Hi,
It's been a while since I wrote on here. Mainly because I've just been extremely busy with exams and my long summer holidays, but I wanted to talk about something I did on my summer break. I participated in NCS this summer and it was the best thing I have ever done. NCS involves a wide variety of activities that anyone can participate in as long as you are willing to give it a go.
NCS is something I really had to push myself to do, suffering from social anxiety and being thrown into such a social situation honestly petrified me. I've never been good at talking or making friends and as a result of this i become very closed off. Honestly a week before NCS i wanted to quit and not go. I was watching all these videos on YouTube and there were comments about how horrible their time on NCS was. Being 250 miles away from home with 12 people you don't know is knee weakening. Something else that scared me was the idea of being around boy, going to an all girls school has its disadvantages and this being one, I have no idea how to talk to boys.
The first day of NCS included meeting my team. I told myself I was going to be confident and talk to everyone but in reality i sat in the corner with my friend from school and didn't talk to anyone new unless I was forced to. On the coach I was extremely closed off and didn't talk to anyone I watched pretty little liars on my phone wishing I was back and home where no one would judge me. After arriving at Surrey we were put into dorms which were different from our teams we were put in (oh joy, more people to talk to!) The first week envolved outdoor team building activities, I was so quite and didn't contribute at all toward any discussions or ideas unless I was directly spoken to. During the first week I began to open up more and contribute more to activities and tried my hardest no matter how sick it make me feel and made sure to reach out of my comfort zone. All my team became some of the best people I have ever met and after only 5 days I felt like I have know them for years.
The second week was easy in comparison to the first, i wanted the weekend to end so I could get back to everyone I had met. With the second week you're closer to home which has some comfort to it, also developing an area you're passionate about makes it so much easier to want to excel. Again social situation are not my strong point so when we got thrown into a group discussion with another 12 people who I have never met makes me sick to my stomach and when I opted not to take a lead role in the conversation, my team happily respected that and didn't push me to do anything I didn't want to. When the second week came to a close and we had to present to the rest of the wave I was confident enough to talk about what we had done. The last day of week two involves pitching to a dragons den style panel, and I have no idea where my confidence came from but I did it and I was so extremely proud of myself for pushing myself to do new things.
Finally the third week came around and it was the week i was least excited for, it involves campaigning in the city centre for a charity of your choice. I had mastered the art of talking intont of people and participating in group activities and discussions but talking to hundreds of people in a day is the last thing I would ever want to do. At the start I just stood and took a backseat but as the day progressed I found myself being more involved without having to even think about what I was doing and I surprised myself by how well i did.
As a conclusion NCS is the best thing you will ever do in your life you experience things you never thought you would and are encouraged to do the best you can. The more you put in the more you get out. After NCS I feel more confident and willing to do thing I normally wouldn't such as present in class or talk to new people without having to worry about all the possible outcomes as I would have have before. If you're considering doing NCS just do it. Don't think about it and say yes to the challenge and watch yourself develop while building on skills needed for the future. NCS changed my life and I am so happy I said yes.
Katie x
