{"id":5070,"date":"2015-09-29T06:19:01","date_gmt":"2015-09-29T06:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teachformalaysia.org\/an-unforgettable-moment\/"},"modified":"2015-09-29T06:19:01","modified_gmt":"2015-09-29T06:19:01","slug":"an-unforgettable-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachformalaysia.org\/my\/an-unforgettable-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"An Unforgettable Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe showed our teachers our potential; though we may not be good at speaking English, we are determined.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I was doing my chores on a Sunday evening when I got the news \u2013 \u201cChoral Speaking practice starts tomorrow\u201d. I felt like I had ants in my pants.\u00a0The next day, it was all I could think about.<\/p>\n

\"Nayeer<\/a><\/p>\n

When class was finally over, I immediately went\u00a0to get myself a script. The title read \u201cAn Academic Confluence\u201d. I was thrilled. The script was as interesting as I thought it would be.<\/p>\n

Days passed, practises went on. I noticed that the team was breaking up.\u00a0People were joining and leaving at will; it was as if\u00a0Choral Speaking was just an excuse to skip classes. Some were not even coming for practices.\u00a0I pleaded with my friends, but alas, it was all in vain.<\/p>\n

Feeling defeated, depressed, and afraid of rejection, I stopped asking others\u00a0to join. I just focused on perfecting my own performance. Then one evening, our numbers grew. I was very pleased to see more people join us.\u00a0In\u00a0that moment, I realised that\u00a0I was so focused on those\u00a0who weren\u2019t dedicated, I forgot to focus on those who were.<\/p>\n

Finally,\u00a0the day we were all waiting for arrived, the day of the competition. When it was my team\u2019s turn to perform, I had cold feet and my heart was beating fast. I was so nervous, I lost control of my voice and the script was scattered in my brain. Then something happened-<\/p>\n

I made a mistake.<\/p>\n

My voice was loud enough to overpower everyone else\u2019s. Everyone heard it, even the judges.<\/p>\n

When the judges left\u00a0to determine the winner, I prayed. For ten whole minutes, I prayed that my team wouldn\u2019t lose because of my foolishness. I prayed that this time, it would be different. This time, we would not be greeted by the bitterness of defeat, rather the sweetness of victory.<\/p>\n

The judges returned\u00a0and announced the second place winner. It went to another\u00a0team \u2013 which I thought would have won\u00a0first place.\u00a0My teachers felt a bit sad, and said we\u2019ll try again next year. But I thought, if that school got second place, then who was\u00a0first? They announced it, and for a second, I could not believe what I heard.<\/p>\n

We\u00a0won\u00a0first place.<\/p>\n

For once, I was able to go back to school feeling proud of what my friends, my teachers and I have achieved. We showed our teachers our potential; though we may not be good at speaking English, we are determined.<\/p>\n

I turned to look at my friends;\u00a0they were\u00a0jumping with joy. I turned to look at my teachers; their faces lit up like stars on a clear, dark night.<\/p>\n

It was an unforgettable moment.<\/p>\n

\"Celebration<\/a><\/p>\n

Written\u00a0by NM, 17. His team placed 1st in its\u00a0group at the first round\u00a0of the state Choral Speaking Competition\u00a0and finished in the Top 8 (out of 48 teams)\u00a0\u2013 the highest achievement for the school team so far.\u00a0NM attends\u00a0a school in Kuala Lumpur and is a student of 2014 Fellow Ujval Sidhu-Brar as well as 2012 Alumna Ratnadewi Lim.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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