenging to describe to someone who does not ride. Even so, I hope that my future training will have similar vibes and that soon we will be able to jump even higher. 

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ACTIVITY - 9.01.2022

Today I rode on a different horse. Her name is Pola and she is really well-trained. Together we were practicing her reaction to my singles and lead changes. I could not ride on Seledyn as he is currently injured and thus is not able to train. Even so, he should be fine in a while so I am really excited about his comeback. On the other hand riding on Pola today taught me new things, which is why riding on different horses rather than on one constantly, is crucial for the development of a rider. 

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CREATIVITY - 12.01.2022

Today is my 18th birthday! Aside from eating sushi together with my mum, we prepared the delicious shrimp pasta. To do so, you have to:

Peel and wash shrimp

Heat the pan and put some oil on it.

Cut various nuts into smaller pieces.

Add Chinese parsley and wash some basil leaves.

Assemble everything on the pan 

Cook/stir fry everything for as long as the shrimp is not raw.

Although this recipe is time-consuming, it is definitely rewarding and really tasty. It is also full of nutrients thus I will be remaking it in the future, maybe without peeling the shrimp first, as it takes a lot of time. 

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CREATIVITY - 7.01.2022

Today I made a simple meal for dinner. I took a granary bun and made it crispy in the toaster. Then on the heated pan, I put a kind of cheese called camembert, which helped me to melt it and make it really hot, Then I took the bun out of the toaster and put butter on it. Afterward, I washed a few basilica leaves and assembled them on top of the Camembert. Later I sprinkled everything with spices and some olive oil.

This meal is delicious and easy to prepare. From preparing it I learned how camber tastes although it is a bit less healthy, as it has a saturated fat content.

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SERVICE - 16.01.2023

Today I did something new in the library. Although the Christmas sprint is slowly passing away, the winter season is still in its prime. So, today I was asked to create handmade bullfinches. These small birds are the epitome of a cozy and happy spirit thus I understand why the library wants to decorate its rooms with them.

To make them I was given templates to cut the shapes from and papers in various colors. Then I had to glue different pieces together until the final product would appear.

This papercraft was fun to do and improved my motor skills as well as imagination and helped me to spend some quality time after school. 

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SERVICE - 2.01.2023

Today I had a more relaxing day in the library. I organized children’s books in alphabetical order and put new positions on the shelves. Then I spend about an hour reading novels for the kids and playing with them a little as there are toys in the dayroom. 

Overall it was a good visit, and I even lent a book for myself. 

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CAS Learning Outcomes - December