2021 SASS 3E EL WA1 w Ans

St Andrew’s Sec SchoolWA1 2021 ExemplarsSec 3 Express 1 Describe an outdoor learning experience that taught you some life skills. Why were these life skills important?Exemplar written by Aaron Goh 3SA“Come on Aaron!” You can do it!” My fellow classmate, John shouted in encouragement, as he waited for me to repel down the huge rock. Although the term “Outdoor learning” is not too popular among Singaporeans today, it too can be a place where students can learn important life skills. Today, I would like to share with you how outdoor learning has taught me the importance of perseverance in our lives, and how unity and teamwork help us achieve our goals. Back in 2016, I had the privilege to enter an exchange student program with a school in China. While we were there, we did many activities such as visiting their museums and strolling through their street markets. However, one activity stood out from the rest - the trekking. As part of our trip, we had to spend a night at the top of a hilly mountain top, while preparing the necessary survival equipment such as starting a fire, and pitching the tents. On the way up the mountain, we could see the magnificent rolling hills, and gazed in awe at the spectacular waterfall. As winter was approaching, the once bright orange autumn leaves littered the ground, while trees stood proudly with their naked, bare branches. After reaching the campsite, with the help of my team, we managed to start the fire and got all our tents up. Thanks to John, we also managed to filter out some freshwater from the nearby stream, something which our team desperately needed after doing the back-breaking tasks. Soon after our short water break, we had to repel down a huge mossy rock to reach our objective point. Despite the fear of slipping on the bright green slippery moss which covered the rock’s surface, I found the resilience and determination in John’s words, allowing me to repel down with ease. With our teamwork and perseverance, we managed to reach the goal set for us, instilling in us a sense of pride and teaching us important skills for years to come. Why then are these skills important to our lives now? Firstly, perseverance helps us overcome the challenges in life. Despite the feeling of giving up while setting up our camp, our team did not give in to our fatigue, but pushed through to get the job done. In our school life, when we are faced with adversity, perseverance would help push us to achieve greater goals, going through with them even when the going gets tough. For example, during this WA1 season, perseverance can help one to be more disciplined in studying or revising for one’s work, not giving in to his own desires such as playing video games or resting. This resilient and persevering attitude would allow us to grow stronger as a person, and reach heights we never thought we could reach. Secondly, unity helps us get through tough situations. As an author once said, “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want t