Section 1.1: My Dutch Learning Journey

In my previous update, I posed a question to you all: should I learn Dutch through French or English on Duolingo? I opted for the English route, as it seemed more enjoyable, and with an upcoming trip, I want to absorb the language as quickly as possible.

Just as a quick note: I just returned from the gym and am wrapping up this post. One of the perks of using Duolingo is that it allows for quick sessions, perfect for fitting in a few minutes of practice between workout sets.

Subsection 1.1.1: The Exercise That Surprised Me

Section 1.2: Children vs. Business Graduates in Teamwork

Now, onto the most fascinating part of my experience. I just completed the first day of a free, optional two-day life design workshop, which was quite an ordeal. The facilitators were rather difficult to endure and treated us like we were children. However, I did glean some valuable insights.

We participated in what’s known as the ‘Marshmallow Exercise.’ Each group was provided with materials such as tape, string, and spaghetti to build a structure that would support a marshmallow and elevate it as high as possible above the table.

After completing the task, we learned that business graduates generally performed the worst in this activity, while young children excelled. This raises an interesting question: why is this the case?

Perhaps it’s due to the fact that adults tend to overplan, while children dive right into the task. Alternatively, it could be that graduates are preoccupied with competing for leadership roles, leading to disagreements.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! Thank you for taking the time to read my reflections.