Discovery camp - Day 2

Hi again !

Like I have heard during these 2 days, we're moving! we gotta go on the train ! 
Well this day, was on the bus, direction Dinard.
We were lucky, the weather was nicer than what the tv meteo showed last evening.

So, we started the day at the Grand Hotel Barriere in Dinard. Very nice place to spent the day btw. 

As a continuing journey, a group af the class explained by a sketche the first part of the book City of Intelligence, which was City of Dreams. When we had to create the group last evening, I offered to be a "back up" in case anybody had a family emergency once at home. Why didn't I wanted to be really part of the group presenting that part : because it didn't talked to me at all.
I'll explain to you why. First, Mrs. Gendreau explained to us on tuesday what happened to her, what her reflexion was at a certain point, when she realized that at the professionnal and economical level, she had reached a top but she felt incomplete, so she had to persue a dream, so she changed pretty much everything in her life. Then, in the book, we had the exemple of this woman dreaming from her beautiful office to follow her dreams too. And then, the group sketche took the exemple of a successful lawyer who dreamed about becoming a gardener. OK. I know it is very important to have dreams, to follow them, in order to go on everyday, to look in front of us.
BUT, and I insist, I put a HUGE BUT, show me the same exemple but the woman dreaming about becoming a gardener is a cashier in Carrefour, has 2 kids, a house to pay for for the next 20 years, and she and her husband are earning just enought money to finish the month well and go every year 2 weeks in vacations in France or in a country nearby. Now, tell me: would she take the risk to loose a safe job? would it be reasonable? 
So for me, all this topic about following our dreams is very simple to tell when you have first reach a top, and so earn enought money to have a safe bank account.
That said, thank you to the group for there acting. They were pretty good, and we had a nice time watching them and guessing.

I have dreams. Lot of them. Some are more easily achievable than other, but still, for now on, I can't take the risk of saying goodbye to everything because I want to go live in a farm in Canada. If tomorrow I can afford to feed my family, I would have change my dream into a nightmare. So, here again, yes, you can follow your dreams, but having money first is the only thing that can allows you to take some risks, as soon has you have responsabilities (children, husband, family, banker!!!) So, to achieve this dream, I will first work hard to find a great job, to earn money, to meet interesting people and create new relashionship, then when I will have save enought money, I will think about the many dreams my husband and I have for our family. 

It reminds me also of another reflexion we have had during the class. That having much more things at home for exemple, wouldn't make us happier. Maybe it work for some person. For me it does NOT. If I buy something new, like my video game X box, it is to have fun with my friends and husband when we have some times at home. So yes, it is maybe not necessary, but if I buy lot of things like this (because I am a materialistic person, and I like spending money shopping) I can assure you, that makes me happier, and using them, even a few, always make me happier too! To conclude this topic: I think it is too easy to criticize the mass consumer society, and it is kind of an egoistic point of view. Can these people criticizing just admit that we are all different, some don't need to have much to be satisfied, other need to have more, and other need to have much more than they really need. 

Let's get out for a while. We took the boat! It was awsome. The see was calm, the sun was shinning a little bit, like it often does during the beginning of automn, and the fresh air coming from the sea is the perfect thing to make you feel alive. In my case, to wake me up a little! And we arrived in St Malo. 

A part of the group

 view of the see from St Malo

A faulse drawing of the group in front of St Malo intra-muros

 

Then we define 3 values : 

INTEGRITY - COMMITMENT - EMPATHY

Let's go for a bright idea! Finding the representation of the class values choices to create a Totem. I like this kind of stuff because it brings creativity to the surface, and I am convinced it is very important to have some nowadays. For me, creativity help more than dreams to advance.

My group sharing was fun. We had a great lunch and we liked presenting our idea to the class.

... And... wanna know what surprised me at the end? above all the 6 groups proposal, we ended by something weird... Let me explain. From the 1st to the 5th group, the totem idea or schemas represented something concret (a tree, in a vase, a globe, a scale, humanification of totem whith image of people, a boat - special applause for you Esther, for defending your point of view) and one group presented something very abstract, to linked with the contempory art we've seen yesterday. After the first vote even, this idea was in the 2 last positions. SO... tell me what, after spending hours on how can we mixed the 2 or 3 projects that obtain 10 vote more than this one, we ended trying to make a sketch of something abstract looking like the 6th proposition. Like some other I talked with, this final totem we came along with doesn't talk to me ANYMORE. Too abstract, I can imagine such a thing in the middle of the school, does anybody is going to understand what is the meaning ? OK, so you have to had a explaination of what it means just near of the totem. For me, if you need to explain the message you wanted to share, it means your message is not clear, and your creativity is out. So, as Wan suggested, it didn't have to be perfect, so I joined the group and tryed to find ideas in that sense, but, be sure that, at the end of the TOTEM's journey, I will not be satisfyed of the work we would have done, because, I don't feel like sending the good message.

But I will completely be part of creating it, because the group (majority I guess!!!) wants that, and I like being part of that group. I already have ideas for the raw materials and I will try to do an exemple for november to show the result to the class. In fact, it is a good excuse for me to do some handcrafting with my daughter!!!

Oh, I forgot, during the boat trip, we had to draw our best place to be. I will post my drawing latter. This was a very inspiring moment by the way.

Then we have had a long promenade among the beach. Was nice. A little bit less long would have been great in my condition of course :-) But, when I am on top of my capabilities (it means when I am not stuck being pregnant - what I hate a lot) I love these kind of walk. And the final First Name game : so funny! I wasn't that bad.... wasn't I ???

I have to precise, even if I seem a little bit reluctant or too much criticizing some part of  the discovery camp, be assure I did like it a lot and I do like the appoitment of doing the e-diary, because, if you know me well, you should know that, when I really don't like something (like my previous job) I quit, and I do not make any effort towards people or tasks given. So, I am enjoying this, but I can't agree to all of what I have been told these past few days, that's all.

This is how end my vision of the discovery camp journey. I will had some drawing latter.

Bye.