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Puxi Grade 5: Odyssey of the Mind

March 26, 2018

Puxi Grade 5: Odyssey of the Mind

For last semester and part of this semester, the 5(6) OM members were participating in the OM competition. We picked our group members by ourselves, and chose our topic: Vehicles.

This topic was about making a car and many props by ourselves, and finishing each of the required tasks. During the two months of last semester, we all decided what each of us should do. We also spent lots of time practicing. Every Saturday morning, we went to a teacher to practice a lot of questions that we might be tested on in the Odyssey of the Mind competition. When our costumes, props, and the car were made, we started practicing from lunchtime to night on Saturdays. In December, we finally went to Jingshan to compete. We were all a little nervous, but also very excited. After we finished performing, we ate some lunch, and started practicing for the afternoon competition, where we would face our Odyssey of the Mind questions.

The questions were pretty easy, and I personally think that Katherine’s answer was the most creative. In late afternoon, we went to a restaurant and celebrated. After several days, on Christmas, we got the news. We had won second prize! That meant we were able to go to Qingdao! Once again we started practicing on Saturdays. Even when the Finals ended, we still practiced for an afternoon for the last day of the Finals and in the morning for the next day.

When school started again, we all started practicing once again. On March 9th, we travelled to Qingdao by airplane. Throughout the afternoon and night, we practiced again and again. Unfortunately it’s true– OM is a competition that will use lots of your time. However, we were still able to go to the swimming pool. The next day, we went to the school where the competition was to be held, and prepared ourselves. After that, we did not eat junk food, but went to the school cafeteria. The food was not very yummy. In fact it was a little disgusting. There, I learned that our school’s cafeteria food is still a little better than local schools’.

In the afternoon, the Odyssey of the Mind questions were very hard, and we all struggled. On the way back to the hotel, we all were moaning about the Odyssey of the Mind. However, when we reached the hotel, we were all excited for swimming, and forgot all about the questions. The next day, when it was 6pm, we all got the news. We would not be able to go to the US, but we at least won second prize. We were all sad that we could not go to the US However, we were still proud of ourselves.

In OM, everyone cooperated with each other nicely, created better relationships between all of us, and the most important thing we learned is that teamwork is the key to win a competition. These are quotes from the other OM members:

Rita:I have learnt that teamwork is extremely important and we should compromise if we have different opinions. Overall I had so much fun at OM!

Aaron:I had an excellent time in OM. OM strengthened my creative skills. OM was a fun experience!

Jake:I had a very fun time participating in OM. I found a way to use my creativity. I learned a lot and it was a very positive experience for me.

Michael:I think Odyssey of the Mind is a fabulous competition that allows the contestants to have fun while developing their mindsets and creativity.

Katherine:It’s a pity that we didn’t get into the final round, but this was still a memorable experience. During training, everyone shared their creative idea with others. We learned what teamwork is and how to use the idea that first comes to mind. Next year, we will keep competing.

Alice:This time, I learned many things from OM. We all cooperated with each other, learned together, and finally got a score that made me happy. Next time, I would like to join the OM competition again, and get the prize with my teammates again!

(Written by 5(6) Chiyori Zhou Pictures by the 5(6) OM Team)