Eighteenth Call, Sweden

Maternity leave is more concerned with doing what is right for the child rather than economic factors. If a child is adopted, maternity leave will not be altered. Many fathers may take care of the child in a sort of "parent leave." High school lasts three years. In high school one chooses the "group" of classes, such as sciences or social sciences. Math, English, Swedish, and specific group classes are required. Grades and tests are comparable. Students usually graduate at 19. Public schools are more common. Schools do not have to be payed for, even private schools. No extracurricular activities, the are only provided by the local government. Large competition for academic programs. Tuition is free in Sweden. Housing availability is quite low. Public transportation is the main mode of transport.

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Seventeenth Call, Kenya

Saira and Raisa Kanji informed us that the main religion in Kenya, a country with a tropical climate located in Africa, is Christianity, but a percentage of the population is also Muslim, Hindu, and Jewish. Many families have 2-3 maids who do laundry, make beds, and clean. Laundry is different there because while we have washing machines in the U.S., in Kenya everything is washed by hand. A lot of Kenyan citizens also build walls around their houses and hire a watchman to guard them. This is possible because the cost of labor and minimum wage are much lower there than in the United States. While labor is cheaper, food in Kenya is more expensive and almost on par with the cost of American groceries. The family we are speaking with spends an average of $200 on fresh groceries every week. Kenya also has a two year Immigrant Visa program to send their youth to different countries for college to support advancements in education. Kenya is incredibly advanced technologically, despite popular stereotypes, and they even invented one of the first mobile phone-based money transfer services called M-Pesa.

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Sixteenth Call, UK

      While taking a stroll through England, Farmer Tom took the time to speak about what he does and was eager to answer our questions. He whistled for his dogs to come over, and they did as such. He also showed us his sheep, revealing that he is indeed a sheepherder. He has about 100 farms north of London, describing the landscape as very flat; a bit hillier going west. He has about 500 sheep which he mainly sells to the market; some going to the local butcher. Wheat goes directly to the mill, and other products, such as grains and barley, generally go directly to factories to be manufactured into beer and other commodities. He shared that it was about 40 degrees fahrenheit in the morning, explaining that the sheep enjoy the cold weather. In 1960 the population was about 200, due to the Enclosure Act relocating farmers, but as of now it is about 60. GMOs are something Europeans are very adamantly against. Farmer Tom is not allowed to grow GMO products on his farms. He said that it may well change with Brexit since it is against EU law, and though he thinks it will cause a lot of issues, he believes it is likely to happen. Farmer Tom's farm is mechanized as much as he can possibly make it because he needs to make it as efficient as he can, which is what he describes as precision farming. He believes soil is a key factor to look after, sharing that he uses a system called minimal tillage, with the idea that the soil is left untouched as much as possible. He makes sure that his soil remains saturated with nutrients by letting soil that is used for planting be washed and blown away with the changing of each season, and then new seeds are planted and soil is put back to cover it; this is commonly known as crop rotation. He also believes this is about to be the time of the Second Agricultural Revolution.
      The students were very intrigued with the discussion. One asked how climate affected the harvest of crops. Farmer Tom described the different types of climates in different areas, but answered that he can still grow seeds in colder, dryer, or wetter climates. He provided us with information on how the EU and how it provides support to farmers. Farmers get cheaper food, but 20% of their payment comes from the way they manage their environment. He said the EU is planning on keeping food cheap, possibly creating more natural environments, and having visitors come for the betterment of their mental health.
      To finish off, Farmer Tom went on to tell us how women largely make up the agricultural society. He spoke on the fact that he celebrated International Women's Day, and revealed that there is a plan to have classes team up with a farmer on a call, talk about topics such as the Enclosure Act, and observe the youth's reaction. Of course, the last thing discussed was his dog, Gatsby, and the conversation ended with receiving Farmer Tom's social media.

Fifteenth Call, Greece

      Katie Petrole, an archaeologist employed by America in Ancient Corinth, discussed with us what she is responsible for regarding ancient greek objects. She works specifically on researching and describing discovered artifacts such as those from Apollo's temple and the Peirene Fountain. The Peirene Fountain is an underground water system discovered three thousand years ago, and it is very important to the small village of Corinth because it still delivers water to residents today. For many years, inhabitants didn't realize that the water supplied to their wells belonged to the fountain, and by the time archaeologists discerned this, it was discovered that the water was contaminated with bacteria that caused typhoid fever. Because of this, scholars from the Corinth Museum had to further inspect the water system in order to provide safe water to current residents. Katie explained that the Peirene Fountain is found almost everywhere throughout Greek history and mythology.
      A student inquired how relevant Greek mythology was in Greece today. Was it still as prominent or had it faded away? Petrole explained that the legacy left behind from Greek mythology still greatly influences culture today in terms of monuments and buildings. Most people feel a connection to Greek mythology and recognize the impact ancient culture has had on modern life, however, there are a very few number of people who actually intensely follow the ancient Greek and Roman religion, such as Neopagans. They can be seen holding protests outside archaeological sites, or meeting outside museums for a religious ceremony.
      When a student asked if anyone had ever tried to steal any special artifacts, Petrole dived right into the most famous robbery the Ancient Corinth Museum received. Apparently, in 1900 over 200 objects were stolen including the money in the cash register which contained the workers' payday. Petrole went on to say that the village the museum is located in, is quite poor, resulting in attempted theft. Luckily, about ten years later, a scholar from museum spotted the objects at an auction house in Florida, noticing how suspicious it was for them to be displayed with there B side (the less famous side/angle of an artifact) in the catalogs instead of the A side (the more famous side).

Peirene Fountain In Corinth, Greece

Fourteenth Call, Spain

When we got on the call with the kids in the Basque region of Spain, they were so interested to know what it is like to live in the United States. They asked us question about what we eat, if we like football, what we do in our free time, and what we like to watch on television. The conversation continued with us asking them what they like to do for fun, which they answered with soccer, baseball, homework, video games, and playing with friends. The kids also enjoyed some of the same television shows as us, such as Stranger Things and Game of Thrones. They were very interested in american sports and their prevalence in our United States society. This was a connecting point for us, because like Football in the United States, Soccer in Spain is highly valued and very important. One interesting thing we noticed was that when they raised their hands to answer questions, they were actually raising their fingers rather than their whole hands. The conversation then switched to geography. We asked about places to travel in Spain, and the topography of those place. We learned that Spain is very mountainous, which is a paradox to the plains land here is Texas. The conversation bounced back to their question, and they wanted to know more about our school and how we get there. We discussed how we drive to school, how long we stay ay school for each day, what we do during the day, and how sports impact our school life. They even taught us some phrases in their native Basque language, such as "kaixo", which means "hello", "zer modue zaude", which means "how are you", and "agur", which means goodbye. In conclusion, it was an amazing experience to have the opportunity to listen and talk with theses kids and take away so much from our conversation.

Thirteenth Call, Israel

We began the call by discussing the ethnic conflicts Israel faces. We discussed the Old City and how it has three parts: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim. The majority of the population is Jewish and Arab. There are Arab Christians and Arab Muslims, and the speaker referred to the Jews as an ethnicity, rather than a religion. There are also Mormon temples. Israel has the lowest place in the world, the Dead Sea and they consume lots of vegetables, salads, avocado, and fish. The speaker made it very clear that Israel is a very welcoming place with warm-hearted people. Everyone is friendly there and knows everybody- like a true nation. However, in the United States we are not all welcoming towards each other and are not nearly as nice as the people in Israel. It is a very green environment as well.

Twelfth Call, New Zealand

The call started off with a conversation about a typical daycare/school in New Zealand. Our contact, Jordan Daniel, spoke of her children who attend a rural school with around 140 students, where it is not uncommon to see kids bringing a lamb or baby cow along with them. She then told us a story about her husband, who used to walk barefoot to school during the winter, and would have to step in cow manure to keep his feet warm. One of her sons, Liam, just discovered a new hobby: eel catching! He indulges in this hobby at the river just across from their house. Our contact also said that New Zealand rarely freezes in the winter, and is extremely humid in the summer to where their humidity can reach up to 100%. They had an unusually wet summer this year, so they used rainwater for house water. We then transitioned into politics and learned that New Zealand's election cycle is 4 years long, just like in the U.S., but there are no restrictions on how many terms their Prime Ministers can serve. In fact, New Zealand just recently elected a new female Prime Minister. Unlike America, the town in which our contact lives in has a small police force, and their officers typically don't carry guns. One of Mrs. Daniel's favorite artists is named Tikitane, although she's not a fan of popular music. A lot of local music is influenced by the Maori island culture. Popular fast food options include fish and chips as well as pies. There are also many Mexican restaurants popping up in big cities. We also learned that their most important holidays include the Queen's Birthday and Guy Fawkes day, which is comparable to the American 4th of July. The most prominent religion in New Zealand is Christianity, though there are almost just as many atheists living in the country. As we mentioned before, Mrs. Daniel lives in a rural area, so public transportation is scarce, and her town only has one taxi, who recently passed away. There is one amusement park, but she has never been there because there is only one rollercoaster. Their currency, the New Zealand dollar, is printed similarly to the British pound, being colorful in nature with certain designs such as penguins or mountains. The call was concluded with a light-hearted atmosphere when Mrs. Daniel showed the students her dog, who stole everyone's hearts.

Eleventh Call, Mystery Hangout: Sweden

The call started off with both sides asking questions to figure out what country each one was on. After two rounds of questions the Mystery Group was able to recognize that we were from America. Then they started to ask more specific questions to try to discover what state we lived in, meanwhile we were trying to figure out what country they lived in. Finally the correct country of Norway was guessed! After that we were introduced to some adorable third graders. It took many rounds of questions from both sides before either was able to come up with the correct city and state. They were able to guess that we lived in Texas and we were narrowing down on the city they live. Finally we guessed the city lived in. It is called "Asker". After that they realized we lived in Texas. Next was questions. One thing we learned that was amazing is the game Fortnite, is both very popular here in the Texas and also all the way in Norway. We learned in awe that their school day is only 6 hours.
We had a very good conversation about or commonalities and also our differences to end the call

Tenth Call, Mystery Hangout: Vietnam

This google hangout started with us asking questions to try and determine where each other was located. They quickly discovered we were in Texas, and after many guesses we guessed their location in Hanoi, Vietnam. The whole class was super sweet, and we learned how much we had in common. They were 8th graders that were the same age as 8th graders here. We both listen to K-Pop music and use social media. We learned that our schools start at the same time, even though theirs lasts for 25 more minutes. This call was at 2 A.M. our time, and 3 P.M. their time, which we were both shocked to discover. We all have a lot of homework which we disliked, and despite all the distance we realized how similar we actually are.

Ninth Call, India

Call Nine: India

1:40am

We called a man from a factory in India and he explained how textiles are made. It begins with separating seeds from cotton and then cotton fibers are spun to make yarn. He then walked us through different machines that the factory uses to produce textiles. He explained the regional differences between the materials to make textiles. They have more variety of patterns for female clothing than male clothing, and more female clothing is produced. Nowadays, this factory is more focused on the customer's satisfaction and the quality of the clothing.

Eighth Call, Japan

Hi guys! As we connect with our speaker from Japan, (a teacher speaking from Inage, an international high school), we join her conversation with Flower Mound High School's 24 hours tour, and discuss some key similarities and differences between schools in America and Japan. One boy asks, "Do you offer advanced courses?" She responds by explaining that Japan doesn't have advanced courses, because all the students are placed in particular high schools based on test results; so all the students are placed with similar level students, making education more tuned to their particular needs. When discussing some of the pros and cons of this style of organization, our speaker reveals that while the integrated system allows students of varying skill levels to collaborate and work together, having a similar level among all the students of a high school make teaching each student easier and more effective. As the conversation progresses, the topic of testing comes up.  While we have 2 major exams per semester, Japanese schools have 4 exams. The scheduling is also different, and students from Flower Mound 9 explain the two semester-four course schedules of Texas high schools. We both have certain classes that students are required to take in order to graduate, and we are surprised to see how similar our curriculums seem to be. For example, we both are required to take a foreign language other than English, and courses such as Chinese, French, and German are offered to students in both countries. When a boy from FM9 tells the teacher that many students already speak second or third languages, she seems delighted. The students explain that one main reason for this is the fact that many students already speak languages other than English at home, and one girl reflects on how culturally diverse our schools are here in Texas. The teacher is curious about school lunches, and discusses that students in Japan bring food from home. Then a student from FM9 inquires about uniforms in Japanese schools, since we don't have uniforms ourselves. The teacher shows us a yearbook displaying the students' uniforms, and the FM9 students consider PE uniforms as well. From there, we tell her about school mascots (Marauder Pride!) and the meanings they hold for each school. When a girl asks about the Japanese school's name, "Inage", the teacher explains that it is the name of a significant place in the history of the school, and she shows us a map of where the place is located. She asks us about class size and is very surprised to find that our high schools have over 3,000 students total! While Japanese schools organize students into classes of 40 students, sometimes the students are split up, in classes such as English. Here, our speaker informs us that she herself is an English teacher, and the students talk about English classes in Texas (and particularly out humanities experience). Soon after, it is time to go, and we say our goodbyes as we enjoy our delectable Chik-Fil-A nuggets! It's time to prepare for our call with India!

Seventh Call, Singapore

Hi guys! We are about to connect the the professor in Singapore.
Government provided housing has a negative connotation in the United States, but not necessarily in Singapore. The People of Action Party has been in charge of Singapore since the 1960s. They see it as their responsibility to lift the people out of poor housing and be seen as the provider of something good in the peoples' lives. The people then continue to keep that party in power because that party is taking care of them and making their life better.
The second question is about guys proposing to the girls with symbolic keys to their future house. There are benefits awarded to younger couples.
The third question is about the government promoting younger couples to get married and show them that they can start a family early. They like to advertise how much help the couple would have should they choose to have the child. They talk about the song that goes, "Baby, let's have our own fireworks." Some people get monthly payments for having kids, but that is not enough to replace the population.
Fourth question: is more public housing good? The man says that it has helped Singapore a lot, but the lessons can't be applied everywhere. The neighborhoods sometimes have a separation of wealth. Before it was divided by race, and now it is class. Now, education and transportation is at an all time high, but the divide is becoming stronger. Housing lasts a long time, and it can change a family's life which could change their thinking and political ideas.
"Today is for the youth," the man says.
There is not an active measure of assimilation in Singapore except in school where the students have to learn English. Singapore promotes all of its ethnic group, but the one with the most power can show themselves any way they want. Tamil, Malay, Chinese and Hindi are presented on all road signs and things like that.
Benedict Anderson-imagined communities. It talks about how a nation is an idea; we can be a part of something we don't really know and have a deep emotional attachment to it. Military is very important in imagined communities. A good example of an equalizer was when one man from each family was asked to join the military. Singapore has a mandatory military service for young men. Border patrol could be a part of that. The uniform of a military man washes away some of the differences and unites people into one nation. The housing is also a great equalizer. Some housing said, "No Indians." The professor says that that is very racist. Singapore has laws on how many of each ethnicity can live in a certain housing plot.
Next question is about why there are ratios of how many of each ethnic group can live in each housing plot; these are usually based on national percentages. Some ratios are based on who lived there in the past--British colonial times.
Next question is about the Green City Plan which is the intentional creation of more green spaces and eco-friendly buildings. All parks are connected by green bicycle paths. Positive impacts are more promotion of an eco-friendly society and less pollution. The professor is not sure about the negative impacts.
What aspects of Singapore culture do you find most admirable? The professor really admires his students. The students are always engaged because they are facing a lot of pressure due to the high performing education system. Mobility in Singapore is a social justice issue; people that have transportation can go to jobs, school, etc. The last thing the professor admires is Singapore's cosmopolitan quality. They are receptive to going overseas and learning from different perspectives which allows students to expand on their knowledge.
Singapore has six years of primary school, three years of middle school, a few years of high school and then you can go to junior college or complete high school. One thing that the professor doesn't like is how early your path is decided based on exam scores starting in fifth grade. They offer maths science, etc. and an ethics class. All students need to learn their mother tongue, English and a third language. The students talk about all the stress they faced growing up. A lot of schools encourage overseas volunteering.

Sixth Call, Mexico

We are now in a call with Mariana Lopez a member of Adrianna's family (one of our chaperones). We talked about the norms and customs of Mexico and Texas. Adrianna made sure Mariana didn't embarase her by keeping close to the camera so Mariana could see her. We asked Mariana about the books behind her in her. She answered that some of them where physics and school and others were romantic. We then asked her about school and if she had 4 classes every day like we did. She said that she had 8 classes everyday.

Fifth Call, Malyasia

We began this call by trying to figure out what countries each other are in. The students were guessing where we are from and quickly figured out that we are in the United States. We began by asking them if their country begins with various letters in attempt to figure out what country they are in. We found out that they are living on an island and they figured out that we are in Texas. We also discussed the different climates in our countries. Then, we talked about what classes we take in school and one of the students says that they have a "Living Skills" class including culture, accounting, and history. We talked about what our favorite foods are and they showed us different types of food they enjoy. We were then asked why it is so dark and we replied with some giggles saying it is nighttime here. The students in Malaysia then taught us some words in Malay which is their first language. This was a really fun video chat because the students were very friendly and we discussed many interesting topics.

Fourth Call, Antarctica

Fourth Call: Antarctica

7:05 PM

In this video conference, we are learning about the inner workings of the IceCube, which is a neutrino observatory made of thousands of sensors beneath the Antarctic ice. This research facility allows its resident physicists to analyze the components of the South Pole in order to observe high energy cosmic waves. Scientists from all around the world work with and on the IceCube. Due to the extreme cold weather, the people that inhabit the continent have to take extreme precautions in order to stay safe, such as wearing special types of clothing to keep warm. The current population of Antarctica is exactly 40 people, and another challenge they face is weight loss because most of the food they consume is canned. Due to the many hours of daylight, the researchers also find it difficult to maintain a consistent sleeping schedule, but enjoy doing their work despite the long hours.

Third Call, NOAA Weather

Our third call of the evening is coming from El Paso, Texas! We are talking to two meteorologists who cover a big chunk of west Texas. Tim Brice and Jason L. attended college for four years to become meteorologists. They are based in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert. They have complex computers to display any type of weather you can think of. Their job consists of releasing warnings about the oncoming weather and teaching spotters. We kicked off the Q and A by asking, "How is climate change different than global warming?" Tim Brice replied by saying that while he is not a climatologist, which specializes more in global warming, they are essentially the same thing. More and more evidence is being uncovered to support the fact that climate change/global warming is mainly caused by man and putting bad things into the atmosphere. Good ideas are developing to scale back on the pollution produced and released into the atmosphere, so hopefully these will cause the temperatures to scale back. The next question asked was will happen if global warming continues? Mr. Brice replied by saying that 2 different things could happen, the first being that the icebergs continue to melt, causing the water levels to rise. The other thing that could happen is that more water could be evaporated into the air, causing more clouds to form and move throughout the world, which could cause the temperatures to drop again, which is called negative feedback.

Second Call, Chile

Second Call: Chile


5:45 pm 

We got on FaceTime with a couple of teenagers who are eighteen from Chile and started learning about each other's cultures. The driving and drinking age is eighteen in Chile! We learned that they only have twenty students in their grade, as they go to a private school. They like to listen to Reggaetón music and they enjoy eating Pastel de choclo, which is mashed potatoes with corn. They love spending time at the beach and one of them enjoys surfing! Chile has a week long independence holiday, and they celebrate by eating asado, which is similar to an American barbecue.

First Call, Brazil

     
First Call: Brazil 

4:40 pm 

The first call is in session with a full house! We are kicking things off with a mystery call, so we have prepared a series of questions to attempt to determine their location. The students determined that we live in Texas from the key question, "Does your state border another country?" We determined that their location is Brazil because Spanish is not their first language. After asking one question, "Are you located in North Texas?" they were able to guess that we were from Dallas. The students from Brazil hold up a sign reading "We are thinking...Please wait!" while they process our questions. Celebration floods the classroom on both sides on the screen as the students unveil the specific locations of their new companions! 

M9 Rocks World Tour

This blog will be hosting our experiences as M9 Humanities students video conference around the world for 24 hours.  You can follow our tour here as well as searching #m9rocksworldtour on Twitter.  Our goal is to video conference every hour and reach all 7 continents.

Getting Close!

We are getting close to our first #m9rocksworldtour!  Students are putting in some extra time researching and preparing questions to get ready for the big day.