Task #36: Meet an Optimist/Hear Tracie's Story (Kim)

36.  Meet an optimist and hear her story.

As Rachael and I stressed throughout this project, not all of our tasks had to be planned.  We expected the unexpected - for people to suggest a few tasks that could become vital to our project And that's how I found myself interviewing Tracie this afternoon at Norwalk Community College.

My mom works at NCC teaching students how to become medical assistants.  She knew all of the obstacles Tracie has recently faced, and she suggested that I interview Tracie as part of my Project Explore.  Because teenagers are considered the most self-absorbed generation, my mom believed Tracie had valuable advice and experiences to share for my project.  And she was absolutely right.

Though this is the only part of Tracie's life that I learned about and this was the first time I had met her, I could see how amazing she is.  My mom told me how great she would be to interview, but I had no idea what to expect.  Since I didn't know her, I didn't have a lot of specific questions to ask.  Luckily, Tracie knew exactly what to address, and I could form questions as the interview went along.  She was very open about all of her experiences.

This interview was an incredible experience for me.  Her grateful attitude despite the hardships she has faced was refreshing.  I am often surrounded by people complaining about how tired they are or how unfair life can be, but Tracie was not at all bitter even though she faced a cancer typically associated with people over the age of 50.  Tracie was only 37 when she was diagnosed.  Her advice about being able to push past anything with a good attitude was invaluable.

A huge thank you to Tracie for being so open and willing to share your story.  I loved creating this video.

Task #35: Go 30 Hours Without Eating - 30 Hour Famine (Kim)

35.  Participate in the 30 Hour Famine.

 St. Philips Church in Norwalk organizes the 30 Hour Famine through World Vision annually.  In prior years, I could not participate because it conflicts with Regional Championships for swimming. This year, I was able to be a part of the incredible 30 Hour Famine for the first time.

I raised $500 through an online donation page and cash donations during and prior to the Famine.  The fundraising continues for the next two weeks.  From February 28 at 5 a.m. to about 11 a.m. on March 1, two hundred teenagers did not eat.  Throughout these thirty hours, we played games, went to a service project, made new friends, and had a karaoke and dance party.  I have to say that the experience was incredibly rewarding.

When I arrived at the Norwalk Green at 9 a.m. on Saturday, I was handed a sign that said "Walk for them".  Other participants had signs with facts about world hunger, and a banner expressing the goal of the Thirty Hour Famine lead the procession.  Then we completed a walk from the Norwalk Green back to St. Philips with adult chaperones and a police escort.  The walk was very cold, but it definitely got people's attention that were driving by.  And that was the goal - to simply raise awareness for the 30 Hour Famine and for the problem of hunger in our world.

The theme of the famine this year was to "Make it Count".  Not only to make our time at the famine count but to make our time after the famine count.   And by "count", we mean continue making a difference in other people's lives.  That's why the logo following Make it Count on the tee shirts reads 30 hours, 30 days, 30 people.  It encourage famine participants to continue their service and effect the lives of people in their communities in any positive way possible.

After a prayer service and a few games that turned Saturday morning into Saturday afternoon (first stomach pangs!), my "tribe" which represented the country of Bolivia, was shuttled to St. Thomas to complete a service project.  We packed 20,000 fortified meals full of nutrients for people who are hungry.  This experience was humbling.  It was so important not to waste any small piece of food because, as the organizers expressed, any small bit of food may be enough to save someone.  This made me feel that I have acted frivolously with food too often in my life.  Refusing food and throwing out leftovers happens too often in my life; instead, I should not take for granted the food I have access to at anytime.

Most of the pictures I took were during the "free time" parts of the famine, such as the karaoke on Saturday night.  We slept in the Church's School Hall and broke the fast with the Eucharist this morning during the 10:00 a.m. mass.

The prayer service on Saturday night included a candlelight ceremony with luminary bags.

On Friday, famine participants wrote 30 on their hands and wore 30 Hour Famine tee shirts from past years to raise awareness for the event and for world hunger.

The candlelight ceremony on Saturday night featured luminary bags sold by famine participants and written on by parishoners.  They honored people who were fasting, people who are sick or have passed away, and the impoverished people were were fasting for.

Ben Bonebrake was recognized at the mass on Sunday morning because Saturday was his birthday.  He choose to spend it at the famine and not eat all day rather than celebrate his birthday.

Getting a little excited during the karaoke portion of the evening. 

Karaoke quickly turned into a group activity rather than solo acts.

Task #34: Attend the Chinese Fair at McMahon CGS (Rachael and Kim)

33. Attend the Chinese fair at McMahon CGS.

As one of our tasks, we wanted to attend a language class at the McMahon Center for Global Studies.  Norwalk High does not offer the variety of languages and the same cultural experiences offered at McMahon, so we wanted to try it out for ourselves.  Mr. Karl put us in contact with a person at McMahon, and we heard about the Chinese New Year fair.

When we arrived, we were exposed to a number of things, including calligraphy, tai chi, paper lantern making, using chopsticks, dumpling making, and Dragon Dance.

I really enjoyed learning calligraphy from a Chinese student.  It was amazing because although we could not communicate well with one another, she was able to teach us so much in a short amount of time.

John taught Rachael how to prepare a dumpling.

He also taught Rachael how to fill the dumplings with a mixture containing scallions.

Making dumplings in the kitchen.

Signs denoted each station. 

We practiced picking up M & M's and marshmallows with chopsticks.

A Chinese student tried to teach Rachael and I how to write "Happy New Year" in Chinese.  

A Chinese game.  McMahon students kicked lanterns and tried to keep them up in the air. 

Tai chi taught by a Chinese instructor.

Calligraphy done by other McMahon students.

Rachael and I attempted to copy the calligraphy on paper that divided the space and made it easier to follow.

The calligraphy table.

Task #32: Attend a Hypnotist Show (Kim and Rachael)

32.  Attend a Hypnotist Show

Hypnotist and mentalist Ronny Romm visited Norwalk High School, and Rachael and I decided it would be interesting to attend the event to learn about hypnosis and be entertained.  Hypnosis is all about the power of suggestion.  We wanted to decide for ourselves what to believe.  Ronny Romm asked for volunteers, and these are the brave people who volunteered from Norwalk High School.

First, Ronny Romm demonstrated his powers of ESP.  He asked several volunteers specific details about their dream vacation, including the location, price, flight number, and airline.  He showed that prior to the show, he had written down exactly what they said.  This didn't exactly have me convinced because I figured he could have written it down some other way.

I thought the show became most interesting when he began the first phase of hypnosis - induction.  After speaking to the volunteers, periodically snapping his fingers, and asking the volunteers to focus on his voice, Ronny Romm asked them to stick their hands together.  After a lengthy description of the feeling of their hands being stuck, he told them that they would not be able to get their hands unstuck.  Sure enough, some of the volunteers could not get their hands unstuck.

From the stage, the show looked believable.  For the most part, those under hypnosis followed Ronny Romm's instructions.  However, I asked a few participants how they felt about it afterwards, and a few claimed they did not feel anything.  Whether or not the hypnosis was effective, it was an interesting show and entertaining to watch.  

Here is Ronny Romm putting the volunteers under hypnosis and a few of their actions during the experience:

Task #25: Go A Day Without A Cell Phone (Kim)

25.  Go A Day Without A Cell Phone

Foregoing my cell phone for a day seemed like an almost impractical idea, so I decided to try it for Project Explore.  I've had a cell phone since middle school and have rarely gone an entire day without it.  At first, going without it was very easy.  I was busy; it was a snow day, and we had to shovel.  But after shoveling, I found myself missing not only talking to my friends but checking social media sites like Instagram.  I felt a little closed off from the world, so I distracted myself with hot chocolate and A.P. Euro notes.

Prior to this task, my phone was stolen and I had to go nearly a week without a cell phone.  However, I did not receive any reactions from friends about this because everyone knew why I wasn't answering.  I also used other forms of communication including emails and iMessage to talk to them.  So although I had experienced something similar because I didn't have a choice, I decided to go ahead with this task anyway.

Most of the reactions I received were not surprising.  When I opened my phone about 11:00 that evening, I had many texts repeating my name over again, and a few friends wondering if I was angry at them.  I shared some of screenshots of the messages and crossed out the names for privacy reasons. After explaining to my friends it was merely an experiment, most of them were surprised I had gone an entire day without a phone and said they would be unable to do that themselves.  Those who had actually gone an entire day without their cell phones did it for necessity or because they went somewhere for the day and forgot their phones.

My age group is incredibly attached to these devices, and no wonder: they can do amazing things in the palm of our hand.  However, the attachment is often considered unhealthy.  I researched the following article about teens' growing dependency on their phones: http://cell-phone-parental-control-software-review.toptenreviews.com/are-teenagers-becoming-too-attached-to-their-cell-phones.html.  Almost half of all teens can text with their eyes closed, and one-fourth of all texts teens send are sent during class.  Cell phones are not used as purely educational resources at school; students are distracted from class by their cell phones.

My own reaction surprised me.  After the initial discomfort of not having a phone in my hand or in my pocket at all times, I was just fine without it.  Granted, it is much more convenient to have a phone because it provides such fast access to the time, weather forecast, and Internet.  However, I was so focused on myself and what I wanted to get done for the day because I was not being distracted by anything else.  With that being said, I will not consider giving up my cell phone all together.  I would like to increase the productivity on my phone and decrease the number of  conversations I have with friends that do not necessarily have any benefits.

Task #24: Animated Picture and Snow Photographs (Kim)

24.  Combine photographs to create an animated picture.

Our recent snow days have certainly hindered our upcoming Project Explore plans.  However, I have been using this time to experiment with my camera in the winter weather.  I was able to combine several shots of snow using a Google application to create an animated snow picture.

These are other pictures I took in recent snowstorms and wanted to share.

I must have fifteen photos of nearly this same picture.  I was working on my up-close photo capabilities and trying to really focus on part of the branch.

Another photo working on close-up focusing capabilities.

I experimented with different features on my camera to capture the snow.  High-speed worked well to capture it but often made my photos less focused.