The Year 11 ESOL trip to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve

 My ESOL class and I went to Willowbank Wildlife reserve last Friday to study some Kea and Kiwi.

 First, we had to leave Period 1, 5 minutes early to get there on time. We rode a van and left the school at 9:45 a.m. We arrived at Willowbank and we didn't go in immediately instead we had to wait for Ms Briggs to get our tickets and let us in. We went straight to the Kea enclosure where we met the caretaker Rachel. She told us some facts about Kea. After that, we had to find a Kea we can examine and analyze its behaviour and appearance. When we were done we had some free time for an hour. We went to the farm and looked at the various animals. I saw a Clydesdale, a variety of farm animals, we also fed some ducks and deers. After our free time, we had to go to the Kiwi enclosure. We met up with Rachel again and she taught us about the Kiwi and the nest egg programme. Shortly after that, we went to the Kiwi enclosure where it was dark and cold, we only saw one Kiwi. My friends and I were ahead and went straight to the cafeteria where we waited for the bus until 1:00 p.m. We arrived at school at 1:20 p.m just in time for lunch.

It was a fun trip, it was the second trip I had in ESOL. The first one was at The International Antarctic Centre. I saw a lot of New Zealand native birds and animals. I learnt a lot of new things about the native and the introduced animals here in New Zealand.

Presentation Reflection

04/08/20, Tuesday

In ESOL, we had to present in front of the class for an assessment. The Assessment gives 5 credits for Level 1 NCEA. The assessment can be about someone or something that is important to you. I chose to write and present about my friend, Alliah Abuan. 

Before my presentation, I didn't really think about it. As the days passed, I started to get more nervous. I was also excited at the same time about standing in front of the class and speaking. Furthermore, this was really good practice for me because the future assessments and jobs could include public speaking. 

Presenting is not my strong point but I could think of something I did well. Firstly, I would say that my voice was good and I was able to have a good volume. I didn't rush through it and I kept a consistent pace throughout my presentation. Also, I was able to control my body language. I used gestures related to the subject that I was talking about. For example, when I said Alliah's name I drew attention towards her using my hand. By pointing at her direction, everyone looked towards where I was pointing.

Even if we think that we did great, there is always something we could improve on. For me, I could've improved on how I delivered my lines. I wasn't able to create an impact on the audience because I spoke with a monotone voice. This bored the audience and created no impact. In other words, I could've put more emotions. In addition to the delivery of my lines, I forgot my lines. I wish that I put more effort into reading my lines and trying to memorize them. 

I still had fun doing the assessment. I enjoyed being able to present in front and gaining experience. What I found challenging, was memorizing my lines. Since I have a pretty bad memory this created a challenge for me.

A news Item that interests me

03/02/20, Monday

   A recent news item that interests me was when Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash. The helicopter crashed into a hillside near Calabasas, California on January 27. Kobe and his daughter, along with seven other people were going to the Mamba Sports Academy where a youth basketball tournament was being held. It is reported that the foggy weather caused the helicopter to crash, although officials say that it was not allowed to fly in the fog.

What was interesting about this news is that it was unexpected that he would die in an accident like that since the helicopter was declared as a safe aircraft. I also find it fascinating that the news got to it first and the families of the people involved in the accident had to find out through the news.

The whole world was shocked by this news. Many people didn't believe it at first and were still in a state of shock when the news came out. My dad is a big Kobe Bryant fan and I could tell he was greatly affected when he found out that Kobe was dead. He called from work just to tell us that Kobe was dead and kept repeating it as if he didn't want to believe the news. It struck almost all of the people from all over the world since Kobe wasn't only known for being an excellent basketball player but also a great inspiration and being kindhearted.

This makes me think about what happened when they were about to crash knowing well that he had his daughter with him. What was he thinking? just thinking about him hugging his daughter and telling her it was okay and they're going to be safe. I wonder if he was thinking about how he couldn't save his daughter and he can't do anything to help her in a situation like that.

https://www.tmz.com/2020/01/26/kobe-bryant-killed-dead-helicopter-crash-in-calabasas/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51332546