“Not An Eggs-cellent Way to Plan”

The in class activity last week, was definitely a very fun experience. The objective was to plan and build a protecting “cage” around an egg, consisting out of 9 straws + 2 feet of tape. The whole purpose of the straw creation was to prevent the egg from cracking, when dropped from a higher distance.

This was definitely much harder than we all thought, and only one group (congrats to youJ) was able to succeed, and prevent the egg from breaking when dropped.

What Went Wrong?

In theory I think that our plan was great—which was also the problem. Like for most of us, the plan did not work in reality. Our goals and objectives were clear, and we worked together to come up with the “best” solution for the straw creation. However, we did not evaluate our resources properly! We were not realistic, when considering building our cube, which was suppose to protect the egg. Further, it was not quite clear by the time we started how the egg was going to stay inside the cube. The perfect drawing of a cube did not look like a cube in reality (not even close) not only was it hard to make a perfect cube out of straws, but also the time limit effected the look and the purpose of the “outcome”. Another problem was that we did not have enough tape to hold up the egg inside. Neither did we evaluate any alternatives. We were so sure that our plan would work that we completely overlooked possible alternatives. Finally, when we realized that we needed to alter a few things on the construction, it was too late—time was already up.

What We Should Have Done!

Our biggest mistake was that we were very optimistic about the time. Which I have noticed is very common when it comes to planning. During the planning period, we came up with the “perfect” plan, pretty fast. However, we did not evaluate any other alternatives. It was obvious that when it was time for us to implement the plan, we should have come up with a plan B! 

    

  

A Cultural Difference

The money “obsession” in the United States is something that is very different from what I am used to. Growing up in a small country, where there are no extremes of either wealth or poverty in society— most Swedes get to enjoy a traditionally high and stable standard of living. (It is worth mentioning that this at a high cost to individual taxpayers). Don’t get me wrong, people want to be able to enjoy life, however those who “have less” in Sweden will still be able to put their children in a good school and go see a doctor etc. (Since all schools are public and health-care is universal). In short, no matter what your income might be, most people live quite comfortably in Sweden compared to the United States.

Therefore, to a certain extend I do understand why “having” money is everything to some Americans. However, it was very shocking and sad, when I met people over here in NYC that would never for example, date a guy because he didn’t drive a nice car, or because he lived in a certain area. On top of that I have also come to notice that people with money over here, get treated in a certain way—almost as if they were better!? NOT OK! Anyway whether you have money or not, in the end living in a capitalist society will shape the way people think.

Is it true that if you work hard, you will also be able to work your way up the pyramid of the capitalist system? Maybe that is why people argue that this is the land of opportunities? :)

From Sweden With Love

Hi everyone,
My name is Hannah. I was born and raised in Stockholm Sweden. Six years ago I came to visit the great city of New York, but like so many others I fell in love with the fast paste life, the diversity and the countless opportunities this city has to offer. Sooner rather than later I decided to pack my bags, and experience New York City full time-- that was six years ago, and I'm still here :) I will graduate with my bachelor's degree in Communication from Baruch College in the fall-2011. Moving from another country all by myself, as well as accomplishing a degree are two of the challenges I have welcomed with open arms. Someone once said, "Welcome the challenges. Look for the opportunities in every situation to learn and grow in wisdom." These inspiring words define my approach, when faced with a challenge.

Enjoy the blog :)