Tug-of-War!

How do you get a whole class of about 60 to all agree 100% on a decision?

It takes a lot of ideas, some conflict, a group leader, and one goal.

In the class activity, we had to all agree on how to count the first midterm grade, and what to change about the upcoming second midterm. It started out a bit chaotic, with suggestions yelled across the room. But luckily shortly, someone stepped up to lead the class into coming up with this decision. She guided us by coordinating the classroom and making sure each person who had something to say got their voice heard. She wrote down each suggestion and then went down the list, eliminating those which most people did not agree to. I thought she could have not erased each idea so quickly, especially when deciding about what to do to change the next midterm. She could have left the ones where only a very few amount of people did not agree and those that wanted that suggestion cold try to persuade them for a change of mind.

Many of those that gave a suggestion were competing to win and get their ideas "passed." Most other remained quiet and were in avoidance, not giving any suggestion or voicing out their opinions. Perhaps it was because they thought there was no way of reaching that 100% agreement.

I compromised and accommodated to others in this process. When deciding on what to do with the second midterm, although I thought having an open book test could usually mean a harder test, I thought it would be helpful to those people that don't do well on tests under pressure and even though they studied, they might forget the material at the moment. I didn't like the idea of taking out the essay but since there are a lot of people that got a lot of points taken away from the essay part and there are also people that struggle to write an essay, especially those whose English is not their first language, I didn't disagree to "no essay."


In the end, we did reach our 100% agreement. We decided to drop the lowest of the 2 midterms and the higher grade would account for the 40% of our final grade, with extra credit to be added onto the higher grade. The second midterm was pretty much undecided upon with a suggestion, so we just left that to the professor to decide how he wants to make the test. Reaching a conclusion took a lot of effort, to get the whole class in agreement. Lucky for us, we had a leader to help guide us.


P.S. No one got hurt in the process!

"SPLAT"

 Credits: PaperBouquet

Sadly, my group's egg is NOT the survivor. Even though our egg did not hold up to the test, I feel like we follwed through with the steps in the planning process. We knew our goal and what the restrictions were to reach that goal - limited straws, limited tape, and definitely limited time to make the actual protector.
From the beginning of the planning process, we figured out who had prior experience with any sort of project that was similar to this. No leader stood out from the group, which was what my group lacked, but everyone took their turns to voice their idea of a solution. We went through which designs would fail because parts of the egg were too exposed and not protected at all. After careful evaluation of several designs we finally decided on the final design.
But once it came to the time of actually putting together the protector, we had to modify the design. Some people cut the straws, some people ripped the tape, and the rest helped in putting together the protector. One made sure we had the design and the names of the people on paper. Since it is an egg and it's very fragile, only 2 people actually handled the egg. One would help the other tape, hold the straws up, whatever needed that helping hand. When the protector was completed, we chose a person to go up to drop the egg, making sure she had the design paper with her when she went up.
Overall, I think my group was pretty effective in the planning process, even though we didn't have a leader within the group. We could have been more effective if there was a leader. And also if we didn't start to panic due to the limited time. But other than that, I would have to say my group did a pretty good job with the challenge!

Me vs. Me

Infusing the American culture with the Chinese culture has been an internal conflict: whether to go with the American ways that I have been submerged into all my life, or stick with the Chinese ways of things.

Fun vs. rules

There's different traditions when it comes to celebrating New Years. For Americans, it may be watching the ball drop at midnight, going out to parties with friends and family, and just enjoying that night for one day. In my family, Lunar New Year celebration lasts for 15 days. And the preparation for the New Year isn't even accounted for in those 15 days. Two or three days before the actual day of the Lunar New Year, there's the cleaning and tidying up the house. This tradition can be compared with American culture of Spring cleaning. However, the significant meaning in the Chinese culture is a fresh start for a new year. Floors need to be scrubbed, rooms need to be cleaned, dust needs to be wiped. Decorations are put up around the house. Then on the eve of Lunar New Year, my entire family needs to get together for dinner. During this dinner, everyone needs to be EXTRA careful about NOT DROPPING the chopsticks or any utensils onto the floor. After dinner, we put out my favorite thing - the candy box. The candy box is filled with different candies, to be offered for guests or just for us to eat. It signifies a sweet beginning of the New Year. When the day of Lunar New Year comes, I have to eat vegan in the morning, as a form of spiritual cleansing. During this period of 15 days, I am not to buy shoes, because it sounds like a "sigh". We are not suppose to sweep because the broom is "sweeping away the luck and fortune." Two new years, completely different customs and traditions. This goes to show that even for a holiday such as New Year, they are viewed with completely different meaning. I, after fully understanding the Chinese traditions, found it a bit tedious and constraining to follow all the different customs of celebrating the Lunar New Year. Shouldn't celebrating the New Year be a bit more relaxing as opposed to so many "rules?"

Promiscuous vs. Conservatism

I'm going to begin talking about a topic we can all relate to, celebrity gossip. Sex scandals and homemade sex tapes are all over the net and it seems that every three weeks another celebrity on TMZ for a nipple slip or something more promiscuous. Now I'll compare to the Edison Chen Scandal that happened in Hong Kong that caused a media riot through Hong Kong, China, and even carried to America. It was the headline for Chinese American newspapers for two months. Youtube hits soared for Edison's apology video. Thus, it seems like a sex video just fuel the American celebrities fame and keeps the flame going. Britney Spears is coming out with hit music and her sex scandal seem to be a shadow as another female celebrity steps in the spotlight with something exposed. On the other hand, Mr. Chen's career is in the gutter. There is almost no chance I will be seeing his face in Hong Kong media anymore. The Chinese shun those in the media who are promiscuous. But under American influence, I've been numbed by all the scandals and viewed Mr. Chen's scandal as just "another piece of news" and its nothing to be blown out of proportion in my opinion.

Bringing this idea of promiscuity and conservatism, I come back to a more regional aspect, something that we can see for ourselves. 
I would first have to say I'm not at all trying to offend anyone, and that this is a generalization based solely on what I observe everyday. It may not apply to those reading this passage.
From living in New York and traveling to Hong Kong, I see that the way of dressing and behaviors are very different. In New York, girls are dressed more openly. American girls are more liberating and are not afraid to show a little skin. It's shocking how they're openly flirty with all the guys everywhere - in the subways, in the streets, everywhere. A girl is sitting on a guy's lap on the subway, a girl is loosening her belt to show a guy her tattoo on her hip. These acts in the streets of New York may seen normal, but in Hong Kong, this is rare. Girls are dressed more conservatively, cautious of being too revealing. They maintain their space between guys and keep their distance. As for me, I'm for the Chinese way of dressing conservatively and keeping it PG in the public.

So what will it be? Am I more inclined towards the American culture or Chinese culture? I would say, both. I don't identify myself with just one, but a mixture of the two.