NAIS Dublin Times Vol. 2, Issue 1

NAIS Dublin Times Vol. 2, Issue 1

Students return for term 3!

Nord Anglia International School Dublin Newsletter

read and reviewed over 100 books throughout the month. At the end of the month, the house that had read the most books had reached this number by having several dedicated readers but also by being the house that had the most people participate. Well done to everyone who took part, who encouraged others and big congratulations to Carolan who were our Readathon winners for 2020!

Contents House Readathon

3

World Peace Celebration at NAIS Dublin

4

The New Student Perspective

6

Dear Grade 5

8

School during a pandemic

8

Little Bit of Genius with Sir Tim Smit, world-

10

renowned environmentalist

Can the Conventions of Gothic Genre be used to

12

Personal Project Tips

14

Creative Writing

16

Scare a Modern Audience?

Graphic design and editing by Sofie Mariussen

2

House Readathon!

By Niamh Gaskin

In November, NAIS Dublin ran its second annual House Readathon for secondary students. Students read a book of their choice, posted a review to our Padlet and then gained a book for their house tally. We arranged this Readathon to coincide with the national MS Readathon which also offered a service opportunity for students who wished to participate in this charity event. Students (and staff!) who participated in the MS Readathon asked friends and family to sponsor them as they tried to push themselves to read as many books as they could in November. The money from this Readathon goes to support those living with Multiple Sclerosis in Ireland.

Seeing our tally board in the library every week, there was one question on every primary student’s lips – ‘when will we have a House library challenge?’. Primary students didn’t have to wait long after our Secondary Readathon before we had our annual ‘Get Caught Reading’ competition where students take pictures of themselves reading in an unusual situation. Our Primary and Secondary House Captains created their own pictures to demonstrate and encourage our primary students to get creative!

This year’s entries saw students reading upside down, in costume, while cooking and even while jumping into the sea! As with the Readathon, the enthusiasm of our students was awe-inspiring! Congratulations to Hone who were the winners of our Primary Get Caught Reading competition!

Tutor time on Tuesdays and Thursdays was dedicated to reading to encourage students to participate and it was heart-warming to see every student with a book in hand during this time. During the rainy, cold month, many students enjoyed this opportunity to read for pleasure.

As always, we were blown away by the effort and dedication of our students, who

3

World Peace Celebration at NAIS Dublin

By Tazkia

On the 23rd of September, Nord Anglia students were issued a challenge in honour of World Peace Day, and in celebration of global culture – the practice of origami. This contest was also used as a means of getting the competitive urges between the students and their respective houses going.

At first sight, origami may not seem very hard to do, nor does it appear as an art.

However, once this style of creative expression had been put into action, students soon realized that it was indeed an art, and that it was indeed difficult.

The two hours that were dedicated towards this were blurs of paper and scissors, talking and colour, and the murmurs of competition rising and swelling. Majority of the students in the school were able to get involved with this – some secondary students were even invited down to primary classrooms to raise spirits and talk to them about what exactly it would entail. The instructions had not been given to the students prior, and so when the activity was introduced, there was an air of uncertainty – which was quelled as soon as they had begun. The students were sorted into separate classrooms under the guidance of distinctive teachers and their distinctive Houses, and they had been given to options; to either craft a crane, or to craft a dove, both of which earned you either one or two points for your House. The students used coloured paper, sheets of different sizes, and different decorations in effort to make their origami creations more original and susceptible to points than the last. The effort and ultimate result of the contest was astonishing – in some cases, over a

4

hundred origami creations were produced per classroom!

It was an activity to celebrate World Peace Day, while incorporating components of global culture into it – however, it also unintentionally strengthened bonds between all those who worked together. There were also some remarkable situations in which students from other Houses and other classrooms came to help students in Houses that were not their own, for the pure reason that they felt the need to help. This would have put their House in a more compromising position, but they weighed the needs of the others, and put them before their own – a perfect representation for all of the attributes that the school value.

As the creations started to pile up, ‘checkins’ became regular: where pupils would go visit other classrooms to view their progress, and report back to their own classroom whether they needed to speed up their origami-making, or whether they had a satisfactory head start. The origami competition marked one of the beginnings of how competitive Nord Anglia could get, and how they would continue being so in sessions to come.

All in all, the activity reflected more than just folding paper; and mixed reactions were received when the winners were called over the speakers the following morning.

We would like to extend many thanks to all of the staff who took the time to arrange this event for the students, and to the students, who so actively participated with an one hundred percent effort.

5

The New Student Perspective

By Asher

You know, I never thought I would have an interview for a new school through a laptop. Now, thanks to Covid 19, that is the kind of thing you do every day. So, when I was told that I had to have an online interview for a new school I was going to attend I figured it was fine because, again, that is the kind of thing you do every day. In a state of mixed excitement and anxiousness I logged on the computer and started the interview. It was not anything special, but I still felt the same number of mixed feelings or the same over used stereotype of having “butterflies in your stomach” as I would if we were having this interview in real life. The same was true when I started school about two months later. You could say I had so many figurative butterflies in my stomach I was practically breeding them. Saying that I was scared would be an understatement, but even with all the confusion and anxiety, I still felt this opposing feeling of calmness. I felt it because it was like I was working in my own element. The entire rush of smelling the new air, learning the new school specific terms, being told to remember the right classes, and even learning the fastest route to school was gone. Yes, they were a bit scary to go through but it's usually what happens every time you go to a new school. A part of me missed all the “new kid stereotypes" like

6

having to ask for room numbers and remembering people's names but part of me was happy that I get to start school without any of the worries. It’s the conflict of feelings that make starting school online as weird but as good as it is. For the first few days I was completely confused and would ask questions like, “what is a global campus?” And “where Is ManageBac again?” But after about a week, I soon got used to everything. This was all because it was online. About three weeks after starting school we soon moved to Dublin. Coming of the plane and smelling the cold but fresh air was amazing coming from somewhere that was always hot. Even though the first days were hectic and very tiring my family still ended up loving the place. Coming to Dublin also made school easier. Knowing that I could look outside my window and see the Microsoft building right next to the school made all my worries about getting to school irrelevant. Realizing that the school uniform was a couple clicks away from my doorstep also made worries about getting a uniform irrelevant. I know saying that everything was fine and dandy does not really make for interesting writing but if you want my “new student perspective,” apart from your average gust of freezing cold wind, Dublin is an amazing place, so is Nord Anglia and I would not want it any other way.

7

Dear Grade 5, Next year you are going to Grade 6, the things that are different are that you’re moving from Primary to Secondary. Though that may sound really scary and intimidating, it is really not!

The school makes the transition really easy and fun: you get a tour of the school so you know your way to the classes; they explain everything to you! The only thing you need to worry about is getting to the lunch queue.

Don’t worry too much over the transition and just have fun!

Beatrice Zaros, Grade 6

School during a pandemic

By Campbell

Corona virus has changed our world. It changes our daily lives, but has yet to change the most important things about who we are. You could even say that it has improved us. People have adapted and changed for this, but it is still our school. Yet we still learn, we still thrive, we achieve and communicate and think. And we still smile...

We found a way around the obstacle and continue to learn effectively.

It’s probably been thought about over the course of being back in school, but I didn’t really care or notice anything till my family dinner conversation that night. After my first day of school full of complaining and frustration about masks and less socialisation, my dad said to me and my

8

brother the look of seriousness in his eyes, “we should be grateful.” Not unhappiness and greed, but students. Who learn to socialise, and learn to cope and continue to laugh despite what is happening.

First off NAIS Dublin has implemented very strict anti-COVID measures to keep our school safe. Starting with the sanitation system. Students and teachers have to sanitise their hands every time they enter a new classroom or space in general. There are installed sanitisers placed around the school like before you enter the lunch box with larger groups of people. In all the halls if your being extra cautious or feel you need some either way. Just before you leave the classroom, you have to clean the desk you were using so that when someone else

enters the room and when you enter, your hands will be clean, your desk will be clean, the materials will be cleaned and any chance of sickness should be cleared out by then.

students may have had about how seriously NAIS Dublin handles this pandemic. As of now, I have no thoughts or suggestions, and at this rate, I will have none in the future either!”

Next, they have pins that give a visual signal to all the staff members that you’ve had your temperature taken and you are free to come to school that day. If you haven’t or if you have forgotten there is a teacher inside the building right at reception that has a thermometer to use that requires no contact between several students and machines. It means it can be used by everyone if necessary. They can take your temperature and allow your passage. There are also teachers outside of the building that can offer masks and take quick visual cues on wether or not students have badges.

Overall NAIS Dublin is constantly able, understanding and plainly aware that COVID-19 exists. And that’s why going here is lucky. We are lucky.

There are amounts of people that are allowed in a certain area. A bathroom for example. There are only two people allowed inside a bathroom at a time. This is because it is a much smaller space to breathe and air out the room. It could potentially get too suffocated to allow many more people inside and still maintain social distancing.

This is an example of a students opinion on the schools reaction to COVID: “I think that the school’s response to COVID-19 has been positive in relation to the way that they handled safety measures, whilst ensuring top-notch education and student health at all times. The sanitation procedures became accepted, and quickly incorporated into school life, rather than having been a rule forced upon students; and, in the same way, eased doubts that

9

Little Bit of Genius with Sir Tim Smit, worldrenowned environmentalist

By Ailbhe

When it came to doing the podcast, I was quite nervous at first. Generally speaking, I am very confident and comfortable with talking to people, but I sometimes get nervous when I’m talking to somebody that I don’t know that well, and I had never done a podcast before, so this was a very new experience for me. I was also very excited to do it, as I think doing things that are a little out of your comfort zone always ends up being an excellent learning experience, and I was excited to learn about Sir Tim Smit. I also loved the idea of contributing to a project that could be listened to by people

10

all over the world, and coming up with creative ideas as to how we were going to go about presenting the podcast. As we didn’t have much experience with anything like this before, it was a good idea to prepare. This was something I found very interesting. Generally, when I listened to podcasts before contributing to this one, I had thought that the interviewer came up with all of the questions on the spot.

However, after doing this project, I learned that interviewers often have a list of questions to ask, or a general plan for the direction they want to lead the conversation

in. Coming up to the podcast we had a few meetings to prepare the types of questions we were going to ask him, and also to discuss the sort of background knowledge we needed to know for a successful interview. We learned about his past work, along with his work in music, which I thought was very interesting, as it seems to be a contrast from his other work. I was working with Daniel, along with Mr Rafferty and Ms Hayre, to come up with questions to ask during the interview. We tried to come up with as many questions as possible, in order to ensure that the podcast would be interesting, and last as long as necessary.

We also tried to keep them as open-ended as possible, because we wanted to conduct an interview where Sir Tim Smit could share his stories and advice with as few

restrictions as possible. On the day of the podcast, I was nervous, but excited. I had never met Sir Tim Smit prior to that day, so I was very excited to meet him. We had to record the introduction, which was surprisingly the most difficult part of the whole interview! Then, we had a chance before recording the podcast to talk to Sir Tim Smit a bit, and introduce ourselves, to make sure that all of us were ready to record the interview. Once the interview began, all the nerves went away, because whenever I didn’t know what to ask, Daniel had a question. Along with this, Sir Tim Smit was very funny and easy to talk to. His stories were great to listen to, and the interview was so fun! It was a great experience, and I really enjoyed it!

11

Artwork by Lu Jiayi (Katie)

"The sombre reds and grays of the room troubled me; even with its seven candles the place was merely dim. The light in the alcove flaring in a draft, and the fire flickering, kept the shadows and

Can the Conventions of Gothic Genre be used to Scare a Modern Audience?

penumbra perpetually shifting and stirring in a noiseless flighty dance."

By Sofie

Previously, grade 9 students got the chance to explore the gothic genre through a unit called “Can the conventions of the gothic genre be used to scare a modern audience?”. During this unit, students including myself focused mostly on the gothic short story “The Red Room” by H.G. Wells. The story was published in 1894. In short, “The Red Room” is about a room that was traditionally seen as haunted by the people living in the house. The main character in the story decides he will conquer the “haunted” room and stay there for the night, as he states that he doesn’t believe in ghosts. In the end, his opinion is changed and he is left confused.

12

A question that arose several times during the unit was whether or not the story would still be entertaining and interesting to read for a modern audience. From the grade 9 classes’ perspective, I think it is fair to say that most people enjoyed reading the story and found it interesting to study.

To further show our understanding of the story, we were asked to represent two of the scenes from the story visually and musically. There were many different ways that people chose to represent their chosen scenes visually. For example, some people drew or painted pictures of the scenes, whereas others used a website online called Canva to create a collage of images

that showed the emotion and atmosphere.

Additionally, it was very important for everyone to show (in their visuals) the gothic conventions that were used by H.G. Wells such as dark descriptions, uncomfortable scenarios and mystery. Some people even decided to draw their scenes digitally! As well as that, everybody used YouTube to find a piece of music that would match each of their visual representations. After choosing music for each of the visuals, students turned the YouTube links into QR codes that would enable us to create an interactive presentation of our work for students and teachers from other grades. At the end, we needed to write a brief explanation of how we decided to show the scenes visually and our thinking when

choosing the music that would accompany it.

In conclusion, being able to learn through technology has been really important, especially during the past few months as students and teachers have needed to adapt their learning and teaching methods because of COVID-19. In recent months, technological developments have allowed many students around the world to keep up with their learning, even during this pandemic.

Music choice: a piano composition called “Liar” by Lucas King https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=6IrJzEQLKHE

13

Personal Project Tips

By Sofia

Grade 10 is a hard year not only because of the classwork and assessments but also because of the Personal Project. The personal project is exactly what it sounds like, it is a project where the student chooses what topic they want to research, what product they want to make, and what goal they want to achieve. The only similarity in each project is the written work required from the student to explain the process they went through, during the project the student must keep a process journal and write the required information needed to complete each criterion. There are four criteria with at least three required written components including other written parts that the student could choose to add. Grade 10s students have a lot to do in six months, so how do they manage their time?

14

In this article, I will be sharing how I (as a Grade 10 student) managed my time to be able to complete the personal project within the deadline.

A disclaimer should be given that compared to the Grade 10s of last year we have been given more time to complete the project due to lockdown and the pandemic however the extra time doesn’t make the project any easier. What did make the project easier was having good self-management and organization skills. The first thing I did was to take notice of the deadlines we had, I actively knew what they were, and secondly, I created my own deadlines for when I wanted to have work done. This step helped keep me focused. When I had these deadlines in mind I felt pressure to do work and so I then looked at a calendar and noticed when I had free time to work on the project (holiday, long weekends, empty

weekends, time after school, etc…) once I highlighted the free time I would start to mentally prepare myself to work hard on that day. Preparing included making plans with friends the day after/before or relaxing the day before, this would help me feel like I wasn’t missing out on free time and overall would help keep my mind focused on work for when the free day came. At the beginning of the study session, I would make a To-Do list of everything I wanted to achieve by the end of the session, the tasks would be small so that I would cross them off more frequently and thus feel as if I was doing a lot of work which motivated me to keep going. An example of a bad task is "Complete Criterion A", this would make you do a lot of work before you crossed it off and somewhere in the middle you would lose motivation, a good task is to "write goal paragraph" as it is a small and achievable goal. I would also make a point to remind yourself at the end of each session to write an entry in your process journal or write a general summary of your work somewhere so that on a later date you can use that

entry in a reflection.

Those tips apply to organizing your time, those tips helped me a lot however everyone has different methods. During the project ask your peers what point they’ve reached or what they wrote for a criterion or if they could give you feedback, talking to your peers could either make you realize you’re behind or show you that you are working at a good pace. My last tip is to use the help of your Personal Project Advisor, they are there because they are interested in your project and it is likely they’ve helped other students with personal projects in the past. Ask them questions or ask them to review what you wrote, cause in the end, they are one of the people grading your project.

The personal project is hard, but it is an opportunity to grow a lot of skills in researching, writing, communicating, and so on… The tips above really helped me stay efficient throughout the making of my project and hopefully they can help you, too.

15

The Day He Disappeared

By Samuel

The worst day of my life began on the 3rd of August, at precisely 6:45 am. The day started great, nice breakfast, won a game of UNO, but one event on this day changed my life for years. This was the day my brother disappeared.

It happened on our trip to Australia, where things weren’t as safe as where we were living at the time. Singapore is one of the safest places to live, with no crime, clean water, and a strong economy. We had lived there for eight years. But as I was about to find out, the world isn’t a safe place.

Creative Writing

I could smell the salty sea spray of the beach as I trailed along after my parents.

We had come to visit the beach as a family.

Me, Dad, Mum, and my two brothers.

They’re both younger than me. One 7, one 5. However, we were walking away from the beach, toward the busy plaza. This was because we wanted to buy some sun cream and sunglasses. We walked into the shop, and I started looking around. It smelled fresh and clean, due to the air conditioning positioned around the store. I felt it brush down on my face, temporarily breaking me away from the heat outside. Suddenly, my Mum asked me, “Have you seen Liam?”

“No, but he’s probably just around the corner, playing with Oscar.”

He wasn’t there.

At that moment I hadn’t felt too worried, he must be outside then. He wasn’t there either. I then went to find Oscar and found

16

him looking at some cool sunglasses.

“Hey Oscar, have you seen Liam?”

“No, he wandered off when I stopped playing with him,” Then, at that exact moment, fear struck my heart. None of us knew where he was. Mum started panicking and started sending us out, like a search party to rescue someone from a plane crash. I had to stay by the store, in case he returned here. Mum and Oscar went towards the playground, and Dad went to the beach. I could hear them shouting, “Liam!, Liam!, LIAM!”

A kind lady asked me if I was lost, I wished to respond yes, it was how I felt inside, but I responded, “No.” Finally, I started shouting too, calling, begging, for him to return. Worry, sadness, and anger all filled my heart. I did not feel the salty sea spray on my face, nor the warm sun shining down on my face, all I felt was worry. Finally, after an agonising fortyfive minutes, I heard the words I had been longing for.

17

“It’s okay! I found him,” Dad came running up to me, “It’s okay mate, he’s alright.”

My heart filled with relief, joy, and gratefulness, knowing that my youngest brother was finally okay. I ran to the end of the plaza with the wind brushing against my face, I gave the news to mum and she almost cried out loud with joy. Our family was finally together again.

That day I had learned a valuable lesson.

The world isn’t as safe as it seems. You must be slightly aware of your surroundings, just so that you can catch that blonde tuft of hair above the bench, just before he slips away.

As such, the worst day if my life ended at precisely 8:01 pm. I felt relieved and tired

The next morning, we went to the beach with our friends, the Nelsons. A girl a grade older than me, Taylor, decided to swim with me.

“Mom heard, and she is trying to get back.”

He mumbled, expecting me to feel better because of that. The weekend of fun was over, but the disaster had just begun.

“How has 7th grade been?” I asked,

As soon as we got home, my dad called my mom and talked to her for hours. I could hear her frantic voice over the phone. I could not believe that something else was going on. Let me rephrase that. I would not.

My dad again told me to round everyone up, but I had not been the only one

“Tough,” she said, “but fun.” We got out of the water and ran for some towels. My dad was on the phone. I couldn’t decipher the words, but I picked up a couple. “School…

Virtual… Covid…” I started to worry. When

from the events of the day. But at least everyone was safe. It turns out Liam had just wanted to go to the beach and had toddled off thinking we were okay with that.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I finally dropped off into a well-earned sleep.

The Disaster

By Maggie My life is like a quest. I am constantly in battle with my mom, the dragon, and receiving gifts of encouragement from my dad, the wizard. My mom wants me to become better than I am. I used to not appreciate the way my mom helped me grow, until the disaster came. It changed everything, and I have not been the same since.

The taste of victory is in the air, for when strict mom leaves, everyone knows that the parties start. I help my mom pack up her bags and I say goodbye. Her girls' trip is also for her birthday, so she is very excited.

As am I. She gives my dad a hug goodbye, and then she is gone. I can see the tears in my dad’s eyes.

“Are you ok dad?” I say.

Now it’s time for a flashback. It’s Thursday night, and I’ve just finished school for the week. (In Muslim countries school ends on Thursday.) My mom is packing up her bags, for she is going on a girls’ trip to Hawaii.

18

“Yeah I’m fine, she’ll only be gone for a week after all!” He tells me, trying to hide the sadness he was feeling with a smile.

Oh, how wrong he was.

he put down the phone, he told me to go and get my siblings, Tucker, Hazel, and AJ. I could hear the urgency in his voice, so I sprinted. As soon as I rounded them up, my dad told us what was going on. He said,

eavesdropping, so they were already there.

My dad said that he had another announcement, so we stood around and

“Look, I just got a call from school, and they’ve said that due to coronavirus, virtual learning will be starting up on Sunday.” I immediately felt upset. I glanced around to my other siblings and friends, and I saw the words sink in.

19

waited. The seconds it took him to say it felt like hours. Finally, forever later, he started.

The next morning, I started virtual learning.

I hated it.

“Look, I know that you guys are going through a lot, and I know that you expect mom to be there to help you, but your plans may be disturbed. Basically, moms not going to be able to come back for now.”

Silence. That was all I could hear. My hands started to sweat. It was the third trimester, and my mom was so helpful in helping me with school. How was

The days went by as a blur, and each day we all asked my dad the same question, when mom would be home. His answer was always the same. He didn’t know. The knight got lazy because the dragon wasn’t there to sharpen her up.

I going to survive? Part of me was thinking that without my mom, everything would be easier because I, the knight, could have a rest, but the rest of me was in panic mode.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, my dad’s answer changed, and my mom came home. How she got back, I’m not allowed to say. We were very lucky, for there are still kids as I’m writing this whose parents are all over.

When I saw my mom come to the door, my heart beat quickened. My lips tried to form words, but they wouldn’t work. I was overcome by a feeling, which caused happy tears to rise to my eyes. I realised something very importat that day. I really appreciated my mom because she was so kind and helpful. In other words, I learned that without the dragon, the knight would never be able to fly.

An Open-minded Approach to Comedy: Does Humour Make Humans Happier?

By Dominic

It is said that laughter is one of the best forms of medicine. I know from experience that when I watch my favourite comedian, Michael McIntyre, I feel like dying from laughter. What makes you die from laughter?

The field of medicine has long recognized the importance of humour, and it was in the 1300s that a professor of surgery, Henri de Mondeville, introduced postoperative therapy with humour. Even today, countless medical professionals believe that laughter has healing properties.

Dr. Gulshan Sethi, head of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Arizona, "Laughter activates the body's natural relaxation response. It's like internal jogging providing a good massage to all internal organs while also toning abdominal muscles" (Sethi). According to Deepak Chopra, "the healthiest response to life is laughter" (Chopra).

Apart from the obvious short-term benefits of humour and laughter, the feeling you get when laughing is profoundly sought-after by the brain. It releases a concoction of feel-

20

good chemicals and reduces cortisone levels in the body and other stress hormones.

In today's world, where more people are depressed, lonely and isolated, it is essential to go out and laugh. Comedy is everywhere. Every single person has the ability to find comedy, and it is virtually for free. People who laugh frequently and engage in fun activities are more resilient, allowing them to be more successful when under pressure and experiencing hard times.

Laughing also quickly calms down the brain and leads to long-lasting happiness when laughing frequently.

As contagious as yawning, laughing spreads from person to person like a wildfire. Furthermore, even if you do not find something funny or entertaining, fake laughing has virtually the same effect as genuine laughing. With no physical or mental downsides, laughing is one of the easiest ways to improve your mood, stress levels, and life. There are many times that I have improved my situation by watching my favourite sitcom or a hilarious comedy movie, such as The Office and Monte Python.

21

There are many numerous health benefits to laughing. The most common and easy to see is the reduced amount of anxiety, depression and sadness. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles. It also triggers the release of endorphins that make you feel more relaxed physically and

including strengthening connections with others in the species and feeling more secure around others. Laughter also assists in the recovery and prevention of cancer by increasing natural killer cell activity, the response of gamma interferon and T cells, and improves the body's defence against respiratory infections.

emotionally. The effects of these energized endorphins can be euphoric!

Neurohumourist, Karyn Buxman, advocates that humour can help your health. In her Ted Talks, How Humor can Save the World, Buxman describes how her son conquered cancer with courage and laughter. With a background in nursing, she knows that traditional medicine played an essential role in his recovery, but she does not underestimate the power of humour had on her son.

Another significant health benefit is the amount of exercise you get when laughing for long periods, especially in your facial muscles. As researched by the Mayo Clinic, laughing activates 43 muscles in your face and neck, and it is commonly believed the stronger these muscles are, the slower visible signs of ageing occurs. Additionally, one minute of intense laughing is equal to 10 minutes of rowing or 15 minutes of stationary biking.

Nevertheless, I really cannot understate the immense mental benefits of laughing and comedy. The brain begs our bodies to deliver these chemicals, yet we deny our brains them because we are either too scared or uncomfortable with a healthy amount of laughing. Laughing has been part of the wiring in our brain since its earliest beginnings and has many uses,

22

to laugh. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use. Buxman encourages others to raise their awareness of humour. "It is more important to see funny than to be funny" (Buxman).

Believe it or not, it is possible to laugh without experiencing a funny event—and simulated laughter can be just as beneficial as the real thing. It can even make exercise more fun and productive. A Georgia State University study found that incorporating bouts of simulated laughter into an exercise program helped improve older adults' mental health as well as their aerobic endurance. Plus, hearing others laugh, even for no apparent reason, can often trigger genuine laughter. "Intentional humour has real power in the real world" (Buxman). how easy and powerful bringing laughter and comedy into your life allows you to be happier and live longer. We live in a world where laughter is virtually free and can be found in any way, shape or form. If it is through comedy online, or in real life, or hanging out with friends, it is beyond easy

Come on, try this. Turn the corners of your mouth up into a smile and then give a laugh, even if it feels forced. Basically, fake it until you can make it. Then, once you have laughed out loud, see how you feel.

Are your muscles a little less tense? Do you feel more relaxed? That is the beauty of laughing at work. Now keep practicing!

Now the real question is how are you supposed to bring laughter into your daily life and reap all these incredible benefits? In most large communities and cities there is usually some kind of laughter yoga, or therapy that teaches you how to laugh better or how to laugh at usually unfunny things. Found widely across India, yoga laughing clinics encourage participants to laugh for fun.

For over 700 years, laughing has been used as a form of medicine, relaxation and entertainment. It cannot be underestimated

23

24

25