I pushed to the front of the crowd of seven to look at the sheet with the Capstone share order. Oh, great. I was first. “Well, it was the little kids, so they don’t really care of you mess up.” I told myself. I was right. I wasn’t that nervous. At least we were performing in the library, not in the auditorium where there is a big stage. When I went and had a bunch of little second grade eyes looking intently back at me. I started talking, and all I got was  blank stares. It went pretty well, and my friends said that I spoke loudly and slowly enough. I did it twice, because three classes came at separate times. The second time it also went well, and I wasn’t nervous at all.

The next day we had to share for the parents. That’s when I ran into a little bit of trouble. When I got up there, and looked at all their eyes trained on me, I got nervous. Theses people will actually understand what I’m talking about! My hands were shaking like maracas, but I flattened them on the edges of the podium like I’ve seen many professionals do. I put on my Soviet hat, which got everyone laughing and started talking. Everyone laughed at all my jokes, even the ones that weren’t funny, but it wasn’t a fake laugh like a “Oh, look how cute she is! Let’s laugh to humor her” kind of laugh, it was genuine. Overall, I was very happy with my outcome and proud of my presentation. If you are interested in it, look below!

https://youtu.be/PUiHEBWTUIA

Once I had finished my main inquiry question answer, I knew that writing my TED Talk script would be easy. The slides though, not as easy. I can write, and write, and write some more about the Soviet Union. The information is endless (though written for college students or adults), but you can’t really find pictures based off of them. I realized that when I wrote about Karl Marx and the creation of Communism, I could show a picture of Karl Marx. And when I talked about Czar Nicholas II, I put a picture of him (you as a reader probably have no idea what I’m talking about, but if you are interested, come to my table at the Capstone share). Then I started making comparison slides. I decided to put in a video. After I had finished everything and fixed the little mistakes, I did it in front of the class. When Mrs. Edwards gave me feedback, she said that the video was kind of long, and only someone who did a lot of research liked I did. I had a choice. Cut it out, or crop it. I decided to cut it out. I didn’t need it, I had enough information in my presentation that I didn’t really need it. I had taken a couple of paragraphs from my main inquiry question answer and put it in. I also put a little humor into it. I didn’t want to be standing there droning on and on about the Soviet Union, Karl Marx, Joseph Stalin, and financial equality……………………………………….. Sorry, sorry. I fell asleep just thinking about it.

I realized that I make my ted talks and slides differently. Most kids make slides first and then write an index slide based off of it. I actually write my script and make some slides based off of it.  When I switch slides, it doesn’t mean I started talking about something completely different. When I start talking about Communism, and I make a slide for it.

I think my final product is really good, and I’m excited to do it in front of everyone (even though the smaller kids will have no idea what I’m talking about).

There was only one reason answering my main inquiry question was easy. My sub questions. After I answered those (and I won’t get into it, but it was really difficult.), my main inquiry was a piece of cake! Preferably chocolate.  Just for a refresher, my main inquiry question is, “What was it like to be a Soviet Union citizen after WWII and before the dissolution of the Soviet Union?” After answering my sub question, “What were economics like during this time?” Now I knew about the economics that the Soviets endured.  I just had to put all my notes into writing.

The Soviet Union was a place where everyone is equal. No matter what your job was. Someone who has a job like a banker or a doctor would get upset. Humans are not perfect. They will slack off, thinking that they worked harder to get this education that won them this job. Why should they be payed as much as a coal miner? Not only that, but they got so little, barely enough to take care of themselves, let alone a whole family! And, they didn’t have the freedom of speech. The weren’t allowed to say anything remotely bad about the government. They didn’t have the freedom of press, they weren’t allowed to print or write anything bad about the government either. And lastly, they weren’t allowed to protest against the government. Even if they believed that they should be able to practice any religion they wanted, the Soviets had to go with what the government said. The government was responsible for health care, and owned all houses.

I learned a lot about the Soviet Union by answering my sub questions!

I had no idea what to do for my site visit. A Russian embassy? No, they would never let me in. A Soviet museum? Does that even exist?  I was stuck. Unfortunately, I was stuck. When it’s the middle of May, and your site visit is due in what seems like forever, you put it off. And that’s exactly what I did. 5/31 (when our blogs post was due) was creeping closer and closer. If I didn’t come up with and go on a site visit soon, I would be in big trouble. So, I went home to consult my mom. She thought for a little bit, and suggested Brighton Beach. Having never been to Brighton Beach, I asked why I was going to a beach for the Soviet Union. For all of those out there who were like me, and don’t know what Brighton Beach is, it’s an area (that happens to have a beach called Brighton Beach) where Soviet citizens went after they immigrated. Great, now you know. Let’s move on. I have something to tell you, reader, that I didn’t know at that time. 5/31 was closer than I thought. The one time I wanted time to slow down,  and it sped up. Ideally, I would have gone that weekend, but we were going to Mattituck to spend time with family friends. We decided to go on Monday, the day before the due date. It was Memorial Day weekend, so we had it off. That day, I ran head-first into a different problem. All the shops that were were going to tour were closed! Luckily, we had a backup. An area in Queens were Soviet also immigrated to. When I got there, my mom took me to a Russian grocery store. It was interesting to see the different varieties of Russian foods and Russian candy. My mother bought some Russian candy for the class (nut free, of course). Then we went to another Russian store on the block. It was actually right next door. I now have a couple of souvenirs to put on my capstone table, like a Russian nursery rhyme book, and a Soviet hat to wear during my TED talk. I think my site visit was very successful, and I got to learn how Soviet Immigrants went from not even owning their own houses, to owning their own businesses.

Misty Copland was the only black girl in her class. Before she started ballet, they had a image. When you imagined a ballet dancer, you imagine someone pale and frail. Now, we have someone muscular and with dark skin. It changes the image of ballet dancers around the world. Even though she was 13 when she started, and you usually have to start much younger to have enough practice to be successful, she still was. I especially liked this quote;  Continue reading →

The first person that I interviewed was my grandfather. He actually immigrated from the Soviet Union in 1978. He also has a very strong opinion about communism and politics, so I thought it would be interesting. It was. But what should I do for my questions? I didn’t want to say my sub questions word for word! So, I sat down with Mrs. Edwards. We thought, thought, and thought some more. We looked at my sub questions. “What questions should I do to help me answer these” I had thought. So we thought, and thought, and thought some more. Here are my sub questions:

1.  What comes to mind when I say the word “Communism”?
2. When and where you born and raised?
3. When did you become aware of the politics of your country?
4. What was your opinion then? What about now?
5. As you grew up, did your parents ever speak to you about the Soviet Union before WWII?
6. Was the experience the same in Kiev as other major cities in the Soviet Union at the time?
7. What did you study in college? What influenced your decision to study it?
8. If you could describe your life as a Soviet citizen in one word, what would it be and why?
9. How did being a Soviet Union citizen hinder your activities and daily life?
10. What big world events do you remember happening while you growing up?
11. Looking back, were you aware of the Soviet’s use of propaganda at that time?
12. What made you decide to move to America?
13. Was life in America what you imagined it to be?
14. How does life in America compare to life in the Soviet Union?
15. Did you ever say or do anything to express how you felt about the Soviet Union while you were living there?
16. If you could give advice to your 25 year old self, what would you say?
17. Did you ever consider moving to Moscow? Why or why not?

My grandfather had a lot of intelligent answers. I had more than 10 questions because some of mine could be answered in a sentence. Before my interview, my mom helped me write a timeline of my grandfather’s life. It was so I could have a little background information. When he started talking about college, I could picture when that was, and it made it easier. I hd prepared a whole binder with blank sheets of paper and a clean notebook (well, I had to rip a couple of pages out, but that’s not the point). It turns out I didn’t need them, for my computer didn’t run out of battery or anything. I think my interview was a success, and I am excited to go on my site visit. Where? I’m not telling. Let me leave on that note of suspense!

After reading the Power of Quiet, I thought a little bit. Then I thought some more. Then I thought a little more. Then, I asked my friends. “Am I an introvert or a extrovert?” I said. As soon I said my first interrogation question, my friends replied. “You’re definitely a ambivert.” I thought for a second and agreed. After reading my next question, I asked Interrogation Question #2. “But examples do I have?” Well, I like sitting with a friend and reading quietly. I do it during snack and indoor recess sometimes. But I’m also loud. So, I wrote it down. I learned a lot about introverts and extroverts!

Today, Grace Lin visited Heathcote. She was supposed to come on the 14, but she had to post-pone. She was visiting the president! Mrs. Lin first talked about the different types of books she’s written. She told us that she writes picture books, early reading  books, and novels.  She also informed us that a new novel of hers is coming out this October! It’s called “When the Sea Turned to Silver” Mrs. Lin said that she is currently working on a new novel. She told us that her idea might change, so hold us to her word. So you never read this…………  It is about a girl who’s parents run a chinese food restaurant, and they decide that they wanted to make their own fortune cookies. This girl makes the fortunes, and they start coming true. Now, on three, we’re going to erase that from our minds…. One…… Two…….. *build up suspense* THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wait, what were we talking about? Anyway, she taught us how to draw a tiger and about it’s special stripes. It was very exciting to meet a big-time author!

After finishing our catapult, we were wondering how we were going to launch it from a high place. I had no ledge or little crevice in the wall big enough to fit our catapult. So we decided as a group to tape a slab of wood to the wall, and have it sit on top of that. Let me just tell you, that was much harder than expected. Audrey had to leave right when we established that, so there was just Julia and Julia left. With one person holding, and the other one taping, we had a pretty good process. But it took a lot of tape. It looked messy, but that wasn’t the problem. When we tested it with the catapult (which had two full soda cans and a metal fork), and it sagged down. So, after putting our heads together, we took a piece of string and taped one end to the wood. The other end we taped to the wall, and stretched it tight like a guitar string. It seemed to work well. After we repeated that on the other side, we peeled of the excess tape. Julia’s mom arrived and it was time for her to leave, so we took a quick picture of our catapult holder to submit to Mrs. Edwards. The next morning when I had woken up and checked on it, I found the catapult on the cushion we had put beneath it to stand on. The slab of wood was hanging from a single piece of tape. We probably shouldn’t have left the catapult on the stand overnight! Back to the drawing board!