After Monday DC2 completion, we got a new assignment for DC3, which includes two parts -- Social Science and scavenger hunt. There are three topics: Disaster relief, higher education and economic development, each team has to use scavenger hunt points won by monday evening to bid for the topic they would like to work on. The winner of each topic will receive $500 to donate to the charity we choose for the presentation. After quick brain storming, my new team(each design challenge, we were formed into different team in order to work with each other.) head on the road. Sadly, the cold snowy Boston suddenly changed into very windy and heavy rainy place, have to say, the rain here has not similarity with Seattle one. The wind was wild, and rainning hard, not like Seattle mild drizzling. My new SDM umbrella has not working well at all, totally got upside down multiple times, completely miss the function of preventing me from the rain. After a few stops, we went underground(apparently, the underground is way more complex than infinite corridor, at least in my eyes), where became the place we got lost, after circling around many turns, we could not figure the direction of building we need to go, and trying to get out. When we saw the elevator, we got in, then stuck with which button to push, 'P' or 'B', what does that mean?? ok, try 'P', raise up and reach the level, no door open, then we went back, stepping out the elevator, find the exit door to stairs, that is how we got out. When I turned around looking at this place again, I told myself that I'd rather confused with direction on the ground than going under.
After part of scavenger hunt, we all met at Characters for a celebration of completion of DC2. Yes, we all need this pause moment. By now, we have know each other pretty well, esp. with DC1 and DC2 team mates, we can comfortably joke around, expressing our opinions and sharing thoughts. Somehow the celebration always involves drinks. As we ordered different drinks, I told the waiter that I need something sweet. He came back with a "Happy Howaii". What I asked what is in it? couple classmates joked me not qualified for working for Liquor Control Board, since I do not know all the drinks!! Maybe I should suggest to my LCB Director to add this piece of information as new employee orientation requirement :)
Tuesday (26th) I could not join my team in the morning right away as I have registered one course at Harvard Business School. Apparently there is no easy way to get there, walking, then subway, then bus, then walking. The course is very informational and interesting. At HBS, I feel that I walk into a bank, at MIT, I feel that I am living in a creation of history. All great, but in a totally different way. At Harvard, it is taught by case-study. Your classmates will feed you with you various opinions, Prof. is like a captain, guiding your thoughts, pulling you back if you went too far. Meanwhile, my teammates went for scavenger hunt, exploring MIT and Boston. Later we suggested the program to have this done at DC1 while we were full of energy at the beginning of program and felt excited to explore.
After class, I raced back MIT, working with my team on disaster relief, our charity is a furniture donation organization. We use the mindmap which we used it as tool from System architecture class, to analyze the system for pre-disaster, disaster and post-disaster. Align with what is going on in Haiti, this research and study showed us how things could easily go wrong inside of system. It is easy to shrug the shoulder criticizing how things went wrong in Haiti rescue system, but it is so complex when we drilled into each step, which interconnect with so many things. Plus, even though many counties & people are willing to help and donate, the coordination job is humongous to take on.
By Wendesday morning, we started to see the draft of picture how we want to present. This DC is short one, several students will fly out right after DC3 presentation.
As I have a meeting in the afternoon(the same time to present DC3), I could not present, so, I was in charge of creating presentation and putting everything together. now, I have to mention, by this moment, we have been so tired, hate to use this word since it really sounds negative. We are having a good time, but we are in deed tired, some people getting sick(including my periodically 'duck voice'), I have starting forgetting things around or loosing the careful working part of me. One mistake I feel bad was to write down a wrong teammate name on the final presentation slide, terrible :( I could not use my tiredness as an excuse to explain why this happened. One of my classmates said something which I will always remember and remind myself of this incident that "when you present business plan to CEO, any tiny mistake could abort the plan, no matter how much time and efforts you put in."
Studying at MIT, I feel that you will study with the master of that field, the creator of known concepts/theories, the leading founder in this research area... I remind myself that I need to soon get over this excitement of new student(every time, we 'wow' to show how cool this is) and focus on the content in order to ask questions with those masters. I had a meeting with Prof. Jackson, who is such a down to earth, easy to talk with person! during the conversation, I told him that I applied Jackson system development steps in couple of system implementations I lead and shared my experience and opinions on that. I asked him if he plans to make any updates. He looked at me, saying "I am sorry that I am not the person who created this, you put the wrong name!", I looked at him, wondering how I could miss this, then he said "I will certainly let the creator know that you appreciate, he is my father who created this diagram and steps to implement system." oh my!
The meeting was at building of Ray and Maria Stata Center. It is quite unique building. Again, this is my one more time lost myself at MIT building, I just kept circling, could not find the office I was supposed to be. If you come to visit MIT, you should visit that building and a tour inside, which contains many famous MIT students' reactivities.
You have to be amazed by every team how they choose the charity, and what they presented, one team got the whole class involved to do a online test, to show how we can help the elementary education in science, very clever and creative!
As the close curtain of DC3, we also completed Jan. IAP. Bunch of us went to the famous Boston Beer House to celebrate. We found out as long as you have a local Bostonian around, you will find all kinds of fun place. Please do not take my post in a wrong way, we celebrate with alcohol, but we do not get drunk!
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