Sorry Pebbles

Earlier this week in my management class, the professor told the class to get into groups of 5 so we could work on an activity. The activity involved planning a way to use 8 straws and 2 feet of tape to secure an egg in such a way that when dropped from standing on a desk, it wouldn't break. As a little motivation, he said that he would give us 10 points towards our grade if we were successful. That was enough incentive to actually want to put effort into this activity. So my group and I started with step 1 of the planning process: Define your goals and objectives. We understood that we would be given 25 minutes to plan out and draw a way to wrap the straws around the egg so, as required, at least 50% of the egg would be seen, and so the egg wouldn't break when dropped. We also understood that we would be given 10 minutes to actually put together the contraption, and name the egg (which we named Pebbles) and have a paper with the drawing and names of the group members on it. Step 2 of the process is: Determine current status compared to objectives. We knew that we'd have 8 straws and 2 feet of tape, but we didn't exactly assign everyone in the group a specific task. We didn't establish an individuals strengths or weaknesses, or who would do what. I guess we didn't think that to be very important, or we all just assumed that everyone was equally skilled. That lead to step 3: Develop premises and several alternative strategies. Everyone in the group thought of ways to wrap the egg up in a safe way to ensure it from staying in tact. We all threw out ideas, made drawings, critiqued each others ideas, and eventually agreed on one idea, and kept another one as a backup. The 4th step of the planning process is: Analyze alternatives and make a tactical plan. We planned to make a sort of square base with 4 straws, with the other 4 straws attached to the base (standing) and bending over to cradle the egg in the center. Our backup plan was to sort of imprison the egg in the straws so it would be properly shielded. So we made a decision, and knew how we were going to carry it out. However, once again, we didn't assign certain jobs to everyone because it was assumed that the person whose idea it was would direct, and the rest would all help with the assembling and taping. This all lead to the last step: Implement the plan and evaluate results. My group and I were rather unsuccessful in this step. As soon as the 10 minutes started, so did we. When it came time to tape the egg to the straws in the center (to cradle it), it didn't seem to work out very well. Everyone then got a bit nervous, and a couple of members of the group decided it would be better to resort to the backup plan. Unfortunately we were unable to finish putting it together, and what we had turned out to cover more than 50% of the egg. Even though my group was disqualified, we got to drop Pebbles, who was tragically cracked in a terrible fall. My group had very good communication and decision making skills, but our execution lacked. If we had distributed the work and had given a certain job to everyone, and maybe even had spent more time on how we would put together the egg securer, we would probably have successfully accomplished our goal. Regardless of that, I think this experience has taught all of us in the class what it takes to plan and implement based on that plan, and now, how to improve on that in future situations that require planning.

This May Seem Strange...

I've experienced many different cultures in my life through the people I've met and the few places I've been. I was born in America, which has always contained a vast amount of cultural diversity. When I think of this country I don't think of just one race, ethnicity, or culture, but of hundreds of them. People from all around the world come here to live the American dream, and many succeed.
My parents came to the US from India and brought with them all of their beliefs and traditions, which they later taught to their children. They taught us to respect our elders, say our prayers, help those in need, and become successful in life. They introduced us to Indian clothing (such as saris and langhas), Indian food (such as roti and curry dishes, but no beef), and Hindi movies and songs of Bollywood (the Indian Hollywood). These songs and movies have become half of my knowledge of music and movies of any kind, that I forget not everyone knows about them when I talk to my non-Indian friends. Once I started school, I was introduced to more and more to American culture, such as American stories and characters, English songs, and having lunch at 12 pm. The idea of having a boyfriend was not really an option for me because I wasn't really allowed , and thought that the only romance I would have in my life would be between me and my husband. Over here, it's perfectly normal to have had a few boyfriends or girlfriends before marriage, and parents have no problems with it
I've pretty much had an equal experience with both these cultures. However, as I got older, I started becoming more Americanized, which is why I'd feel more like a foreigner every time my family and I went to India to visit our relatives. Most women there walk around wearing Indian attire and braids in their hair. Marriages are usually arranged, but I think people there are slowly starting to step into the 21st century. Sales people are out on the streets trying to get people to come in to their stores and check out their selections. Since cows are considered sacred, they walk around freely on the roads. People there are rather monochronic. They take their time with tasks, and do one thing at a time. For example, at stores, the salespeople will sit you down, get you something to drink, and show you one by one anything you should consider buying. Then, the same person will charge it and pack it up. Also, a lot of people there have chauffeurs (if they have cars that is), and house maids, whereas in America, usually only the really rich have them. There is no real sense of proxemics in India. As long as no one is being molested, or sexually harassed, personal space is no issue, whether someone be real close up to your face, or far away from you.
I have many friends of different cultures (besides my own). For one thing, they all eat dinner at 5 or 6 pm, when I'm accustomed to eating at around 8 or 9 pm. They call their parents mom and dad, whereas I refer to them as mummy and papa. I have a muslim friend who doesn't eat pork, and has to pray 5 times a day. I can eat pork, but choose not to, so that's not weird to me, but I honestly don't think I'd remember to pray 5 times a day. Many of my friends speak another language besides English, and I'm always interested in learning how to say certain things in that language. I hope to learn a lot more about their cultures, and many others from the people I work with in the future, and/or if I ever get a chance to travel around the world.

My Mini Bio.

Hi everyone, my name is Varsha, and I am a dreamer. I dream about my future, people in my life, things that could have been, and things that might be out there just waiting to be discovered. I'm currently a junior at Baruch College, with a major in finance, and a minor in music. I am Indian and a Hindu, but that doesn't mean that I'm limited to certain beliefs. I enjoy watching all types of movies and reading books that don't bore me to sleep. I love music more than anything else, and I hope to have a future in it someday. Maybe I'll actually become a singer, or open up my own business dealing with something in music. I love going to new places, discovering new things, and making new friends. I enjoy being physically active, even though my stamina would suggest otherwise. I'm not exactly a big fan of school, but i'll take whatever I can get out of it.  I'm hoping to share as much information as I can to people who are looking for it, and I hope that the information will actually be helpful.