Teamwork

Today was all about teamwork. I started off my day at 8:00 because of the ropes course. It started to rain, so we actually did it inside. We did multiple puzzles such as the magic carpet, and the maze. What I focused on today was not just how to have fun, but I learned about relationships and team building.

The magic carpet was one of the hardest tasks and the one I remember the most. We all had to flip over the carpet to the other side while standing on it, and by not using our hands. The only way we had to do this was through communication. There were also blind/ disease having people, that could not really contribute. What I learned and am willing to take back home with me, is helping others in need. There were blind people in our game, how are they suppose to know where to go? There were also mute people playing in our game, how are they suppose to contribute? Even if people are different I still think that we should help them out by either walking them through it, or showing them the way. The idea of "showing people the way" can also be used in real life problems too.

The maze game was all about memory. There was one ways to get across the maze in a series of 10 steps. However there were about 4 by 4 squares and we had to go in the correct order. If you messed up, then you would have to start from the beginning. This game was about paying attention to the people in front of you, and learning from yours and their mistakes. This can be used in real life because people do have to learn from their mistakes and make sure that it doesn't happen again. It's just like writing an essay. You should always write out a draft first and then have someone correct it to see what you did wrong so you can make it better. Like what if I wanted to write an essay about Ruth Simmons and got everything completely wrong? At least I would have a draft that people could look at first to tell me, "Hey that's not right!" Then I could change it to the correct things, I basically learned about using trial and error with a group of people.

This whole course reminded me of one thing, the book Never Eat Alone. The whole idea today was about working together, helping out your teammates, and sometimes relying on them. This course also helped build stronger relationships and helped us trust each other a little more. Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi talks about just that. When I go back to California I should not work on my effort to change the world on my own. I should find people that are willing to help me out, share my same cause, and even make some sacrifices along the way. Building on relationships is an important thing because every big person who made a change from Oprah, to Ruth Simmons, and even Barack Obama had to get to where they are today by building relationships and trust along the way. I have to be willing to do the same if I want change.