Last Sunday, the thirteenth of September, my classmates, teachers and I embarked on a field trip toward the Tibetan Autonomous Region of Sichuan. It was the first time I would leave my parents for more than just a few hours. The trip was four days long and it was quite fun. The environments we covered were varying and beautiful, and we discovered many different lifestyles that people in Tibet follow. We visited three significant spots and explored them. We stopped first at Wenchuan Earthquake Museum, which chronicled the effects of the deadly earthquake which struck Sichuan in 2008. After that, we settled in a village home stay, high up in the mountains. Then, we went to our final destination for the trip, Hei Shui, which was very beautiful.

  The drive from Chengdu to the Wenchuan Earthquake Museum was around two hours. The scenery on the way there was beautiful, but once we reached, it wasn’t so cheerful. The first thing that caught my eye when we parked the bus was a ruined school, barely standing. They were remains from the Earthquake from 2008. We went into the museum, and saw videos which showed the horror of the disaster. We also saw gravestones of the first responders during the Earthquake. They were the first to act and save lives when the Earthquake struck. It was heartbreaking, as I actually felt the tremors of the Earthquake, since I was in Beijing at the time.

        After our time at the Earthquake museum was over, we rode our bus to a village that was close by. The ride was not long. At the village, our guides told us about the history of the village, and we also climbed up a mountain. The history of the mountains was explained, and we learnt that the mountains were once under the sea, but that collisions between continental plates formed them. We also learnt about the waterways that interconnected under the village, and explored the labyrinth of underground gates hidden below the village. I learnt that the gates were used to defend against other tribes in the area.
The next day, after a healthy, traditional Tibetan breakfast, we headed for Hei Shui. The bus ride lasted 5 hours. We reached the town at a time when it was dusty due to construction. There were Tibetans wearing traditional clothing as well. During our stay at Hei Shui, we visited a Monastery at the top of a mountain, which had been there for over a thousand years. The scenery from the top was beautiful, and the patterns on the walls and roof of the Monastery showed traditional art. There were statues of many deities that the Tibetan Buddhists believed in. Another beautiful experience at Hei Shui was the glacier we visited. It was four thousand, eight hundred and sixty meters high, and it was quite icy. The glacier was over twenty thousand years old. The experience there provided for some very picture worthy moments.

This trip was my first time away from my parents, and also made me feel very independent. I learnt about Tibetan values, food, culture and Buddhist beliefs. I also learnt about the geology of Hei Shui and the mountains surrounding the area. Overall, in my opinion, the trip was an exhilarating experience, which provided a taste of the world as well as a piece of Tibetan values. I hope I get to learn more about Tibetans in the future, as their culture and their beliefs are very colorful.

Sources:
https://www.google.com.hk/search?newwindow=1&safe=strict&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=Hei+Shui+mountains&oq=Hei+Shui+mountains&gs_l=img.3…14448.30949.0.31147.30.17.10.0.0.0.545.1791.0j10j5-1.11.0.ecynfh…0…1.1j4.64.img..23.7.373.N6Hoy_47Row#imgrc=aD99BO1NOKPB1M%3A

https://www.google.com.hk/search?newwindow=1&safe=strict&tbm=isch&q=Wenchuan+earthquake+museum&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0CBgQvwUoAGoVChMI0vHo7LP_xwIVjJ2UCh245g5d&dpr=1&biw=1366&bih=667#imgrc=bpAv9IfZ4C8nkM%3A

For our Power and Leadership project in Language Arts, I had developed a research question already. How did Osama Bin Laden’s minority gain power over a majority of the world? With this question in mind, I began my research a week ago, and now have around 4 pages of research, outlining his early life, how he was influenced, and also his experiences in the Afghan war against the Soviets. However, after some time of note taking, I am now beginning to think about how the Al Qaeda compares to the terrorist groups that exist now, such as ISIS and the Taliban. With these thoughts, I have just changed my research question to “how did Osama bin Laden’s minority gain power over a majority of the world, and how does the Al Qaeda compare to groups such as ISIS and the Taliban?” I am going to continue with the research I am doing now, but also talk about how his actions compare to the actions of the Taliban and ISIS, and whether the Al Qaeda had the same objective in mind as ISIS and the Taliban do now.

For our power and leadership project, which we began two weeks ago, we needed to develop a research question which would be our main focus throughout the unit, until the final assessment task. A research question needs to have some aspects to it. It should be about what you are interested in. The question must not be too broad, and should not be able to be answered easily. For example, if the question is “Who did Osama Bin Laden consult for his medical degree?”, you could answer that with a name. By the way, Osama Bin Laden never got a medical degree. Do not cite me. Anyway, one should always use a research question with the words how, in what ways, and what reasons. These words help narrow down a Thesis to what you need to focus on. With all of these things in mind, I thought of my interests. Osama Bin Laden is interesting, so let’s go with him. But what about him is interesting. Then I thought, and I thought, and I thought. It didn’t take me too long to make a narrow thesis. I came up with this.

“How did Osama Bin Laden’s Minority gain power over a majority of the world?”

It was perfect. It wasn’t too broad, it had my interests, and it needed more than one answer in order to be clarified. I am starting to begin my research on the question, and I think it will be quite interesting to see what the extremist did to terrorize the planet.

I am a tenth grader now, and one step closer to the IB course. I thought, why not chronicle my journey through Language Arts? So that is what I am doing right now. This year in Language Arts (LA), we are beginning with a unit on power and leadership, and see how those two can be connected, as well as used in different ways. In order to analyze them, we had to get one nonfiction book, one fiction book, and watch two movies, and all of these had to display power and leadership in some way. For my nonfiction book, I chose a biography on Osama Bin Laden. He was an Al Qaeda leader that many people hated, but that followers adored. I am in the process of reading it. My fiction book was The Wave, a story based on a true incident in a Californian high school. Basically, the school becomes like Nazi Germany was in the 1940’s when Hitler was Chancellor, but without casualties. I have finished it, and I think it was quite a good read. The two movies I am going to watch are Lincoln and Captain Phillips. I have not watched Lincoln before, but I have watched Captain Phillips, back in early 2014, when I was still in America. All of these resources are tools to provide me with information on what power is, what leadership is, how they merge together, and the ways power and leadership can be used. It seems like a fun unit, with an abundance of freedom with every task. I am looking forward to see what comes next, and whatever comes at me, I’ll be sure to tell you about it.

Today was our Passion Project exhibition, in which I and many other students needed to show our projects that we had been working on throughout the year. Mine was to create a book off of a video game, The Last of Us, created by Naughty Dog. I made my booth look as attractive as possible for a book with a dark tone. Many teachers visited my booth, and quite a few students as well. Many of them were impressed with my textual feat, and I also persuaded them enough to actually want the book. Almost all the people that visited my booth ended up writing their E-mail address down so I could send them a digital copy of the book. I was happy that I had gained my own tiny “fans”, and I will soon send each of them a copy of my Passion Project. It’s been fun.

Rolland stared at the dish below him. “This will grant me immortality?” He asked the undead waiter. He nodded in reply, his head barely intact with his neck. Rolland covered his face with determination, and clenched the fork to his right. He stabbed the phoenix’s leg, and quickly dipped it in the sulfur sauce to his left. He gobbled it up wildly. The undead waiter fainted as he saw his mouth devour the grand meal. It wasn’t soon before he completed his appetizer. He sat up and wiped his face. “Good meal” Rolland said, “but it made my tongue tingle.”

At last, I have presented my creation to my fellow pupils. My toils have amounted to something great. The audience enjoyed my presentation. and their response was pleasing. However, there were some many technical difficulties with the technology being used, and so I was left with just words to make up for the lost images. And even then, the audience remained intrigued, and listened closely as I discussed famous explorers and scientists who pushed the boundaries of their own fields. However, If I could improve anything about my creation, I would include more detailed connections to the novel, Frankenstein, as the ones that I included were slightly vague. All in all, however, I think I did a wonderful job with the oral section, and also entertained the audience while I was speaking.

With happiness,

-Danyal Bokhari

They locked her inside the soundproof room. She screamed, yelled, but her voice was blocked by the ringing in her ears. She began to slam the walls of the room, but soon, she was reduced to a slobbering wreck on the floor.  Joan whimpered while crawling around the room, looking for something to feel. Her head bumped into something ceramic. A vase. She held in her tears, and touched the top. Joan felt its top. So as she lifted the lid, she heard sound escaping. She smiled as she realized the room was normal.

Joan was deaf her whole life.

The Last of Us, a video game created by Naughty Dog, puts two very different people in a very dire situation. The world has been overrun by a Cordyceps virus, which grows fungi over the host’s brain, leaving only basic bodily functions unharmed. The host, in this case, is the entire world population. Joel, a man hardened over the years is paired up with a young girl, Ellie. The two souls must travel across a post pandemic United States, avoiding the mindless infected which are around every corner. The game contains an abundance of emotion, and is truly a writer’s haven. However, it contains many brutal themes, which are not for people that are either faint of heart, or easily offended. Be sure you know what you’re getting into.

I have completed my creation. However, there are still some issues inside that I have to deal with, such as vague connections to the book, Frankenstein, which I needed to make throughout the project.  They are there, just not quite, well, there. It is, however, quite amazing how well my presentation transitions from one topic to another, seamlessly. It adds a certain flavor to the presentation that is absent when making a regular power point. My professor, Mrs. Taynton, is helping me with the process, so that my creation doesn’t get out of control during the presentation. I am certain that it will all “piece together”.

With high hopes,

Danyal Bokhari