Journey to the Center of the Earth

As part of my AP English Literature class entitled "Pursuit of Happiness," I have recently been reading Japanese author Haruki Murakami's 1999 book  Sputnik Sweetheart , which tells the story of a struggling young writer, Sumire, and her relationship with a woman 20 years her senior, Miu, all told through the eyes of K, the novel's male narrator. The book presents a conflict of sorts between its characters' Japanese identities and the influence of American pop culture. For instance, the novel makes a point of accrediting Sumire's existence as an aspiring writer faced with seemingly inescapable writer's block to the great support of her family, the stipend of whom supports Sumire's fruitless career. This level of familial support and the overarching sense of communal responsibility that it betrays is portrayed as falling in somewhat direct contrast to the distinctively American spirit of individualism and self-sufficiency. Another intriguing...

Last week, Polytechnic School was visited by celebrated Chinese American comedian Joe Wong. It was a true pleasure being able, alongside fellow Poly student and Global Scholar Phillip (phillipzgip.blogspot.com), to introduce Mr. Wong to the wider Poly community. Born in China and going on to study at the Chinese Academy of Sciences as well as at Rice University, Mr. Wong has found great success as a comedian, appearing on various well-known shows both in China and here in the U.S. While performing at Poly, Mr. Wong skillfully incorporated his unique comedic style into a deeper discussion of international relations, immigration, and race, all framed in terms of the vast cultural differences that he has experienced as a Chinese immigrant living in the States. For instance, he detailed various ways in which he felt he had to tweak certain jokes depending on the nationality and cultural identity of the audience to which he was presenting. Ultimately, while Mr. Wong's perfor...

When it comes to the development of my capstone project for Poly's Global Scholars program, these past few weeks have proved particularly fruitful. Since my work in Spain over the summer, my core goals for this final project have remained relatively stable - my primary focus remains on educating the Poly community on the struggles faced by independent olive farmers in the region of Catalonia and connecting these struggles to larger concerns relating to worldwide agricultural sustainability. That said, the approach I am taking has, since last summer, evolved significantly. While my initial idea was to compile and edit the footage I collected over the summer into a documentary that I would screen to the wider Poly community, I am now instead hoping to engage with a younger audience by teaching a class in agricultural sustainability to middle schoolers. In an attempt to make the class more relevant to the experiences of my 7th-grade audience, I will also be taking more of...