Who said 10th graders couldn't make gourmet food? For the IBG project, myself, two 10th graders, and an 11th grader, are not only making gourmet food, but actually writing a book about making it. Noa Shavit, Frances Ficshman, Celine Mayo, and myself paired up to combine our skills and abilities, to together pursue our passion for gourmet food. We are planning to create a gourmet-style cookbook, featuring 15-20 recipes of classy/savory gourmet dishes, and after, publish and market the book. This seems like a perfect WHAT, but there is a lot to be done, before we get there. I have to admit, that I'm a bit unsure about the HOW. Our group consists of 10th and 11th graders on their first year in the IA. Are we ready to accept this challenge?
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"Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life." Jim Collin states in the first chapter of Good To Great, that his book is not a company book, he claims to only use companies as examples of how good and great are differentiated. It is so easy not to catch the real message that the book ties to transmit, and instead focus on the facts and statistics that are shown. This happened to me, I certainly do not know a lot about companies or the stock market, so all the business terms and terminology led me to lose focus on what the real message was. It wasn't until today when discussing the first chapter with the class , that I noticed this quote (the one mentioned in the top). I noticed how nowadays it is so common to just settle for what is easy, and reachable, instead of seeking for more, searching for what's "great". We confuse good and great, and act as if they meant the same thing, when actually "good is the enemy of great". We where always told to be satisfied with what is enough, to settle a good life, instead of risking it all for something that we may not even obtain. But think about it, doesn't it make sense to live a life doing what you love, no matter how hard you have to work or what you can loose? Isn't it worth it? Now a days people give way too much value to money, we treat it as if it where the most important thing. You can't live a completely happy life, when money is what drives you. People choose to play it safe, and base their whole lives in money, instead of risking it all to do what they love, they are satisfied with what is enough instead of pushing their full potential.. This is what makes the difference between living a good life and living a great life. Who knew project based learning could get people so switched on. This week in the IA while working on the iweek challenge, I found myself debating and screaming with a bunch of other people while we assigned roles for our new project. This showed only one thing..... EXCITEMENT. I can't remember the last time I was this excited about a project, it was really nice working in an environment where everyone was eager to learn and take action. But why is it that everyone was so switched on? At least for me, just the fact that I don't have to ask myself the typical question of "when will I ever use this in life?" gets me exited. Its the best feeling ever when you feel like with only 15 years of age, you are actually doing something that matters, that you are making a change.
We started the iweek challenge acting like a bunch of "happy puppies", we where exited, but we didn't know how to work as a team. Its thursday now, and we have come up with a solution to our problem, we have tested our solution and came up with improvements, we have arranged a presentation, and most important we have done validating learning. Its amazing how much you can get done when everyone in a team is switched on Lots of people can read, but there are a only a few lucky ones who are actually passionate and engaged about reading. It has always been a fantasy of mine, to read. Not because someone tells me to, but because I enjoy it. When Mr. Topf told us about the power of the habit, and asked us to build a 30 day habit during the winter break, the first thing that came to my mind was to build the habit of reading. I proposed myself to read 10 pages a day, this would give me the motivation to start reading, and hopefully by the end of the month it would become a habit.
The month is over now, and the challenge has been completed, but I don't want to stop now. I would love to say that I will read 10 pages every night, but now I know that this doesn't work for me. What I propose myself to do is, make a list of books that I would like to read, and by the end of the school year, read at least 7 of those. This may sound pretty easy, but for a beginer like me, its a good start.
Every year, the week of the 28th of July, my grandfather and his 11 brothers reunite the family by bringing the three generations of the Bustamante family to a farm in the outskirts of the city to celebrate the "fiestas patrias" together. Though we don't see each other much throughout the year, and the family is split between Lima and Arequipa, every 28th of July all the members of the family come to the farm with a smile on their faces, leaving their problems behind, and ready for a fairy-like week.
Since a small age, I have been taught that family is the most important thing we have, and my grand father has made an excellent job making sure that I truly believe that. As long as I can remember, I have always been delighted to go and spend a whole week surrounded by family. Im not sure if its the warm hugs that are given away, or the stories that cause endless laughters, or maybe just the fact that we are all related, but this week seems magical to me. I feel a certain peace, I feel like for once in my life everything seems to be all right, no pressures, no troubles, no obligations. Reflecting upon this week, I've noticed the impact that family has on one. It's not easy reuniting a family, specially one as big as mine, but once its done, a very pleasant and comfortable environment is created. Everyone's mood changes, smiles appear, there are no pressures no strings attached, even the energy seems to change, its a very warm environment. It's amazing how much can change when you are surrounded by family, surrounded by people who love you and who will always be there for you. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2015
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