Emma's+Reflection+Page


 * __Reflection Page:__**


 * __Community links reflections: Delivered Meals Program.__**

I’ve been at Meals on Wheels for three days now and it has been a real eye opener on “how the other half live.” My role at Meals on Wheels is to deliver the meals and juices to the customers with one of the staff. We are now responsible for getting the juices packed ready for the next day. The staff and volunteers have made us very welcome and comfortable. There are three staff members and three rounds which cover Point Cook, Werribee South, Wyndham vale, Manor Lakes and Werribee. I am looking forward to the next week and a half of delivered meals and I am glad that I chose to do this for community links.
 * __Entry one: Wednesday, 3rd August 2011__**

I have now completed a week of community links. I have enjoyed every moment of it, I have met a lot of people and been to many places that I had never been to before. It has been a bit difficult communicating with some of the elderly clients as they are very forgetful or have trouble hearing and speaking, despite that, they always have a big smile on their faces and are up for a chat. I have got to know some of the clients well, and have heard many interesting stories about their lives. The first week of community links has been and gone but I am looking forward to the last week.
 * __Entry two: Monday, 8th August 2011__**

I have now completed my final week of delivered meals program. I have had a very enjoyable time there and learnt a lot. My final impressions are very different to my first. My favourite part of the whole experience at meals on wheels was travelling to the different parts of the Wyndham community as well as meeting the clients on the three different rounds. My most difficult part while being at delivered meals was trying to find the meals in the van on Friday as it is the busiest day there, as the clients would order meals for the weekend as well as Fridays meals. Over the two weeks there I learnt that there are some very unfortunate people out there and that I am very lucky to have what I have got. Over time I gained more responsibilities and have become more confident in the jobs I was allocated. Overall I had a great time.
 * __Entry three: Friday, 12th August 2011__**


 * __ Melbourne experience: __** Over the two days of Melbourne experience I learnt a lot and enjoyed every moment of it. I found working in a team to get around the city was challenging but I got to know each member in my group better as well as the members of the groups that we joined up with along the way. I saw many parts of the city that I had never seen before and wish to go back to some places in the future. I did not have a favourite tour as they were all very different and well worth doing. I enjoyed the lanes and arcades tour because we got to look at all the graffiti and took great photos in there. Also looking at the little café’s and restaurants along the way. The Victorian market was also a lot of fun as we got to catch the tram and purchase from the market. The walk in the park was very nice and peaceful, until we got lost. I found that when we were lost in each of the tours we all worked together as a group to get back on track. Finally the waterfront tour was also very enjoyable. Looking at poverty in Melbourne was sad but at the same time a real eye opener and it made me realize how lucky I actually am. Over the two days I found that everybody had a lot of fun and experienced new things. I enjoyed the freedom we had during these two days and spending time out of the class with your friends.

__**Week 1**__ The best piece of advice that I have ever received in my life was received during a motivational speech at Young Rider Dressage Squad, given by a para-olympian basket baller who was born with cancer, which was, “what doesn't kill you, only make you stronger.” I thought that this was a very valuable piece of advice as it made me think about how lucky I am to be the way I am and to have what I have. Sometimes in life we take everything we have for granted and don’t appreciate anything until we either lose it or witness somebody without it. To see my this man come into the room in his wheelchair and making the most of what he had with a big smile on his face really made me feel lucky, but then when he told his story about how he was born with cancer and been in a wheelchair for his entire life but is still doing what he has always dreamt to do which is playing basketball at the Olympics, made me made me relies that “anything is possible, if you put your mind to it,” which is also another important piece of advice that I have received from my Dad. All in all, whatever doesn't go your way you feed off it and use it as determination to get where you want to.
 * __What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?__**

__**Week 2**__ __**What would happen if you threw a piece of trash on the ground? What if everyone did?**__ If I was to throw apiece a piece of trash onto the ground, it could affect the community as well as the broader environment. The ways of my contribution of throwing away trash can harm the environment, habitats, the living state of the animals around us and the wildlife both marine and land. If everybody did the same everywhere would be filled with trash and there would be many other problems such as unhealthy living habits and drain and gutter blockages. Poor hygiene would then increase rapidly because the trash would then cause both animals and humans to become sick and disease could spread. It would also affect the places that people are living in and the values would go down. An example of this occurring today is animals that are injured or killed because of plastic in the ocean or on-land animals eating the packaging that have been thrown on the floor. If everyone put there trash in the appropriate bins this problems will not broaden and will make the earth a lot more sustainable and livable.

__Week 3 __ __**What would you do if you saw a friend cheating - report it, confront the friend or nothing - and why?**__ If I saw a friend cheating I would react in different ways depending on the situation. If it was only a minor form of cheating I would let them go because at the end of the day its not my problem if they have copied the wrong thing down etc. If it was a bit more serious then that I would probably confront who needs to be confronted. __**What do you think courage means?**__ I think that courage is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation. I believe that there is both physical and moral courage. "Physical courage" is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death, while "moral courage" is the ability to act differently in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal or discouragement. I think that everybody needs courage and shows it at least one stage in their life. __ **What do you think makes a good friend?** __ A good friend might be someone who's there to provide support when times are tough, or someone you can rely on to celebrate a special moment with you. You might see them every day, once a year, or less. Friends might come and go in your life, they might make you laugh and cry, but most importantly of all they love you for who you are. It doesn't matter what a person looks like or what kind of clothes they wear, but it's what's on the inside that counts. It's the actions they take, no matter how big or small, to show you how much of a good friend they are, and being there for you no matter what.

__**Week 4**__
__**What is your most indispensable possession and why?**__ My most indispensable possession is my camera and the photos it takes. Where ever I go I always have my camera on me. My camera is very important to me because it captures all the good, funny, successful and enjoyable times and most of all unforgettable moments of my life. I enjoy looking back on what I have done in my life and the people and events involved, the way I have changed as well as my family and friends. I have many photo albums that I cherish and photo frames around my room as well as my house. I like to scrapbook in my spare time, which allows me to share my memories through my photos. I also enjoy taking photos and wish to do a photography course. I have chosen media as one of my subjects in year ten, which I am really looking forward to. Photography is my back up plan if I don't get into the career I would like to which is either a professional horse rider or a equestrian physiologist. Overall I could not live without my camera and that is why it is my most indispensable possession.

__Week 5 __ __**What do you think about people polluting the environment?**__ Polluting the environment happens in our everyday life. I believe that it is something that we cannot stop completely but we can always cut it down. Everybody has polluted once in the lives, a big one is transport. Most of us get driven to and from school every morning and afternoon, while some catch public transport and a small amount of us walk or ride a bike to and from school. Catching public transport is more efficient than each individual getting driven to school. Big business companys and manufacturers are also polluting our air. By polluting the environment it is effecting our health, the environment and the wildlife. I don't believe that we can stop polluting the environment completely but I think that by being more sustainable we can make a difference and not pollute the environment as much and make it a better place. To do this we could walk or ride when we can, not use vehicles as much and use public transport. Big businesses could cut down on making as many resources that we don't necessarily need. By making these changes our health, environment and the wildlife will improve. This then means that the environment will be the same if not, better for the future generations.

__Week 6 __ __**How do you feel when you do something wrong?**__ When I do something wrong depending on how bad it is I feel disappointed in myself. I regret whatever I have done and I feel guilty about it. I try to make up for whatever I have done the best I can. I believe in living life with no regrets so I do whatever I can to turn a negative situation into a positive one. __** How do you feel when you do something that is very good? **__ When I do something very good I feel proud of myself. This is usually when I have persisted to reach my goals and stayed determined the whole way. Times when I have done well in my sport I feel like everything is paying off such as the time and effort I have put into it. This then helps me to persist and continue doing what I am doing. Another time when I have done something good is when I sponsored a child from Ethiopia and helped him and his family get through some tough times. This then made me feel proud of what I have done, kind and giving, especially when World Vision would send over a photo of the child and a message attached from him. Depending on what I do well I feel good about myself in different ways.

__**Week 7**__
__**I wish there was a law that said... This would be a good law because...**__ I believe that there should be a stronger law against animal cruelty. I think that if somebody assaults an animal they should have to faced big fines and maybe jail. If the animal is killed they should be put in jail for a certain amount of time, depending on the extent of their actions. This is only if the animal is harmed or killed deliberately. I think that this would be a good law because it would then cut down the amount of animal cruelty. I don't think that animals should be treated this way because they do have strong feelings. It doesn't matter if it is a dog, cat or horse, I think that they all have the right to be treated fairly. Unless the animal is killed for a reason such as cows, sheep and pigs but even this should be done in the quickest way possible. I still believe that animals that are dangerous or have harmed a human before must be put down. I think all of this and more is very wrong and I don’t understand how people can have the heart to do something like this.

__**Week 8**__
__**When you are angry, how do you look? When are you happiest? When have you felt lonely? When do you feel proud?**__
 * Have you felt lonely? When do you feel proud? **
 * When you are angry how do you look? - ** I try not to show that I am angry, but when I asked my family what I look like when I am angry they said that I look frustrated and you don't want to be around me and that I get over it fairly quick depending on what I am angry about.
 * When are you happiest? – ** I am happiest when I am with my family and friends inside and outside school. I am also happy when I am sport and do anything active. When I achieve something that I have always wanted to achieve such as short-term goals as well as long time. I am always happy when I am horse riding because I have always enjoyed it and hope to go to the Olympics one day. There is never a time that I am horse riding without a smile on my face. I enjoy the since of achievement we you qualify to compete in different states such as Sydney and Queensland.
 * When have you felt lonely? – ** There has never been a time when I have felt lonely because I am lucky enough to have supporting family in both the good as well as bad times.
 * When do you feel proud? – ** I feel proud when I have achieved something that I have been either working on for a long time or have just achieved something that I have always wanted.

__Week 9 __ __**Which quality do you dislike most about yourself - laziness, selfishness, childishness - and why?**__ The thing I dislike most about myself isn’t really a quality but it is “being hard on myself therefore pressuring myself.” I sometimes do this at school with my schoolwork and during assignments. When I work in a team I try to do most of the work jus so it is all completed by the due date, this usually then means that I do most of the groups work and have passengers in the team because they know I will do it so then I am relied on. Another time when I pressure or be hard on myself is when I am doing sport in general. I think that because I can be competitive when playing sport this is why I am so hard on myself. For example when I am doing horse riding because I have been doing it since I was two years old. I put a lot of time both before and after school as well as the weekend’s horse riding to when something goes wrong I get very disappointed but I also persist. Trying not to be as hard and pressuring on myself is something that I will always try to not do as much.

__Week 10 __ __**Why do you think prejudice exists in the world?**__ To answer this question I had to look up what prejudice means because I have never heard of it before. I found out that it means a prejudgment, an assumption made about someone or something before having adequate knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover". The word prejudice is most commonly used to refer to preconceived judgments toward people or a person because of race, social class, gender, ethnicity, homelessness, age, disability, obesity, religion or other personal characteristics. It also means beliefs without knowledge of the facts and may include "any unreasonable attitude that is unusually resistant to rational influence.” This then causes all sorts of conflicts between people. I think that prejudice exists in the world today because there are a lot of different races and cultures in the one area, They don't understand these differences so they try to justify to themselves what they are like is more superior. It makes them believe in themselves and makes them feel better about themselves and they don't take the time to know or understand people. This then leads to conflicts.