23.5.25~28 (competition)
23.2~5 (meetings)
Odyssey of Mind is a creativity competition that is held in the US. With three months of practice, creation, and ideation, our Oh Waves team is finally debouching to the finalist competition in the US. Located in the University of Michigan, the competition took place in a fairly large-scale area. The competition took place in a total of three days. The group consisted of six members, including myself. Everyone was younger than me except for one member who was the same age as me. During the meetings with my group members, I played as the energy and mood-maker. Although I was the oldest in the group, I displayed a balance of seriousness in order to control the young members and also silliness to efficiently and enjoyably accomplish the tasks. Going to the US to compete was the time that I displayed my leadership skills, and a mother-like figure even to the teachers. Being the only English-speaking member, navigating and solving minor conflicts were naturally solved by me. From talking to the most anxious English speaker in our group for the entry screening to explaining our final product to the judges, I possessed a role that everyone had to rely on me. Although it may sound like a burden, I was able to navigate through the conflicts with my joyful and positive attitude throughout the journey. During the competition, each group had a 12-minute acting performance and additional time to answer the judges’ questions. Due to the fact that acting and English speaking were comfortable, I had the most lines, which I displayed with my dynamic personality. Additionally, I ran around to answer and translate the answers in the question-answer session with the judges. During the competition, I played various roles that allowed me to further expand my flexibility and reflex skills. In terms of the competition itself, there was one full 12-minute performance, as aforementioned, and a creativity improvisation competition. The second activity is a sub-unit where all the teams are expected to compete. There, various questions can be asked. Ours was where we had to make up interesting stories with the given words and phrases. For our team, there was a translator. However, due to the fact that there was a time limit and the translator was taking ages to translate, I was the one who translated it. In other words, I was both the translator and the contestant. One of the most memorable moments was when the judges’ faces always had an interesting facial expression whenever I stated my ideas. Due to the language barrier, the other teammates made sentences as simple as possible. However, because there were extra points for more creativity, I was in charge of that part. All of these had to be done in silence. There wasn’t any time for us to meet up together and discuss the strategies. In other words, with our senses and body language, we were able to share our strategies. I honestly think this game was the most enjoyable since we faced so many challenges. Regarding how we had some disadvantages in communicating with the judges in both the large performance and the sub-game, we still ranked 19, which we were proud of. I believe that I was able to receive the teamwork award due to how the judges acknowledged my effort and dedication in each of the competitions. I believe that this competition is my favorite experience so far in my life!