Year 9 2019 Service Learning Newspaper

WEEK WITHOUT WALLS - YEAR 9 CAMBODIA

CAN WE REALLY BUY HAPPINESS? INA RYANG

SUBLIME SPORTS: SEOUL EDITION GERASSIMOS

GERASSIMOS,INA,CHLOE AND TOBBY

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A YEAR 9 STUDENT TOBBY BAE

DADDY NICK CHLOE HAN

WWW YEAR 9

Can We Really Buy Happiness?

How much do all the generic dream jobs pay? Doctors’ salaries are $313,000, lawyers are paid $120,000, and the list goes on. According to recent research, happiness levels do not increase over an annual salary of $70,000. So, then, why is it that we long for bags and bags of cash and other riches? It may be because of the pervasive belief that wealth translates to happiness, but is that really the case?

According to websites like “Our World In Data”, a website which calculates many things regarding our world in statistical formats like graphs, percentages, and more, it is evident that global poverty figures have decreased dramatically over the past century, with a more defined decline since 1950. In short, our world has become richer, and although there are still many countries in the world which do experience extreme poverty, on the whole, compared to the 1800s, we are actually much better off. A quick look at the most recent World Happiness Report published this year reveals, however, that the level of happiness has actually decreased. The United States has seen its own happiness index drop since 2010. Even though its economy has 1 grown consistently since the Great Depression of the 1930s, interestingly its happiness levels have not recovered to the same extent.

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GERASSIMOS,INA,CHLOE AND TOBBY

The World Happiness Report states that “numerous indicators of low psychological well-being such as depression, suicidal ideation, and self-harm increased sharply among adolescents since 2010.”

But this seems very contradictory - if Americans are better off now than they ever have been, surely they should be happier? The Easterlin Paradox has the answer to this. It states that “at a point in time happiness varies directly with income both among and within nations, but over time happiness does not trend upward as income continues to grow.” Quite clearly then, prolonged and sustained levels of happiness cannot be bought.

Some people may contradict this with the argument that in fact, happiness does directly relate to one’s financial status, but this is only due to a few reasons. More money means more liberty to be benevolent and give back to the community, and that is something that brings happiness. Using money to help others in charitable causes can bring a strong sense of self-worth, which, in turn, can lead to high levels of satisfaction and happiness.

Additionally, money can bring ephemeral happiness, but this feeling of ecstasy is not prolonged and will most likely end in less than a day. To illustrate, a trip to the Louis Vuitton store will bring a moment of happiness, and will probably aid in elevating status, and this, in itself, will bring momentary happiness. Chris Boyce, a psychologist at the University of Warwick in the UK stated that “people do feel happier when their wealth gives them a higher status than their peers.” However, he does go on to explain that this will not last forever. He maintains that it is much more effective for a country to focus on areas of our lives which “might bring substantially more happiness, such as our mental health.”

This makes sense if we think that happier people would likely be more productive in the workplace.

Maybe money “can buy happiness - to an extent,” according to ShareCare, a website that has various highly educated people writing about topics concerning physical health, mental health, social health, and more. Andrew Jeb , a doctoral student at Purdue University, explained that the “ideal income point” was $95,000 for everything including basic needs like rent/mortgage, food, clothes and other essential needs. For just emotional wellbeing, however, is “much lower”, at a range of $60,000 to $75,000. However, this amount is for individuals and would “likely be higher for families.” So, according to this data, the popular but false implication that ‘more money = more happiness’ is not necessarily true, and from some websites, at a point, the happiness and money relationship will become inversely related.

In fact, the children in Cambodia were not on the affluent side of the financial scale, but they do say: ‘ignorance is bliss’. They most likely do not know the luxuries of having a toilet with a flush feature, or the feeling of getting into soft and newly-made duvet covers, but they know that what they have is enough for them.

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GERASSIMOS,INA,CHLOE AND TOBBY

For people who know what is out there and the potential luxuries they could be provided with, their life eventually becomes insatiable, with everything becoming another annoyance to them, and their main point of speech as, “but, I could have more of this,” or “I could have this instead.” People with financial privileges should use their money for good, and donating to good causes like charities will allow one’s personal happiness to increase and also help out others who may have great potential for something but do not have the resources to show the world.

Money is really only able to buy new shoes and other material goods, and maybe to use money for good can enlighten and spark happiness in someone, but it is not possible to buy happiness, if not merely fleeting bliss.

Sustainable happiness can only be created by love, peace, health, and other intangible nouns that people inundated in riches often find hard to maintain. So no - we cannot buy happiness, and greed for affluence is now - as we realize - a thing of the past. Simply $95,000 can support one’s emotional well being as well as the standards in which they live, and we all know it: ‘money is the root of all evil.” This may not be true, but it certainly does not help to prove that money can, in fact, buy happiness.

BY INA RYANG

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WEEK WITHOUT WALLS - YEAR 9 CAMBODIA

GERASSIMOS,INA,CHLOE AND TOBBY

Sublime Sports

GERASSIMOS MOSHANAS

Every student that stayed in Seoul missed (and were initially jealous of) the students that had the opportunity to travel and explore Cambodia. Despite this, there was one thing that kept us all going - sports. Luckily, our week went smoothly without any interference from the weather or the air quality, and so we were able to enjoy our time outdoors playing various sports in sunny yet chilly weather; a perfect match for a friendly outdoor environment for us to have fun and make new friendships.

Bonding and basketball ate up a huge part of our time during the week without walls (WWW) trip. Although we stayed in school, we were able to experience friendships through sports and teamwork among other students in different grades. Playing frisbee with the year seven students truly depicted the spirit of friendship through sports with new and different people. During our unnecessarily long break times, we always made up fair teams and we teamed with new partners. We developed new strategies among ourselves, as well as some new techniques. Winning - as well as losing - took place during our recess, which built our skills and our morals too! We took failure in a positive way, as another chance for victory. These opportunities allowed us to show sportsmanship for others, and will indefinitely aid in building a friendly and fair character in the future.

Another key element we were able to develop was respect towards not only our teammates but also our opponents. Not to forget, losing helped the bond between us, as we always congratulated and encouraged each other, showing the value of respect among our community. This valuable and active experience helped us develop the respect we had for other people. We understood the significance of practice and perseverance, not only in basketball but in other life subjects such as other sports or when stuck in writer’s block. Most importantly, we all learned that most sports aren’t just for a single player, but rather for the whole team and that everyone is needed for a successful game. Having good collaboration and communication skills in a basketball game will allow for a significant advantage, as passing and defending effectively will aid in a victory. The whole theme of sports in our WWW was teamwork. Additionally, we discovered the true meaning of fair play between each other.

As mentioned before, frisbee and basketball were the main sports we played. In these sports, everybody felt that the teams were fairly made. The year nines’ vs year sevens’ played up to 5 points and the game ended as 5 - 4 with a victory for the younger team. Although the year nines’ had a desire to win, we took this opportunity of loss to reflect and think about the previous games. We were incredibly tired but in the end, we realized what a fun and enjoyable game we had. That is what really mattered, and we made so many new friends with younger peers and learnt new techniques from them, and vice versa. We all made memories and enjoyed our time for this week, and I believe that that was one of the best ways we could have spent our WWW experience.

BY GERASSIMOS MOSHONAS

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WEEK WITHOUT WALLS - YEAR 9 CAMBODIA

GERASSIMOS,INA,CHLOE AND TOBBY

Daddy Nick - Chloe Han During our visit to the local school, KS3 students were shocked to see their head boy, Nick Choi carrying a young student. This was a rare moment that exposed his inner soft side, as he is most well known for the way he talks; his speech is often monotone and in a very low voice. Choi’s tall and broad appearance was another aspect that may factor in on a cold and scary first impression.

Throughout the day, he was also spotted playing basketball with the young children, giving off smiles and waves that would have been extremely hard to spot in school or anyplace else. This received others’ shock and surprise, as none of his peers had ever seen him in such a loving manner towards anyone before.

Even when he was drenched in sweat and seemed to be exhausted from all the labor, he would always maintain a bright face and played catch with the students during any break he got. This attracted a large amount of attention from both peers and teachers, calling him ‘daddy nick’ and also received numerous comments, namely compliments, such as “cute”, “good-looking”, or “good with kids.

The students at the school awaited our arrivals with bright, heartwarming smiles which we inevitably smiled back at, and the young kids motivated us to work harder. These children grabbing our hands, braiding our hair and giving out hand-picked flowers instantly melted all of our hearts - no wonder why Nick couldn’t resist loving them!

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WEEK WITHOUT WALLS - YEAR 9 CAMBODIA

Terrifying tarantulas! or so we think…

GERASSIMOS,INA,CHLOE AND TOBBY

CHLOE HAN

Although it may seem completely out of the ordinary, tarantulas are considered a delicacy in Cambodia for various reasons including health benefits and taste. Containing high levels of zinc, which helps with child growth, they are a perfect snack! Tarantulas are often enjoyed with rice wine or cold beer by locals. Crispy on the outside, soft and well seasoned on the inside, the tarantulas are served deep-fried, and they cost anywhere 15¢ to $1.50. Considering the minimum wage for locals employees in Cambodia of a mere 6 dollars, tarantulas are considered a very costly and luxurious treat. CNN News seemed to have taken interest in this creepy-crawly, saying that tarantulas are only eaten by Cambodian locals ‘ for a special event’ and that ‘everyone [has only] one or two’.

These days, fast food has developed and their price range doesn’t differ much from insect cuisines.

However, because of their shocking visuals, people often show rejection towards the delicacy; by putting yourself in the locals’ shoes, these eight-legged arachnids are probably on the healthier side in comparison to burgers and McNuggets (although they do taste very good!). Although the tarantulas, as a foreigner, are not the tastiest thing one has ever put into their mouth, they are quite tasty and as a poor farmer, they are probably the most delectable thing they will ever try.

It wasn’t until the mid-1970s when this exotic dish was discovered and enjoyed, and although now enjoyed on a regular basis, this delicacy was made out of necessity during the Khmer Rouge era. During this period, the government was overthrown and led by Pol Pot. The whole population of Phnom Phen Cambodia’s capital city - was under the oppression of the new government and the people were struggling to simply survive in the extreme conditions of intentional starvation and torture. Now, this was when the tarantulas were introduced into the sufferage of Cambodia.

It was found that these ‘Thai Zebra Tarantulas’ were edible and contained high levels of protein, folic acid and zinc contents which were enough to sustain the health of hungry Cambodians - desperate - Magnesium, Sodium and Phosphorus. The tarantulas were also extremely convenientthey were easy to catch by both adults and young kids unaccompanied, which was very helpful. Now, due to their ever-growing popularity, they have been getting harder and harder to catch, putting the steady but lowly income of poor families in jeopardy. They aren’t poisonous, however, their bites are very painful and are often compared to a severe wasp sting.

This delicacy was a way to nourish the population during the rule of the Khmer Rouge, but why is it still enjoyed by Cambodian locals today? It may be due to tourist attractions, but nevertheless, foreigners should still understand that this eight-legged arachnid was part of history and was what kept Cambodians alive 6 during one of the worst political reigns.

WEEK WITHOUT WALLS - YEAR 9 CAMBODIA

GERASSIMOS,INA,CHLOE AND TOBBY

Your Daily Dose of Opinions: Cambodia Edition TOBBY ( SEUNGMIN) BAE

As soon as year nine arrived back into the arms of their parents, everyone was bombarded with questions - “How was it, honey?” “Was working outside in the sun hard?” Many of the questions related to the physical labor. This is why a daily dose of opinions is essential, to answer every question while showing multiple perspectives. Due to the plethora of unanswered questions, I decided to interview a few of the students and see their perspective on the 2019 WWW trip to Cambodia.

Firstly, I asked a few of the students that missed out on Cambodia if they had any questions, and also asked some parents. I then asked my fellow peers - who were with us throughout the service trip and most of them have responded with similar answers - Ina responded that it was extremely tiring from the ‘sweltering heat’, but ‘seeing the children’ and ‘regular breaks helped us get through it.’. My personal opinion was similar: it was very hot and humid, and carrying buckets of rocks and sand took all our energy very quickly, so overall it was very tiring but the happy smiles on the children's faces and them handing out flowers to us really helped us work harder, and forget about the conditions of our working area.

Another frequently asked question we got was about how we spent our time when we weren’t outside, working. Most of the free time we had was in the evening, after our service. So, I tended to spend most of my time to shower and eat ramen with my roommate. Also, some other boys had pillow fights, watched Cartoon Network on TV and much more. The other girls who visited Cambodia like Chloe and Ina also spent their time in a similar way to the boys.

We were also asked about our hotel in both cities. The first hotel did not live up to my expectations. The worst aspect of the hotel was the bathroom. The water pressure was very weak which also meant that the flushing system was extremely bad, and the airflow system in the bathroom was the part that threw me off. I could smell the faeces scent after my roommate had excreted his waste. Although it wasn’t necessary, I would’ve liked to see free ramen in the first hotel like the hotel in Kampuchea. Lastly, there were a lot of insects and other foreign invasive animals like cockroaches and gecko lizards.

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WEEK WITHOUT WALLS - YEAR 9 CAMBODIA

GERASSIMOS,INA,CHLOE AND TOBBY

“What was Cambodia’s food like?” The answer to this may be surprising to some due to the way we were raised and stereotypes, but Cambodia’s food was not that bad. On the first day, I was worried about how safe eating this would be, but it didn’t cause any major health issues, besides a few cases of food poisoning and constipation. The insect food was not my favorite, though. It looked very bare, but the taste wasn’t as bad as I expected. I really recommend that, as a tourist, anyone visiting Cambodia should try insect foods!

BY TOBBY (SEUNGMIN) BAE

Time to eat - but first…!

GERASSIMOS MOSHANAS

Mouthwatering dishes filled the year nine students’ mouths during our week without walls (WWW) at Seoul Foreign School. We experienced ancient dietary plans and explored their impact on our health compared to diets that have been more recently developed. We also got the opportunity to discover more about the Stone Age, and how the people in this period managed and controlled their food choices, considering their limited options. We tasted many exotic dishes and explored the science and ethics behind them. Something that really delighted us was bread - it sounded banal to the students too - but trying it changed their views!

Among other astonishing meals, we made bread using a recipe that was not traditionally followed. It was a recipe for an old version of what we now know as ‘sourdough bread’, and was quite flavorful! We cherished and savoured every bite and also enjoyed the process of making it. The bread and the cheese made a delicious pair, and together, the plain and salty flavours balanced each other out, bringing the best out in both flavours. The cheese was made a day earlier than the bread, and the cheese was made similarly to the bread - perfectly! We made some tropical and tasty variations of the cheese by adding dashes of chilli and chocolate to it. Nobody wished for meal time to come to an end, but we had to eat quickly so that we could continue with our main activity. Moreover, we learnt more about the history behind exotic foods as well as the science behind it, and how, in the bread, the bacteria slowly prepared the bread for baking in the time span of five days. We carefully took time ‘feeding’ the bacteria to allow the bread to rise to its full potential; we did not want to waste any! This was very different in comparison to today's bread, as in our modern-day world, the yeast organisms allow the bread to rise. With the help of Mrs Olivier, we carefully obeyed the specific directions of the recipes that allowed us to eat our delicious meal.

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WEEK WITHOUT WALLS - YEAR 9 CAMBODIA

GERASSIMOS,INA,CHLOE AND TOBBY

It was predicted that this eating would cause us to go into calorie-overload, so we had a plan. We would make it! Stirring the milk with the citric acid for at least 15 minutes was extremely tiring for our arms and this was simply for the cheese to start formulating. We had to knead the sourdough for an additional 30 minutes. By the end of it, the sweat had seeped through our shirts, and our faces were dripping. The dough was very dense and hard to knead, resulting in this arduous exercise session. After baking the bread and formulating the cheese, our hard day of labour paid off; we realized how worthwhile our workout had been. The crispy crust and the soft inside momentarily filled us with a feeling of satisfaction and bliss.

Our week without walls was truly a wonderful experience and everyone enjoyed eating new and exotic foods like duck’s heart served with rice, chicken oesophagus, and a bowl of unusual Vietnamese bone soup. Although these foods may seem like the star, they weren’t. The most ordinary aspects of our meal were what stood out to us. We were part of many activities in WWW which truly lifted our spirits when our other peers were away in Cambodia. Even though we were stuck in school, we had an unbelievably magnificent time.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SCRUMPTIOUS MEAL: Sourdough Bread 5.35 oz / 150g bubbly, active starter 8.80 oz / 250g warm water, preferably filtered 90 oz / 25g olive oil 7.65 oz / 500g bread flour (not all purpose) 35 oz / 10g fine sea salt ine ground cornmeal, for dusting.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Cheese 1 tsp. cheese salt (optional) 1 gallon gallon of cow or goat milk 1 1/4 cup cup cool, chlorine-free water 1 1/2 tsp. citric acid 1/4 rennet tablet or 1/4 tsp. liquid rennet Large bowl of water, placed in the refrigerator when you start Large bowl of water, placed in the freezer when beginning

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WEEK WITHOUT WALLS - YEAR 9 CAMBODIA

GERASSIMOS,INA,CHLOE AND TOBBY

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