2nd IFP Joined Session

Last Saturday, we had our second joint sessions with the Dover campus. And I have to say that it was really fun! It’s a bit different from last time because, for this, we get to mix with about 2-3 others from East and 2 others from Dover, and you have to stay with them for almost the whole day, discussing various activities to lead later for everyone without any supervisors. In here, we can really see everyone’s most comfortable behavior, so it in a way kind of break the ice between the Dover and East and that’s as closest as we can get together.

During this session, I think I learn how to balance between voicing your own ideas and listen to other people’s ideas. Because I used to lead a conference in Cambodia for about 20 people in a similar way as in IFP, and it went really well. I also used to organize icebreakers, and activities for the orientation in the boarding house, too. So, I feel like I know what to do and what to avoid. However, not everyone in the group knows that, and maybe they also have their own experiences in leading some activities, too in the past that I don’t know. So, we might all have different styles, so I think I learned to speak my ideas when I think it’s a good idea, and at the same time trying to open up to other people’s style of organizing activities as well.

At the end, I think our group’s activities were very well planned, and the response seemed to be positive, and in term of teamwork, I think we all kind of work and complement well with each other.

CULTURAMA IS OVER!

This is pretty sad! You spend months preparing for the dance, and after 3 minutes 2 times and everything is done. I mean you kind of spend a lot of time with every dance members, and although you already know every one of them, it’s still beautiful to see some of the sides that we have never seen them before through Culturama. It’s just amazing to see everyone all first trying to learn the dance, pretty bad at it, and improve consistently until the final day on the stage.

I think what I got out from Culturama is all the wonderful friendships that we made, in a way just little bits that make you reflect upon yourself and improve as a person. For example, cheering each other up, or nudging each other to practice the dance, helping each other out in the dressings, bringing each other’s food…etc.

I think Culturama is one of the most personal indirect learning opportunity that I would cry that it’s over but at the same time smile because it happened.

Posted in CAS

Dear Mentor (IFP)

Dear Mentor Group,

Here’s what we should do during Tuesday. The text that we should do is the Rumi’s poem called “The Guest House”. With this poem, we can discuss how ones can deal with unhappy emotions in order to maintain a healthy mentality. We can consider some questions like when you feel sad, do you think you have someone to talk to or is the environment you are in open enough to discuss your inner emotions…

Moreover, we can also consider activities such as Kahoot, sit in a circle and share feelings… to even make this session deeper. I think this matters, because I think ones should be able to express their sadness openly when they want to. It affects on their well being, how one perform in other areas of academics and lifestyles. Hence, we need to consider this problem seriously to make sure that everyone can feel like they have a platform to say what they want and when to express their feelings. Ultimately, I think this can help fight against future depression and suicides.

Thank you!

IFP: Explore your passion

In one of our last IFP sessions, we were given about 10 minutes to think about something that you are really passionate about to share it with everyone under 1 minute. I didn’t really have a chance to go up there on the spotlight and share about my passion so I guess I am just going to do it here. I think what I really want to touch on is that I just want everyone to be nice! I have been here quite a couple of years, and so many people have told me so many stories and the root of the problem is all just come back to some people being a bit insensitive. I know it sounds hard but just try to bring the best out of you whenever is possible. Your best is good enough! For example, when you see a person who is sitting lost in a new class, why don’t you just smile to him/her and make them feel a little bit more included? Imagine yourself in their position and you would also have wished that at least someone would have reached out and make a casual check with you whether you are okay or not.

It’s hard to not judge anybody, I think it’s almost inevitable, it’s like a part of a human nature. However, if you are forming a judgment in your head, don’t show it in your face. Just think in your head but why show it on your face in front of them?

It’s also hard to like everyone. However, if you don’t like someone, just don’t associate yourself with them, but you don’t have to talk bad behind them or show that you really hate them. You never know how far those actions and words of yours can affect someone’s life, they can really pierce into someone’s heart deeply. You also never know what’s going to happen in the future. You can die in any minutes. You think you can act harshly now because they did something bad to you, and you think it’s okay because you can always pay them back later. But trust me, nothing lasts forever. What happens when that person suddenly is gone, you regret that you should have done something at that time. We all are going to die at one point, so why not just try to see the best from all and enjoy being in the moment with everyone?

I mean I am not perfect myself. Most of the thing I spoke of above, I speak it from my own experiences. There are things that I have done and regretted or wished I could have done or things that I have felt myself. However, the thing is nowadays I like to live my life to the fullest and make myself enjoying the moment. I communicate with people the same way I like them to communicate with me. Because after all, it also comes to your own selfish motive as well, like you also are going to feel good when you make someone else feel good.

I think this activity really forces you to explore what you really feel passionate most because sometimes it’s not always so obvious to know that you also have something that you want to share with others. Moreover, you are only given 10 minutes to think, hence what comes to mind first would be something that is most genuine to you.

I think it’s really nice to write about this now and reflects. Even though I like to live my moral life by this mission, sometimes I myself tend to forget about it. So, now when I am writing this again in this blog, it actually helps to remind myself again as to what I want me to do and reflect on how I am doing now and kind of rechecking some of my past gestures again and work on towards my future actions. 🙂

Jah and Kay IFP simulation

In our last IFP session, we did a simulation where there are 2 countries (Jah and Kay), where Jah is not a very developed country with a high rate of diseases and deaths, illiteracy… and Kay is a developed country with high employment rates, economic booming…etc. Basically 2 completely opposite countries. And I was a part of country Kay. During our planning, we discuss very thoroughly on how to improve their country but not very much on how to convince them to follow our ideas. This is because we already assumed that when we go to country Jah, they will automatically listen to us and to our advices. But what a complete flop, when we go there, we started to realise that they have already made up their mind to not listening to us. Hence, even though, we are able to present our ideas at the end, I felt that those advices just go from one ear to another of them and the heated debate is more about “yes” or “no” to the advices rather than analysing which one of them works and how can we improve them.

I think I also realise some mistakes that our country make as well. I think we start to get caught up in trying to win and have a superior take on the debate and we forgot that our main goal is to help Jah to develop as a country not to make them agree to accept our advices. We should have asked what their plans were to make their country better, and support them with their own plan.

I think it all comes back to IFP conferences that we are going to hold in several countries as well as the services in our school. Rather than going straight and plan what to do to help them. We should go there first, talk to people in that area of what their challenges are, and what their plans are toward this problem and whether we can help in anyway after all. Only then, we can start pitching some advice ideas and discuss alongside with them whether they are going to work or not. Because after all, one of the expert in the problem is them.