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Dan Gilbert  is discussing the way we are making decisions during our everyday life. He starts his presentation with quoting Bernoulli who tried to clarify the method of making a good choice. “The expected value of any of our actions is the product of two simple things: the odds that this action will allow us to gain something, and the value of that gain to us.”  The only problem with this quote is the failure to acknowledge the error we are making in estimating the odds or values.

I’ve done extremely large amount of bad decisions in my life, especially when my ‘error’ was influenced by language, a really complex way of knowing things. We had a refugee crisis back in my country and we heard how immigrants are dangerous, because they are aggressive, usually steals and rape and terrorists are coming with them – ‘ a part of their group’. Of course,  I didn’t believe, but the amount of hatred I saw, convinced me to be careful. There is a huge train station close to me and many immigrants were staying there for a couple of weeks. Because of inductive reasoning, I avoided the station as much as I could, until they were gone. There weren’t any bombing or death that they brought with them and I felt ashamed to avoid them that much, while there is a chance I could help them somehow and also make my life faster with using the transportation there. However, my premises were false, therefore my conclusion couldn’t be true and this lead to a bad decision.

 

Heyyy,

My chosen issue is the conflicts and stereotypes between the day-students and boarders. I’ve heard many prejudices in connection with our living area and we can see that there is a separation because of it. ‘Boarders are such a close community, it’s hard to be friends with them.’ – is the most common one or ‘Day students already have their own friendship groups and they’re not open to us.’ Because I can understand why and how this issue has evolved, in my opinion, the way that we should to prevent and solve it is pulling together our community. It’s quite obvious that boarders are closer to each other, because we’re living together. We have many activities and Boarding House outings thanks to the house parents, so we have many opportunity to form relationships and share memories.

I think this issue can’t be solved with a one-day long workshop or with discussions. As a UWC school we’re proud of our community, which I wouldn’t say it’s strong at the moment. In my view, creating challenges and opportunities to work together would be the right solution. Of course, we can’t move the whole school, but we can initiate Grade outings, weekends together. I’ve heard that even though many students have been living here for a long time, they don’t really explore Singapore. Next to that, it could be a long weekend away to go together to one of the near countries, for instance Malaysia. These can be at the beginning of some of the breaks (October/Chinese New Year), but of course, it’s crucial to send out surveys and questionnaires about the programs, ask about the students’ opinion and ideas about what, how and when to do.

The whole-day IFP Activity was quite interesting and unusual, because of the appearance of the Dover students. We got much more closer to each other, than ever before, but it was challenging to be not just strangers who are working together, but real teams and be effective. Our collaboration was surprisingly good and fun and during the activities. We were taught to be better leaders and how shall we perform as coaches. It helped me to connect more to people, get a deeper understanding of each other and also, teach me how to control myself sometimes for the others’ benefit.

TOK Homework

Mathematical method is created and used by humanity. We based on of our perception of the patterns in nature and we use it to express our observation about the world. It’s a logical system, built up by different patterns, proven by us – it’s an axiom. Unlike the scientific method, which needs a hypothesis and replication and the challenge to prove itself wrong the mathematical method is self-evident truth. It’s invented to be another language – make the communication easier when we’re talking about how to measure something and answer to certain questions. It’s essential to use when we’re talking about science – it’s in our everyday lives, we base a big part our scientific knowledge on the rules of maths. Our mathematical knowledge is systemised and having a strategic reasoning, just like science and we’re applying it in many area. For instance, architecture, technology, economics, politics etc… Even though, it’s a huge part of our lives, we often forget that we can’t solve everything with math or predict the future with it.

 

Okay so tomorrow 7 of us is going to Thailand. Saskia, Aaliya, Etsu, Pretty, Misha, Wangdrak and I are just finishing our packing and we’re preparing with the final plan for the week. We made a schedule for the children shelter, planning every game, even though we are still not 100% done with it. I can’t wait to meet with them and improvise, because I have a feeling that nothings is going to work like we expect it. There are still so many blind spots :D/

I’m really excited, but also I have some doubts. This is going to be our first trip together, without anyone and I’m a little bit worried about our team. Not because without an adult, we’re going to get lost. No. But it’s always a little bit challenging to rely on each other, work together and live together every day. Problems, conflicts probably going to occur and I’m sure that we’re going to handle them, but I hope nothing serious will ruin our days.

 

My personality…

I think it’s quite hard to write about my personality and its changes during this 5 weeks. Since I’ve come here I’m not the kind of person who I was at Hungary. I haven’t found myself here, even though I’m trying. But I know that many other people have a similar problem. I know myself and I know that I’m able to reach my goals, but here I’m just feeling lost sometimes. I don’t have a purpose to fight for, don’t have the inspiration to improve. Funny, because here everybody is expecting and supporting us to do that. Sometimes, I’m just afraid that I’m losing parts of myself, while I’m here. I’m kinda get tired of always smiling and be nice while knowing that so many people are just forcing these things. I’ve seen them. I’ve seen the big smiles during the days and the tears after school. The unsteadiness is quite harsh.

Here, (luckily) I haven’t met with really mean or bullying people, but it’s harder to find the deeper ones as well. The truth is that being a new kid sucks… The older ones aren’t really interested in you, they already have their friendship groups.

Interesting, that my friends at home would describe me as an open-minded, sometimes crazy and risk-taker person, who’s always smiling. Here, I’m everything just not that. With the continuous running and doing things I don’t have the time to relax and digest this environment.

Reading this feels like I’m so depressed, but I’m not. I have good friends here and we can share our feelings. But something is missing. Probably, I’m going to find it during the year, because I want to make the best out of it.  I hope, I can find it.

These pictures were taken in canoeing camp. We were living in tents, took shower approximately twice a week and made our meal together.

The interesting part was that we could never be really lazy, there was always something we could do. We had to work together as a team. In a sociocultural approach we were motivation to each other, you couldn’t rest while the others were working so hard. In the canoes you couldn’t do whatever you want, because you could jeopardise not just your boat, but the whole team. To be an effective team you need a good communication, mutual respect and acknowledgement of common goals. I like this kind of camps, because they bring me closer to my friends and strengthens our community.

Questions:

• How can we motivate ourselves to be more effective?
• How can we make decision-making easier?
• What does it mean being a psychopath?
• Cab being a psychopath be genetic?

 

 

I’ve been living in the boarding house, living the UWC mission for almost two weeks and I just didn’t have the time to think it over, to formulate my thoughts. But here it is. This post is not about school, not about services or activities or what we have done so far. It’s about what I felt during this 2 weeks.

Every beginning is hard. Of course, this is seems to be the dream school, tons of new people from all around the world everybody is smiling and shakes your hand in the name of friendliness. Everybody is make sure that you know that you’re not alone, they’re there for you and you can go to them whenever you want. But between all these big smiles and exited looks it’s so easy to be totally alone. If you’re just listening the others you can hear that so many people just trying to be that cool, that open to everyone. And during the process of making friends you can easily lose yourself.

You just see that everybody is so confident and helpful and they have so much energy. I think it’s okay if sometimes you admit that you don’t have energy for that, you’re not all right. Because that’s the only thing that can clean up the mess in your head. Admit it. We’re connected to each other in so many ways and the lack of self-confidence, loneliness – the feeling that there’s something wrong can link us together. We have our hard days.

Maybe the worst feeling is not the pure loneliness or homesickness. The feeling that you’re not important. In Hungary I had felt that I’m needed, my friends and family wanted me-I was precious for them. They made me feel special to have them, to have the opportunity to be there for them. I miss our real smiles, our deep conversations, the feeling that we have known each other for so long and we can realise the others’ needs, bad moments, crazy days. We had formed each other, made us who we are now.

Here, I’m inspired by many people, they’ve touched something in me and give me the feeling to be better, to develop myself. But I don’t feel the safety. I don’t feel that I’m needed, I am important. I’m just one among many. And it’s okay. I haven’t done anything really good, I’m not extremely friendly-my friends would be so surprised , if they saw me now. I’m not the crazy one anymore. I don’t have the energy for being that. I don’t feel the safety that I had felt among my friends.

I know it’s just a beginning. Beginnings are hard. It’s going to be the best two years of my life. I just have to be patient. I can do everything-I’m a dragon now.