It is quite late to create a post about the SpongeBob Musical, but this was too important to me that I had to! The pictures came out very late (and this is my excuse…).

I am so, so grateful that I got to be Sandy Cheeks in our magical Bikini Bottom. I have to admit that this was the hardest year of my life academically, physically, and mentally. Playing Sandy definitely made my life even more demanding at times, but it also gave me something to look forward to every day and brought so much joy and energy into such a stressful year. Spending at least four hours in the PAC every week (and sometimes rehearsing every single day) while keeping up with all the work from my DP classes was incredibly challenging. That’s probably why I spent most of the winter battling a terrible cold, during rehearsals and even during the show week😭. I was constantly sleep-deprived and exhausted. However, I have zero regret that I was a part of this production. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

The biggest takeaways from this experience were the friendships I made and how much I grew, both as a performer and as a person. Compared to last year, where I was only surrounded by people I had seen for the first time (since I was a new student), mostly from other grades, I had so many fellow G11s around me. The regular rehearsals were such a great time to build friendships with them, and we grew into such an encouraging, sweet group of people. Also, since we had a smaller group of amazing actors this time, I built so many connections with younger students and became close to many of them. And I learned so much from them, too! This kind of connects to the next thing I want to talk about, which is my growth. Up until about a month before show week, I still lacked a lot of confidence for multiple reasons. I was unhappy with my singing, my director seemed to compliment everybody else but not me, and all the other actors seemed to be nailing their characters except me. Perhaps this was me being ___, but that’s how I felt which haunted me every time we rehearsed. So I started to really delve into my character and practice so hard to the point that I will have no regrets, even in the midst of all the exams and projects. As a result, I built more confidence, stopped feeling insecure, and stopped seeking external validation. Skillwise, I improved so much too. My singing has improved so much compared to last year. I never was able to fully belt a high note. This time, though, I spent countless hours learning about belting, watching videos, experimenting with different techniques, and practicing over and over again. To be honest, I was so bad at it, and my voice would just crack because I wasn’t doing it the right way. But eventually, I succeeded! And it felt so liberating — I was proud of myself for not giving up. The video is me practicing it!

Despite all my hard work (wearing a mask and a scarf 24/7, throat spray, blocked nose cleaner, medicine, warm tea, …) my immune system failed me by catching cold 2 days before the show day. I was scared that I was going to mess up the show that every single person put their everything into. There were so many parts I had to sing and talk, and I really didn’t want to be the one ruining the show with coughs, sniffs, and a raspy voice. All I could do was pray at that point. Looking back, I think God gave me exactly the right amount of challenge I needed. Physically, I felt absolutely miserable, but somehow, from the audience’s perspective, all that really came through was a slightly stuffy voice. By His grace, I was able to get through every song and every line without any major problems, and I am telling you that was truly a miracle. It reminded me that God was teaching me to rely on Him while also letting me experience His faithfulness in such a tangible way. It was difficult — but in the best way, exactly the challenge I needed.

This will surely be a great memory and a period of growth that I will cherish for a long time : )