The Graduation Committee is a volunteer group of students who organizes and plans the festivities of graduation that take place at the end of the our time at the college. I am the chair of the Committee as well as a participant. As chair, my only role is to be a contact person and to organize meetings. As a participant, I have to debate out issues, organize elections, plan and make decorations, create a menu, etc. with all of the other committee members.
The Graduation Committee has been far from an easy experience. We had a very limited budget and have had to work very hard to find ways to be cost-efficient. It is so difficult to plan a party for 130 people in a way that will allow all of those 130 (very diverse) people to enjoy themselves. We have spent long hours arguing over menus, entertainment, and decorations, trying to decide what would be best suited for everyone, not just what would make us happy or a few people happy.
The Deputy Rektor of my school has helped a lot with this committee, giving us guidance and ideas. Without her, we would not have as much information as we do and therefore would not have been able to accomplish as much. She also functions as our link to the staff, which is important as the dinner includes both staff and students and we therefore have to make both groups happy.
Within the Committee, we have had many major arguments about things. One such argument even led to the dramatic withdrawal of one member of the committee. From this, I have learned a lot about conflict mediation. I have learned how to keep my cool, how to maintain some personal dignity in the face of obstinancy. I have had to keep the remaining committee members cohesive and dedicated even though we had such a large issue. I have also learned about both sides of democracy, how it feels to be in the majority and how it feels to be in the minority. I have learned that even when I am in the minority, I still need to find a way to work with the others because I cannot always have my way. We chose to operate as a democracy and I have had to learn how to function within that system, even if it does not make me happy all the time.
The Committee is tense, stressful, and high-pressured but all of the pain of the committee is resulting in a well-organized, beautiful graduation dinner for all of my co-years. I cannot wait for the event to happen and I am so happy to be able to give this to everyone who has shared these two years with me.
Monday
Indoor Hockey
I played indoor hockey in a gym on campus once a week, on a team with three other girls. We trained once a week and then played a match once a week against one of three other teams in our league. The league was organized by my Dutch co-year here at school. He is also the person who helped us learn the rules of indoor hockey and developed training drills for us. I could not have participated in this activity without his direction.
I was very physically actively back home but I did not do any real organized physical activity here at college, so the Indoor Hockey League was my first experience with organized sports in almost a year. I had never played indoor hockey before and I was quite out of shape when I joined a team so I had to work extra hard to both understand the game and become fit enough to play it.
I do regret not having trained enough for my team because I could have gone running on my own or worked out in the gym by myself and that would have likely improved my performance for my team. If I participate on a team again, I will make sure to train more on my own.
Playing hockey was a nice way to release the everyday stress of college life. I finally had a constructive outlet to go and vent the week's frustration in. I bonded with the girls on my team over the common challenge of competitive sport. We had to schedule out our own practices and work together to win matches.
It was a rewarding experiences on many levels as well as being beneficial for my health. Even though I could have participated more in the activity by taking more personal initiative, my shortcomings have motivated me to work harder in the future.
I was very physically actively back home but I did not do any real organized physical activity here at college, so the Indoor Hockey League was my first experience with organized sports in almost a year. I had never played indoor hockey before and I was quite out of shape when I joined a team so I had to work extra hard to both understand the game and become fit enough to play it.
I do regret not having trained enough for my team because I could have gone running on my own or worked out in the gym by myself and that would have likely improved my performance for my team. If I participate on a team again, I will make sure to train more on my own.
Playing hockey was a nice way to release the everyday stress of college life. I finally had a constructive outlet to go and vent the week's frustration in. I bonded with the girls on my team over the common challenge of competitive sport. We had to schedule out our own practices and work together to win matches.
It was a rewarding experiences on many levels as well as being beneficial for my health. Even though I could have participated more in the activity by taking more personal initiative, my shortcomings have motivated me to work harder in the future.
Teaching English in Flekke
During my first year at the college, I spent 4 months working as an English tutor in the local community, traveling to Flekke (the nearest town) once a week to teach English to adult students.
The job was a bit difficult as we (the tutors) were given no structured plan of what to do with our students. We had to figure out a curriculum by ourselves. I feel as though I improvised quite well by bringing in children's books and newspaper articles that my mother would send me from back home. I would go through the articles with the students and work on their pronunciation and comprehension.
The students were usually quite old, between the ages of 50 and 80, so they were learning English simply for pleasure. They were very nice but not very studious. Near the end of my time with them, our lessons devolved from structured teaching to casual conversations.
I think I learned as much from them as they learned from me. At first, I was very much only teaching them English, which improved my own language ability. But slowly, they began to teach me as well. They taught me about Norwegian culture by bringing traditional homemade food to our meetings. They discussed Norwegian politics with me. They even taught me a few Norwegian words to make it easier for us to communicate. So really, my biggest helpers in this project were the students themselves. I became more connected to the local community surrounding the college than I would have been had I not done the English tutoring.
The job was a bit difficult as we (the tutors) were given no structured plan of what to do with our students. We had to figure out a curriculum by ourselves. I feel as though I improvised quite well by bringing in children's books and newspaper articles that my mother would send me from back home. I would go through the articles with the students and work on their pronunciation and comprehension.
The students were usually quite old, between the ages of 50 and 80, so they were learning English simply for pleasure. They were very nice but not very studious. Near the end of my time with them, our lessons devolved from structured teaching to casual conversations.
I think I learned as much from them as they learned from me. At first, I was very much only teaching them English, which improved my own language ability. But slowly, they began to teach me as well. They taught me about Norwegian culture by bringing traditional homemade food to our meetings. They discussed Norwegian politics with me. They even taught me a few Norwegian words to make it easier for us to communicate. So really, my biggest helpers in this project were the students themselves. I became more connected to the local community surrounding the college than I would have been had I not done the English tutoring.
The Vagina Monologues
This entry will again refer to two aspects of my participation in the same activity, denoted by (1) and (2).
The Vagina Monologues is a theater production that is put on at my school every year during Women's Week. The whole point of the piece is to open up dialogue about feminism and women's issues by allowing women to become more comfortable about talking about their own personal experiences as women.
I both performed (1) and organized (2) the performances of The Vagina Monologues. Before the production, I had heard about the Monologues but I had never seen or read any of them. However, I quickly became involved in the pieces and they had a profound impact on me. I had never had such an open forum to discuss women's issues in and I also felt such a connection with my fellow actresses.
Performing the pieces (1) was an interesting experience. I had some prior theater experience but I was not nor had ever been a theater student and I had never experienced something as intimate as the production of The Vagina Monologues is. The audience is quite small, around 100 people. The monologues are all about very sensitive issues; some are quite sexual, others are about molestation and rape, and others are more light-hearted discussion about vaginas in general. I was petrified of getting up in front of a group of my peers and discussing vaginas. Before the productions, I could probably count how many times I had ever said the word "vagina" in my life on two hands! To perform the pieces, I really had to try to get into the heads of the women who actually spoke the monologues. I had to open myself up and really dig deep, really think about what being a woman means to me. The other actressess helped me with this and our discussions became very casual and carried over into all parts of my life.
Organizing the production (2) was similar to performing in some ways, like an extension of performing. I used what I had learned about the piece as a performer to improve the production when I organized it. I had help from 3 other girls and we all worked equally together to put on the production. My comfort with the topics (gained from my experience as a performer) was invaluable in helping the other girls who were experiencing the piece for the first time. We had a grueling schedule of practices and did not always agree about how pieces should be acted or how the production should look but we had to work out our issues in order to put together a cohesive whole on opening night. The result was more than worth it and I was so proud of everyone who participated because I truly felt that we had accomplished something, that we had gained something, and that we had shared something with all of the audience members.
Being in theater is interesting because it forces you to become another person, to view the world through a different set of eyes. Acting involves knowledge, empathy, and an open mind. These are attributes that will be valuable for the rest of my life. The Vagina Monologues (2) taught me how to organize, how to schedule, how to budget my time, how to do all the dirty, behind-the-scenes, unglamourous work in order to make something work. It also taught me (1) a lot about myself as a woman and what kind of issues are important to me. It gave me a forum of discussion, a community of women, and for that, I am quite grateful.
The Vagina Monologues is a theater production that is put on at my school every year during Women's Week. The whole point of the piece is to open up dialogue about feminism and women's issues by allowing women to become more comfortable about talking about their own personal experiences as women.
I both performed (1) and organized (2) the performances of The Vagina Monologues. Before the production, I had heard about the Monologues but I had never seen or read any of them. However, I quickly became involved in the pieces and they had a profound impact on me. I had never had such an open forum to discuss women's issues in and I also felt such a connection with my fellow actresses.
Performing the pieces (1) was an interesting experience. I had some prior theater experience but I was not nor had ever been a theater student and I had never experienced something as intimate as the production of The Vagina Monologues is. The audience is quite small, around 100 people. The monologues are all about very sensitive issues; some are quite sexual, others are about molestation and rape, and others are more light-hearted discussion about vaginas in general. I was petrified of getting up in front of a group of my peers and discussing vaginas. Before the productions, I could probably count how many times I had ever said the word "vagina" in my life on two hands! To perform the pieces, I really had to try to get into the heads of the women who actually spoke the monologues. I had to open myself up and really dig deep, really think about what being a woman means to me. The other actressess helped me with this and our discussions became very casual and carried over into all parts of my life.
Organizing the production (2) was similar to performing in some ways, like an extension of performing. I used what I had learned about the piece as a performer to improve the production when I organized it. I had help from 3 other girls and we all worked equally together to put on the production. My comfort with the topics (gained from my experience as a performer) was invaluable in helping the other girls who were experiencing the piece for the first time. We had a grueling schedule of practices and did not always agree about how pieces should be acted or how the production should look but we had to work out our issues in order to put together a cohesive whole on opening night. The result was more than worth it and I was so proud of everyone who participated because I truly felt that we had accomplished something, that we had gained something, and that we had shared something with all of the audience members.
Being in theater is interesting because it forces you to become another person, to view the world through a different set of eyes. Acting involves knowledge, empathy, and an open mind. These are attributes that will be valuable for the rest of my life. The Vagina Monologues (2) taught me how to organize, how to schedule, how to budget my time, how to do all the dirty, behind-the-scenes, unglamourous work in order to make something work. It also taught me (1) a lot about myself as a woman and what kind of issues are important to me. It gave me a forum of discussion, a community of women, and for that, I am quite grateful.
Las Americas Day
Las Americas Day was a cultural event that took place at my school in March of 2008. It was an opportunity for students from both North and South America to get together and share our cultures with the rest of the student body and the local community. We organized two days of workshops, political discussions, movies, and show-and-tell sessions, finally culminating in a two hour long performance by the American students. For my part, I participated in four acts in the show and represented the United States during the workshops and sessions.
There are many Americans on campus and therefore extensive organization went into this event. We had very different cultures to share as well, with countries as vastly different as the U.S., Ecuador, Argentina, and Canada to be represented. I was not in charge of the entire event but I did coordinate three acts and participate in one more.
I had to get a group together and choreograph a line dance. This was funny but also a bit challenging, as although I knew how to line dance, I had learned it casually back home and only did it for fun, never for show. I had to figure out how to teach the dance to people who had absolutely no idea what line dancing was about. We had a lot of fun doing it, though, and the result was great. We practiced twice daily for a week and in the end, we all ended up perfectly synchronized.
I also worked with three other people to put together a swing dance. Again, swing dancing was something I knew about vaguely and casually, but never something I had learned on a professional level. Therefore, the four of us were all practically beginners at swing dancing. We watched lots of videos and old movies of traditional swing dances and ended up making a choreography. We were quite ambitious and worked to include many throws and jumps into our routine. Most swing dancers do not attempt aerial moves until a year or so after they have begun swing dancing but we decided to try and teach ourselves anyway, and in the span of only 2 weeks. I have to admit that practices were painful for awhile, but we soon actually got the hang of it and ended up with an impressive routine in the show.
I also attempted to use some of my musical experience to perform in a show for the first time. I have never played or learned piano but I decided that all of my years reading and studying music on other instruments might make it easier to learn a piano piece. So about two months before the show, I sat down and started transcribing what I thought the notes to a song that I had were. It was difficult and took me a long time as I have not played an instrument in years, but I still did it. It was rewarding to work so hard at something and to actually do it right. I spent many late nights practicing the same chord progressions over and over again, eventually finding a vocalist to add in the lyrics of the piece. Although the performance wasn't perfect, it was still an experience for me to overcome my fear of playing in front of others.
Lastly, I danced in a traditional Colombian dance, called cumbia. There were four people in this dance and I was the only non-South American. I had to wear a traditional tiered skirt which is held throughout the entire dance. I had never done anything like this before but I enjoyed myself so much and learned a lot about Latin American rhythms and traditional dance.
I think that Las Americas Day was a very nice event for my entire school, but it also showcased various cultures to the local Norwegians in this area. I was so proud to be able to show both culture from the U.S. as well as Native American culture to people who really did not know much about it. Next time, when I participate in an event like this, I will be sure to begin practicing much earlier because I did not have as much time as I would have liked to to prepare for this show. Still, with hard work and a bit of stress, the show came together quite well and I was happy with the final product.
There are many Americans on campus and therefore extensive organization went into this event. We had very different cultures to share as well, with countries as vastly different as the U.S., Ecuador, Argentina, and Canada to be represented. I was not in charge of the entire event but I did coordinate three acts and participate in one more.
I had to get a group together and choreograph a line dance. This was funny but also a bit challenging, as although I knew how to line dance, I had learned it casually back home and only did it for fun, never for show. I had to figure out how to teach the dance to people who had absolutely no idea what line dancing was about. We had a lot of fun doing it, though, and the result was great. We practiced twice daily for a week and in the end, we all ended up perfectly synchronized.
I also worked with three other people to put together a swing dance. Again, swing dancing was something I knew about vaguely and casually, but never something I had learned on a professional level. Therefore, the four of us were all practically beginners at swing dancing. We watched lots of videos and old movies of traditional swing dances and ended up making a choreography. We were quite ambitious and worked to include many throws and jumps into our routine. Most swing dancers do not attempt aerial moves until a year or so after they have begun swing dancing but we decided to try and teach ourselves anyway, and in the span of only 2 weeks. I have to admit that practices were painful for awhile, but we soon actually got the hang of it and ended up with an impressive routine in the show.
I also attempted to use some of my musical experience to perform in a show for the first time. I have never played or learned piano but I decided that all of my years reading and studying music on other instruments might make it easier to learn a piano piece. So about two months before the show, I sat down and started transcribing what I thought the notes to a song that I had were. It was difficult and took me a long time as I have not played an instrument in years, but I still did it. It was rewarding to work so hard at something and to actually do it right. I spent many late nights practicing the same chord progressions over and over again, eventually finding a vocalist to add in the lyrics of the piece. Although the performance wasn't perfect, it was still an experience for me to overcome my fear of playing in front of others.
Lastly, I danced in a traditional Colombian dance, called cumbia. There were four people in this dance and I was the only non-South American. I had to wear a traditional tiered skirt which is held throughout the entire dance. I had never done anything like this before but I enjoyed myself so much and learned a lot about Latin American rhythms and traditional dance.
I think that Las Americas Day was a very nice event for my entire school, but it also showcased various cultures to the local Norwegians in this area. I was so proud to be able to show both culture from the U.S. as well as Native American culture to people who really did not know much about it. Next time, when I participate in an event like this, I will be sure to begin practicing much earlier because I did not have as much time as I would have liked to to prepare for this show. Still, with hard work and a bit of stress, the show came together quite well and I was happy with the final product.
Sunday
Ski Week
Ski Week, or "friluftsliveke" (in Norwegian), is a one-week trip organized by my school that all first year students participate in. We travel to a ski lodge north of my school and spend the week learning how to ski in groups of about 15 students. We learn how to cross-country ski and downhill ski. We also help out at the lodge by cooking dinner and cleaning and spend a lot of time bonding together over hot chocolate.
Ski Week was interesting for me as I had never skied before. Also, it was a rare chance for me to be physically active. Skiing was something that I was afraid of; I had had the opportunity to ski before but had never wanted to for fear of falling or hurting myself. However, on Ski Week, I was forced to overcome my fear and strap on some skis.
It helped that I was surrounded by many people who had never skied before. Some of the people in my group had never even seen snow before they came to Norway! The first two days on skis were painful but fun. We all fell down a lot in the snow and ended up bruised and sore, but we still managed to keep our spirits up and laugh about the whole thing. The last few days, as I became more confident on skis, I decided to also attempt snowboarding on the downhill slopes. I had never imagined that after only a week, I would be so adventurous! Snowboarding proved even more difficult than skiing but I'm so happy that I got a chance to try it out anyway.
From Ski Week I learned that sometimes, you simply must take chances. I was so scared of skiing before and now it seems like a silly thing to be scared of. I overcame my fear of skiing and ended up really enjoying myself, which proved to me that I cannot always be so cautious if I really want to enjoy life. I also learned a lot about collective thinking, because when you are on skis out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by snow, you must be sure to think of everyone else in your group to make sure that no one gets lost. We all had to take care of each other a lot and it was important for me to spend a week depending on others but also helping others.
Ski Week was interesting for me as I had never skied before. Also, it was a rare chance for me to be physically active. Skiing was something that I was afraid of; I had had the opportunity to ski before but had never wanted to for fear of falling or hurting myself. However, on Ski Week, I was forced to overcome my fear and strap on some skis.
It helped that I was surrounded by many people who had never skied before. Some of the people in my group had never even seen snow before they came to Norway! The first two days on skis were painful but fun. We all fell down a lot in the snow and ended up bruised and sore, but we still managed to keep our spirits up and laugh about the whole thing. The last few days, as I became more confident on skis, I decided to also attempt snowboarding on the downhill slopes. I had never imagined that after only a week, I would be so adventurous! Snowboarding proved even more difficult than skiing but I'm so happy that I got a chance to try it out anyway.
From Ski Week I learned that sometimes, you simply must take chances. I was so scared of skiing before and now it seems like a silly thing to be scared of. I overcame my fear of skiing and ended up really enjoying myself, which proved to me that I cannot always be so cautious if I really want to enjoy life. I also learned a lot about collective thinking, because when you are on skis out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by snow, you must be sure to think of everyone else in your group to make sure that no one gets lost. We all had to take care of each other a lot and it was important for me to spend a week depending on others but also helping others.
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is a student-run simulation of a session of the United Nations that is carried out over the course of three days. I participated in two aspects of this simulation and will henceforth refer to my time spent as a delegate as (1) and my time spent as the president of the simulation's Security Council as (2).
(1) As a delegate, I was a member of the Economic and Social Committee representing the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. I had to research two topics relating to the global economy and then draft a resolution that could provide a solution to each of these two topics. I then spent 3 days presenting my resolution, listening to others' resolutions, and debating the pros and cons of all things presented in the committee.
(2) As a president of the Security Council, I spent 7 months organizing the simulation along with other committee heads. We had to plan and schedule each hour of the three-day simulation and then see that it was all carried. During the simulation itself, I mediated the Security Council and generally kept order and organization amongst the delegates in my committee and the General Assembly.
I learned very different things from participating as a delegate and as a president in an MUN simulation. As a delegate, (1) I was forced to improve my public speaking skills and had to learn how to communicate in a professional environment. Also, as I am not an Economics student and do not know much about economics in general, I had to do a lot of research prior to the MUN itself. It was challenging as an American to try to see the Pakistani point of view on issues. I have grown up in a country that alienates Pakistan and I did not know much about the country before the MUN besides what I had been indoctrinated with by the media. I did want to do the country justice, though, so I worked quite hard to fully understand how best to represent the desires of Pakistan during the simulation. My research on the topic benefited others because my ability to discuss economics at a proficient level made the simulation more realistic for the other participants.
As a president of the Security Council (2), I learned about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into an MUN simulation which is therefore also a small amount of insight into the work that goes into international diplomacy. I learned to speak the language of diplomacy and how to impose a professional environment. It was more frustrating to organize the simulation than to be a part of it, but I learned a lot from my frustration. I learned how to work with my fellow organizers. This was important because I was not in control of the group and before the simulation, I did not have much experience with being a follower rather than a leader. I did anguish over the lack of control that I had over the simulation but I learned how to accept direction from others and how to personally improve my committee. This was an important experience for me because it was necessary for me to learn how to work within in a group dynamic rather than control it. The work I put in organizing the simulation really did pay off for everyone involved and I am certain that the delegates in my committee had a fulfilling and realistic MUN experience.
The skills I learned in MUN may be of great benefit to me in the future as I am considering a career in international diplomacy. However, even if I do not pursue a political career, my experience in MUN has taught me skills that will be useful, no matter what profession I find myself in. I have learned how to conduct professional dialogue, how to both organize a long-term event, how to follow the orders and directions of others, and how complicated diplomacy truly is.
(1) As a delegate, I was a member of the Economic and Social Committee representing the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. I had to research two topics relating to the global economy and then draft a resolution that could provide a solution to each of these two topics. I then spent 3 days presenting my resolution, listening to others' resolutions, and debating the pros and cons of all things presented in the committee.
(2) As a president of the Security Council, I spent 7 months organizing the simulation along with other committee heads. We had to plan and schedule each hour of the three-day simulation and then see that it was all carried. During the simulation itself, I mediated the Security Council and generally kept order and organization amongst the delegates in my committee and the General Assembly.
I learned very different things from participating as a delegate and as a president in an MUN simulation. As a delegate, (1) I was forced to improve my public speaking skills and had to learn how to communicate in a professional environment. Also, as I am not an Economics student and do not know much about economics in general, I had to do a lot of research prior to the MUN itself. It was challenging as an American to try to see the Pakistani point of view on issues. I have grown up in a country that alienates Pakistan and I did not know much about the country before the MUN besides what I had been indoctrinated with by the media. I did want to do the country justice, though, so I worked quite hard to fully understand how best to represent the desires of Pakistan during the simulation. My research on the topic benefited others because my ability to discuss economics at a proficient level made the simulation more realistic for the other participants.
As a president of the Security Council (2), I learned about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into an MUN simulation which is therefore also a small amount of insight into the work that goes into international diplomacy. I learned to speak the language of diplomacy and how to impose a professional environment. It was more frustrating to organize the simulation than to be a part of it, but I learned a lot from my frustration. I learned how to work with my fellow organizers. This was important because I was not in control of the group and before the simulation, I did not have much experience with being a follower rather than a leader. I did anguish over the lack of control that I had over the simulation but I learned how to accept direction from others and how to personally improve my committee. This was an important experience for me because it was necessary for me to learn how to work within in a group dynamic rather than control it. The work I put in organizing the simulation really did pay off for everyone involved and I am certain that the delegates in my committee had a fulfilling and realistic MUN experience.
The skills I learned in MUN may be of great benefit to me in the future as I am considering a career in international diplomacy. However, even if I do not pursue a political career, my experience in MUN has taught me skills that will be useful, no matter what profession I find myself in. I have learned how to conduct professional dialogue, how to both organize a long-term event, how to follow the orders and directions of others, and how complicated diplomacy truly is.
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