"Debate? nah, not me" ; Extracurricular activity

My first year in high school when asked if I wanted to join the debate society, my first response was 'nah, not me'. I gave myself many excuses like, "I'm shy, I cannot possibly speak in front of a crowd." I've always been talkative person, but I was also very shy. Eventually after thinking it through, I decided it was time to shed my timid skin and embrace a more vocal and confident me. So I joined the debate term. At my first meeting, I sat back watching the other debaters debating. "INTIMIDATED" does not begin to describe how I felt. The passion and insight with which they debated was unsettling.

I was very surprised when I was asked to partake in the next round of debating. I was hyper-nervous. After balloting, I found myself in the government member position. The motion was, "This house moves that Chinese goods should be banned from the country." With the little knowledge I had in economics, I was able to think up a few points. Unfortunately, I was not able to exhaust the seven minutes given me, although I didn't do as badly as I'd expected. I found that I actually enjoyed myself.

I stayed with the debate society. Debate was every bit as entertaining and insightful as I'd hoped it'd be, if not more: sharing ideas with my colleagues, critically listening to brilliant opponents' arguments, trying to find loopholes in their arguments, reading extensively to be abreast and so on. Although it was stressful and nerve racking at times, it was more than worth the trouble. Debate has opened my mind to so much and made me a more assertive person than I was when I first began.