This blog will be used for reflection and discussions. Remember that your posts can be viewed by the whole world. Please maintain proper decorum and civil discourse.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
G&D #2 - Ayiti Reflection
Describe your experience in the Ayiti game. What have you learned from this activity? What does it tell us about the state of globalization and development?
During my first attempt, I succeeded in keeping the entire family alive but barely. Each family member was sick during most of the game, yet I continued to work them as hard as possible until they became too sick to work. I ended up finishing the game with 2000 goud; however, some of this money could have been used throughout the game when needed. Some of the most important items that I bought to help my people were the school uniform, the bicycle, toys, livestock, a radio, and medical herbs. The school uniform allowed me to send people to a high-end school. Throughout the game, I only had enough money to pay for one child to go to school over the four years, and he ended up earning a basic diploma which would not help much in his future. The livestock assisted the family in making more money, and the other items made the family happier and healthier. I did not spend any additional money on holidays or events. The dad continuously worked as a construction or rum worker and only stopped for a season when he became sick. The mom worked as a stall owner while two of the children worked at the family farm. Only one boy went to school, but he also worked on the farm or as an assistant mechanic when he was not at school. The family regularly became sick, especially when I worked the family hard. When both the dad and mom were sick, I would only send one to the hospital. Then, I would work the rest of the family as hard as possible to ensure that I had enough money to survive the season. The same goes for when the children became extremely sick. Also, when happiness levels dropped, I had to send one family member at a time to volunteer or to rest at home. This gave them an increase in happiness which helped to keep them alive. All in all, the family worked as hard as possible, only resting once or twice a year, and even with all of their hard work, the family barely made enough money to survive each season. This game was truly a challenge to keep the family alive because of all of the difficulties in life that the family experienced.
During the game, I managed to keep my entire family alive for two years. The members of the family quickly became ill, and it was hard to earn money and keep them healthy at the same time. Additionally, they had to be educated which was even more challenging because that was expensive as well. This game taught me that life then was extremely challenging. It was almost impossible to keep everyone alive, healthy, happy, educated, and to earn money for the family all at the same time. In order to earn funds for the family they had to work extremely demanding jobs which resulted in sicknesses for almost every one of them. Overall, the family had a rough, demanding lifestyle and I learned that the living style then was physically demanding and very challenging to stay healthy.
Many of my first attempts failed. I died in the first year because of sending all of the family to work because I focused on money so I could send them to school. However, after overworking them, they became depressed, which made me send them home, which lost money, then they all became sick and I could not afford a hospital, and they all eventually died of exposure to tuberculosis. After a few more attempts, I decided to focus more on education, and behind was money. After actually exploring the game, I discovered that the UNICEF volunteer option gave free education. After having many of my children do this, they were all sent to public school which was the cheapest but of a higher quality than most of the other schools. After the mother worked as a market woman for a while, she was offered her own stall which produced more money and she became one of the highest sources of income in the family. With this extra money, I discovered that adults were allowed to attend a vocational school, and with this the father was able to work as a mechanic. This extra income allowed me to invest in a stall of livestock to bring in more money, which I spent on a bed for the family. The bed helped with speeding up the process of recovery from colds at home instead of at the clinic. The extra income also allowed my family to receive the proper care when developing symptoms of tuberculosis. In the end, none of the family died after the four years. I started with 300 goud and ended with 556 after investments and hospital visits. My family also received two diplomas, although I am not sure what they are for because the did not show it. Essentially, succeeding in this game requires a closely monitored balance between education, money, and health, by distributing the family based on their usefulness to the development of the family.
I attempted the game two times. The first time, I tried to send all three of the children to school every season and then have them work on the farm in the summer. While the children were at school one of the parents would work on the farm while the other parent would obtain a high paying job. When the children worked the farm in the summer, I had both parents work higher paying jobs. This method was not very successful because I was not making enough money and I quickly ran out of it in the second year and was not able to send the family to the hospital when they were sick. Some members of the family died of tuberculosis and others died of cholera. The second time that I played the game, I decided not to send the children to school at all. All year long, the children worked on the farm while the parents worked better paying jobs. This method was much more successful because I produced so many crops that I was able to open up a stand to make even more money. Unfortunately, I ran out of money because my family kept getting sick from working too hard. I was unable to send the family to the hospital after a while. I made it to the fourth year, and then the entire family died of cholera and tuberculosis again.
In my first attempt at the game, I chose education as the central focus point, and found that the approach appeared effective, but proved to ultimately fail. I had two of the children work as volunteers, while the parents worked on the farm, and the other child took a paying job. This worked out well because I was able to give one of the children a free education and he went on to receive a full education. The other children worked well, until they began to get sick from the farm, and then the parents began to show symptoms as well. Around the third year, the entire family was sick, and the educated child could no longer work because he was too sick, so the family lost a major source of income and went into debt. Additionally, the family members slowly died because of the inability to work and pay hospital, and the entire family was dead by the end of the third season, which made me realize that the health and happiness of the family are precursors to prosperity. This game shows that globalization and development are gradual changes that must be come after a country or nation has developed a working system with room for technological advancements.
While playing this game, I realized that living in a developing country is one of the hardest things to do. If you don't have any money, you can't go to school, if you can't go to school, you can't get a good job, which means you can't get any money, which means the whole process repeats and this could continue for generations. Also when people get sick they don't have the money to pay for treatment. This means that the country could continue to be undeveloped for decades. If this happens all over the country than the only way the can become developed is if another country gives them funds or they have specialized workers or have natural resources.
The first time that I attempted the game, I did not succeed by any means. My family was constantly struggling with health issues, lack of money, lack of education; the future was grim at it was all but impossible to improve their quality of life. At first, I tried sending the daughter, Jacquline, to Protestant school (which was expensive but one of the best options). However, it took her at least a full season to even gain a morsel of education, and she ended up costing the family hundreds of goud for a shoddy education. While Patrick, Yves, and the parents worked to support Jaquline’s education, they fell terribly ill and couldn’t work anymore. When I tried to send them to the hospital, even if it was one at a time, they were turned away because of insufficient funds. Jacquline’s pricey education and the cost of living eventually killed off Patrick, Yves, and her father in one season alone, as they could not receive proper treatment. Jacquline survived for another season or two after dropping out of school, but she too eventually died because of cholera. The mother, alone and penniless, survived until the end of the third year when she could no longer pay for hospital treatment. The second time that I attempted the game, I succeeded. I did not bother sending the children to school, as quality Haitian education is only reserved for the wealthy. Rather, I sent the mother, father, Yves, and Patrick to work either on the farm or in town while Jacquiline volunteered at UNICEF. While they made hundreds of dollars a season, allowing them to visit the hospital when needed, Jacquiline helped build a community center which eventually gave the family necessary health tips, preventing diseases like cholera that I encountered in the first game. Towards the end of the third season, I sent the father to vocational school and he ended up getting two levels of education before the game ended, although he could not use it for anything worthwhile; it was a waste of time and money. The game ended with all members happy and healthy and I ended up having about 2,000 goud. From this experience, I have learned that education is not always the top priority of third world countries (unlike America), and health and money often supersede education. While it can be beneficial in the long run, sometimes people just need to make money to survive and can’t pay for school. I also learned that globalization has connected the world; UNICEF, a foreign organization, greatly aided the quality of life for this family and the community center helped many others as well. Finally, I learned to be thankful for what I have as an American. Not only do I have education, health, and money, but I also have the power to do whatever I want in life; these Haitians have the ability to change their lives through education, but doing so is often too expensive or unimportant when compared to food and health needs.
After playing this game during school, I couldn't help but play it again tonight. I have to admit that I kept restarting to try and get my family into well health and an okay economic status. I did notice that if you change your living status to "poor" you can save goud a bit faster :), but even if you have the most goud in the game, misery can fall upon you. I had some of my characters experience depression and bloody diarrhea, which I can imagine is not pleasant. None of my characters died though! (I bet it was from me restarting the game so many times) Nevertheless, it was an interesting simulator. I focused more on health and money. Neither the children or parents went to school in all four years, but they did pick up a few education points from the readings in the library that I helped the community to build. Whenever a family member was sick, I usually sent them to the clinic. However, when I knew that I could not afford it I made them power through the illness. I believe that I was some what successful in living and earning, but it was a hard life. I hope that we can do more activities like this in the future!
After playing the game Ayiti I realized how difficult it was to live in a developing country that was struggling to keep up with the rest of the world. In my experience with the game, I would send my family to go to work and the jobs that were available to them were not very new jobs and were jobs that did not make a lot of money. Also, my characters began to catch fevers and colds because of the harsh conditions they had to live in due to the lack of money my family was providing. When people in my family became ill I could not send them to the hospital because of the lack of money. This shows that it is very important to have jobs that have safe working conditions, but can also bring in enough money for the family. Because the jobs in the game were so low paying it was almost impossible for me to make as much money as I was spending, making it very difficult to survive. The game showed me that at this time in the world, if you do not have the ability to do jobs and make a good amount of money, it will will be hard to survive in this world.
While playing this game, I managed to keep the family alive and well until the third year. I used money on things that I thought were necessary, for example only spending money on the clinic or hospital when a family member is very sick or when their health level is low and only purchasing a certain amount of toys to keep the children happy. I had two of the children work on the family farm while the third child was at school all three years. I had the mother and father work in a factory. In the third year however, during hurricane season, many of the family members got sick. I could not afford to send them all to the hospital and that resulted in the family not being able to work, and not earning enough money to get them through. In the middle of the third year, the father gets depressed and refuses to work, the mother gets sick and cannot work and I could not afford the hospital/clinic. The family members unfortunately died off and the game ended. This game showed me how difficult it is to survive in an undeveloped country. I really enjoyed this game and hope to play more games like this soon.
From the Ayiti game, I learned about life in a developing country. The game shows how difficult it is to live when a family cannot depend on anything but itself; the family must produce its own food and money, as well as earning an education, which leads to happiness and better job opportunities. However, as I learned from trying to send Jaquline to school, education is a slow process that is very costly. Also, I learned that life is not all about having enough money to survive. Happiness is also a large factor, as shown when the father of the family could not work because of depression. I learned about the influence of disease, too, because every time that I played the game, members of the family became sick and had a hard time receiving healthcare. Lastly, I learned how fortunate people in developed countries are because of the opportunities available, such as my opportunity to get an education. Overall, the Ayiti game is an interesting, educational activity.
I found the game really challenging. In the beginning I did well, but it went down hill fast. From the mistakes I made in the game, I learned that health is something one must keep up with and it is also important to choose healthy job environments. In addition, when I played the game, I found that education was an inconvenience because it was so costly and time consuming. Furthermore, the education that was needed did not fit in with the work schedule that I needed them to work to stay a float. Sadly, without a greater education the family members couldn't work any other jobs besides labor jobs. In the end, my family ran out of money and died from sickness. Through this game I learned the factors involved in making a successful community and how difficult it is to succeed.
I experienced a lot of learning through this activity. In my first attempt of the simulator, I wanted to allow my eldest son, Patrick, to receive an education while the other two children worked to help support the family costs. I mostly had the family work on the farm, as I felt that this was more sanitary than other forms of labor. However, Patrick’s education was pricey, and the family could not make enough money to create a profit. Additionally, my family became sick and they were unable to survive for very long. My entire family died before the end of the second year! This taught me valuable lessons for my second attempt at the simulator, as I no longer sent Patrick to school, but rather had him work. I also found it to be more lucrative to send the family to work as rum distillers, market women, farming hands, and volunteers as opposed to working on the family farm. I put a lot of effort into volunteering, and it paid off, as I was receiving many benefits from the library, health center, and soccer field. Before each season I purchased a home remedy to help keep the family’s health up, and as a result, each family member only had to go to the clinic once. I also was able to purchase livestock and improved plumbing, which helped significantly. In year 3, I was doing so well that I was able to begin sending my children to school. I began with Yves, and he received a diploma quickly, and then I sent Jaquline and Patrick, who also achieved this diploma. In the end, I finished quite successfully, and the entire family finished with maximum happiness and health. This simulator helped me realize just how difficult it was for Haitians to survive in this period of development, let alone afford a good education. Education is an expensive luxury for many people struggling to adapt to a developing country, and often, more focus needs to be focused on health and money. People in these countries are not given the same opportunities to attend school like people in wealthy countries, like America, Canada, Spain, France, Germany, etc. In conclusion, although I was successful on my second attempt, nobody gets a second chance in the real world, and as a result, most people in developing countries are unable to afford a proper education.
In my attempt to play Ayiti my family has had many ups and downs. The family started off well when I sent Yves and Jacquline to school, Marie to work on the farm, and Patrick and Jean to work. For the first year, my family did well and made a lot of money from working on the farm and others places while the two younger children earned an education. Unfortunately, during the holidays most of my money was spent for gifts and presents. When my family finally returned to work for the next year, they could not afford to send the children to school anymore, forcing them to work on the farm. Because they were constantly participating in hard labor, they began losing their happiness as well as their health. I sent the family members who were sick to the clinic but then eventually ran out of money and they were forced out. Because the family had absolutely no money, they were forced to work through their sickness. This made their illnesses much worse. Jean’s sickness turned into tuberculosis, Marie and Jacquline contracted cholera, and Patrick and Yves got diphtheria. Eventually both Marie and Jean died, leaving the children as orphans who were sent into foster care homes for the rest of their childhoods.
My first attempt at this game found my virtual family with good health and happiness, but no education whatsoever and little money. I sent the young boy to the farm every season, and the rest of my family to work at various jobs. To bolster my family's health, I frequently bought the home remedy, and if anyones health fell below 3 I would send them off the the hospital for a season. As soon as I was able to, I bought a bicycle, bed, and better plumbing. Whenever anyone got a cold I would have them rest a season, and nobody ever died or became depressed in the four or five times I have played. Though I never had time to play through all four years, I did once get to the third year with excellent happiness, health, and a decent amount of money, but no education. This activity provided some insight into how people in developing countries survive and endure through disease, natural disaster, and lack education and well-paying jobs. This activity shows us that people in developing countries are often locked into debt and poverty with no way out, though relief programs such as UNICEF may help improve their quality of life.
I tried this game multiple times and each time I came to the same ending. After about two years on each try focusing on different things, the family all died from sicknesses. I found That if I sent one child to school while the rest worked at different jobs it worked out well, but as soon as one family member got sick and needed to stay home or go to the hospital, there wasn't enough money for school. Soon after that, another family member would get sick and then with lack of income, there wasn't enough money to pay hospital bills. After I sent them back to work, they would eventually die from diseases. My conclusion is that neither health, happiness, education, or money should be the main focus of a struggling family. Health needs money for hospital fees, education needs money for tuition, working needs health and happiness, happiness needs a little bit of everything, and so on. Everything is dependent on the other, so the family in question must focus a little bit on everything. This is a great game to show people how hard it really can be to survive in some places and how careful people must be in every situation and in every decision that they make just to live through the next day. It basically shows us that globalization and development has left these people in a bad place and they really can't make it without outside help, our help.
In my first attempt of Ayiti I failed miserably. My whole family died at one time after about a year. This showed me that I needed to attempt to take them to the clinic as often as I could afford to. In my second attempt I managed to keep my family alive, and to keep their income at about $100.00. I withheld this lifestyle for two years, but after the end of the second year the family began to develop colds while working and ended up having to quit work. Once they left work, their bank account's balance began to drop rapidly, not allowing me to treat them in the hospital. This simulation really did show me the struggles of living and surviving in a third-world country. I strongly believe that I could not survive living in Haiti, if I could not even manage to do so on an online computer simulation.
Both times that I played Ayiti, my family died from diseases in the first 10 minutes. Each time I would send my family to work to earn money for them to go to school and get educated, but as soon as they went they all were plagued with horrible diseases. All their sicknesses came at once, and I was then unable to keep them all alive. Toward the end of the second game I was able to keep the mother alive, and earn enough money for her to survive. However, the mother had been overworked and died from a cold. This online game made me think of poverty as a first hand situation, and it was eye opener showing me that just trying to "keep your head above water" can be very difficult. I myself know I would truly struggle if this was my real life situation, all in all I thought this game was creative and educational.
After two attempts, the game taught me the importance of geography regarding its ranking in the chain of causation as well as its ability to alter a society's government and economic state. On my first and second try the characters' health depleted every time that they stepped outside, which eventually caused the family to die from cholera and other various diseases. Also, I was not able to give the children and parents an education due to a lack of funds. This made me contemplate a family's well-being in America today. With our government and fast-growing economy, a family has a greater ability to provide for itself or to be provided for by the government. Furthermore, countries like the United States have higher numbers of available jobs and it is expected for working citizens to be provided with healthcare, job security, and a safe working environment. Additionally, places such as America make it possible for less fortunate children to attend school. These ideas brought me to the conclusion that if the game were about a family in North America or the U.K., it would be much easier to keep them happy or at least alive. More so, the game returned my thoughts to geography because it is the ultimate cause that leads to proximate causes such as a nation's form of government and economy.
In my first attempt my family died during the first year. Then the second time I attempted Ayiti I was able to make it to the end with the parents, but the kids all died in the first year. This helped me realize instead of giving them an education I should just have all of the work every season. So I would be able to afford the hospital every time I need it. This helped me, because on my last attempt every one survived with good health and also they were able to end with a total goud of 4998. I was still able to generate this money while being robbed constantly. This showed that in a third world country even if you want an education you have to work constantly so you can just survive in Haiti.
In my first attempt, I lived all four years, with no money. I was -6000 gourd. In addition my people were completely unhappy, and always sick. I was lucky during hurricane season because I was not hit while I also did not prepare for it. The children went to school for a small amount of time, and volunteered at UNICEF for the rest of the time because, again I had no money and they could learn there. This game, had my people living with no money and way below poverty. I got an understanding of what it is like. No money, no education, no job because you are normally sick, you are sick because the home you live in probably is not that great, and you can not go to the doctor. The family farm does not go well if no one can tend it. I know this one from my life, not just by the game. I also know that the more education you have the greater the life you will have as long as you have a job. The money in this game was almost directly related to happiness. Toys from the store kept the kids happy and of course you can not buy toys or holiday presents with no money. This game, is way more then just a online computer game, it teaches you about poverty, third world, and so much more. To fully get everything from the game it will probably take many tries at it.
In my first attempt at playing this game, my family lived for about two years before we ran out of money. They were constantly depressed and sick, and I couldn't figure out how to make my family happy or healthy. I ran out of money trying to cure them so that they could go back to work. Getting jobs for everyone was difficult too. Not many were available. Only one of my kids went to school for about one day because I didn't realize that there was a school at first. I think that playing this game gave me perspective on how difficult it is for people living in poverty, especially if the person running the family can't figure out how to do anything, like myself. It showed me how hard it is to survive without money, education, a good job, and decent medical care for persistent bloody diarrhea.
In my first attempt at playing this game, my family lived for about two years before we ran out of money. They were constantly depressed and sick, and I couldn't figure out how to make my family happy or healthy. I ran out of money trying to cure them so that they could go back to work. Getting jobs for everyone was difficult too. Not many were available. Only one of my kids went to school for about one day because I didn't realize that there was a school at first. I think that playing this game gave me perspective on how difficult it is for people living in poverty, especially if the person running the family can't figure out how to do anything, like myself. It showed me how hard it is to survive without money, education, a good job, and decent medical care for persistent bloody diarrhea.
While playing the Ayiti game, I gained valuable knowledge about globalization and developing countries. I played the game twice. On the first attempt, I focused on education. I sent the children to school while the parents worked to sustain the minimum living standards. However, the education did not pay off. The Haitian education is poor and only for the wealthy members of society.There were no safe and profitable jobs that the children could posses. The family was stripped of money and the family could not afford schooling for the children. The family grew ill and eventually, the family died off broke and ill. The next time I played, I knew to not invest in education, so I sent the family to work. Once I saw the UNICEF volunteer work, I decided to send the youngest boy there since he could only work at the farm. After a few seasons, a community center was built and it turned into an autocatalytic process. Once the center was build, better medicine was practiced for cheaper costs and the family was able to earn more money. I decided to upgrade the family to a very comfortable lifestyle. When all four seasons ended, all members of the family had full health and happiness. Looking back at the game, I learned a few things. For one, I learned that education in poor third world countries is not beneficial since the education systems are poor in quality. I also learned that families face tough challenges like disease and hurricanes. Lastly, I learned that organization, like UNICEF, lead communities to prosper and act self sufficient.
During the Ayiti game, my first attempt was horrid. The members of my family were focused mostly on their happiness. Happiness, to me, is a goal I wanted for my family because it is what I value most in life. If my family wasn't happy in the end I would have felt like I failed at this game. The first time I played, I didn't understand what was happening. I soon realized, after -1000 gourd in debt, what the game was really trying prove. My family, in the game, was very unhappy and they all had gotten sick within the fist and second years. During this time, I sent the children to school and the parents to work. However, the children and parents got to the point where they refused to work/go to school because they were so unhappy and/or too sick. Once they were so sick, the only option was to go to the hospital, which was incredibly expensive. My family was unable to receive the care they needed to survive. This showed me that disease spread rapidly throughout families making them extremely depressed. Another thing to consider was how many jobs were available during this time. There was only a certain number of jobs available each time one of them went to work. It was extremely difficult to get a job that paid off the debt. This game opened my eyes and gave me a much better perspective on how life was then. Especially how hard it was to live in poverty, like my family.
When I completed the first game of Ayiti game I loved it, unfortunately none of my family survived (they all had bloody diarrhea). The second time I played I was much more successful. Only two of the five family members died and I ended with over 9,000 coins. When I started my second game, I choose happiness because it seemed in my first game they were never happy. In the second game, I received lots of comments from the characters that it was a hard life but at least they were happy. Their happiness also increased their productivity, which is why I earned so much money. Because moral and productivity was so high, through the four years I was able to rest some of the characters and give the proper medical care to the family members that need it. During my third year in the game, both the mother and the daughter died. The mother died because of cholera, which failed to be treated, and in doing so killed her. The daughter who had fainting problems died on the farm because I worked her too hard. I thought I could get one productive season out of her before I rested her but I unfortunately could not. The rest of the family survived and prospered as I bought items like a bed and increased there living conditions to the max. They prospered and earned lots of money and were extremely happy when the game ended. I think Mrs. Friday, had us play this game to show us just how hard it is to survive in 3rd world countries that have atrocious living conditions. The game showed me that to succeed in some poor conditions some sacrifices have to be made.
Wow! I'm very impressed by your insightful reflections. Some of you even managed to incorporate vocabulary into your comments! One note of caution - be careful in your choice of terminology (ex. developing & developed countries vs. first, second, & third world).
I thought this game was very interesting. I thought it was interesting to see how trying to work and get an education could actually cost you your health and money. It really made you think about your decisions and how those decisions would affect each family member. I did not get to finish, but I did get to see how so many factors affected your family. For example, wanting to give your family a nice, big, full out Celebration could lead to poverty. I enjoyed playing this game and seeing how certain choices could lead to either a happy life, or a devastating one. I was also surprised that this happened to real people and this game really opened my eyes to these hardships that people faced. I have a better understanding of the lifestyle that some groups had to live throughout history.
During my first attempt, I succeeded in keeping the entire family alive but barely. Each family member was sick during most of the game, yet I continued to work them as hard as possible until they became too sick to work. I ended up finishing the game with 2000 goud; however, some of this money could have been used throughout the game when needed. Some of the most important items that I bought to help my people were the school uniform, the bicycle, toys, livestock, a radio, and medical herbs. The school uniform allowed me to send people to a high-end school. Throughout the game, I only had enough money to pay for one child to go to school over the four years, and he ended up earning a basic diploma which would not help much in his future. The livestock assisted the family in making more money, and the other items made the family happier and healthier. I did not spend any additional money on holidays or events. The dad continuously worked as a construction or rum worker and only stopped for a season when he became sick. The mom worked as a stall owner while two of the children worked at the family farm. Only one boy went to school, but he also worked on the farm or as an assistant mechanic when he was not at school. The family regularly became sick, especially when I worked the family hard. When both the dad and mom were sick, I would only send one to the hospital. Then, I would work the rest of the family as hard as possible to ensure that I had enough money to survive the season. The same goes for when the children became extremely sick. Also, when happiness levels dropped, I had to send one family member at a time to volunteer or to rest at home. This gave them an increase in happiness which helped to keep them alive. All in all, the family worked as hard as possible, only resting once or twice a year, and even with all of their hard work, the family barely made enough money to survive each season. This game was truly a challenge to keep the family alive because of all of the difficulties in life that the family experienced.
ReplyDeleteDuring the game, I managed to keep my entire family alive for two years. The members of the family quickly became ill, and it was hard to earn money and keep them healthy at the same time. Additionally, they had to be educated which was even more challenging because that was expensive as well. This game taught me that life then was extremely challenging. It was almost impossible to keep everyone alive, healthy, happy, educated, and to earn money for the family all at the same time. In order to earn funds for the family they had to work extremely demanding jobs which resulted in sicknesses for almost every one of them. Overall, the family had a rough, demanding lifestyle and I learned that the living style then was physically demanding and very challenging to stay healthy.
ReplyDeleteMany of my first attempts failed. I died in the first year because of sending all of the family to work because I focused on money so I could send them to school. However, after overworking them, they became depressed, which made me send them home, which lost money, then they all became sick and I could not afford a hospital, and they all eventually died of exposure to tuberculosis. After a few more attempts, I decided to focus more on education, and behind was money. After actually exploring the game, I discovered that the UNICEF volunteer option gave free education. After having many of my children do this, they were all sent to public school which was the cheapest but of a higher quality than most of the other schools. After the mother worked as a market woman for a while, she was offered her own stall which produced more money and she became one of the highest sources of income in the family. With this extra money, I discovered that adults were allowed to attend a vocational school, and with this the father was able to work as a mechanic. This extra income allowed me to invest in a stall of livestock to bring in more money, which I spent on a bed for the family. The bed helped with speeding up the process of recovery from colds at home instead of at the clinic. The extra income also allowed my family to receive the proper care when developing symptoms of tuberculosis. In the end, none of the family died after the four years. I started with 300 goud and ended with 556 after investments and hospital visits. My family also received two diplomas, although I am not sure what they are for because the did not show it. Essentially, succeeding in this game requires a closely monitored balance between education, money, and health, by distributing the family based on their usefulness to the development of the family.
ReplyDeleteI attempted the game two times. The first time, I tried to send all three of the children to school every season and then have them work on the farm in the summer. While the children were at school one of the parents would work on the farm while the other parent would obtain a high paying job. When the children worked the farm in the summer, I had both parents work higher paying jobs. This method was not very successful because I was not making enough money and I quickly ran out of it in the second year and was not able to send the family to the hospital when they were sick. Some members of the family died of tuberculosis and others died of cholera. The second time that I played the game, I decided not to send the children to school at all. All year long, the children worked on the farm while the parents worked better paying jobs. This method was much more successful because I produced so many crops that I was able to open up a stand to make even more money. Unfortunately, I ran out of money because my family kept getting sick from working too hard. I was unable to send the family to the hospital after a while. I made it to the fourth year, and then the entire family died of cholera and tuberculosis again.
ReplyDeleteIn my first attempt at the game, I chose education as the central focus point, and found that the approach appeared effective, but proved to ultimately fail. I had two of the children work as volunteers, while the parents worked on the farm, and the other child took a paying job. This worked out well because I was able to give one of the children a free education and he went on to receive a full education. The other children worked well, until they began to get sick from the farm, and then the parents began to show symptoms as well. Around the third year, the entire family was sick, and the educated child could no longer work because he was too sick, so the family lost a major source of income and went into debt. Additionally, the family members slowly died because of the inability to work and pay hospital, and the entire family was dead by the end of the third season, which made me realize that the health and happiness of the family are precursors to prosperity. This game shows that globalization and development are gradual changes that must be come after a country or nation has developed a working system with room for technological advancements.
ReplyDeleteWhile playing this game, I realized that living in a developing country is one of the hardest things to do. If you don't have any money, you can't go to school, if you can't go to school, you can't get a good job, which means you can't get any money, which means the whole process repeats and this could continue for generations. Also when people get sick they don't have the money to pay for treatment. This means that the country could continue to be undeveloped for decades. If this happens all over the country than the only way the can become developed is if another country gives them funds or they have specialized workers or have natural resources.
ReplyDeleteThe first time that I attempted the game, I did not succeed by any means. My family was constantly struggling with health issues, lack of money, lack of education; the future was grim at it was all but impossible to improve their quality of life. At first, I tried sending the daughter, Jacquline, to Protestant school (which was expensive but one of the best options). However, it took her at least a full season to even gain a morsel of education, and she ended up costing the family hundreds of goud for a shoddy education. While Patrick, Yves, and the parents worked to support Jaquline’s education, they fell terribly ill and couldn’t work anymore. When I tried to send them to the hospital, even if it was one at a time, they were turned away because of insufficient funds. Jacquline’s pricey education and the cost of living eventually killed off Patrick, Yves, and her father in one season alone, as they could not receive proper treatment. Jacquline survived for another season or two after dropping out of school, but she too eventually died because of cholera. The mother, alone and penniless, survived until the end of the third year when she could no longer pay for hospital treatment. The second time that I attempted the game, I succeeded. I did not bother sending the children to school, as quality Haitian education is only reserved for the wealthy. Rather, I sent the mother, father, Yves, and Patrick to work either on the farm or in town while Jacquiline volunteered at UNICEF. While they made hundreds of dollars a season, allowing them to visit the hospital when needed, Jacquiline helped build a community center which eventually gave the family necessary health tips, preventing diseases like cholera that I encountered in the first game. Towards the end of the third season, I sent the father to vocational school and he ended up getting two levels of education before the game ended, although he could not use it for anything worthwhile; it was a waste of time and money. The game ended with all members happy and healthy and I ended up having about 2,000 goud. From this experience, I have learned that education is not always the top priority of third world countries (unlike America), and health and money often supersede education. While it can be beneficial in the long run, sometimes people just need to make money to survive and can’t pay for school. I also learned that globalization has connected the world; UNICEF, a foreign organization, greatly aided the quality of life for this family and the community center helped many others as well. Finally, I learned to be thankful for what I have as an American. Not only do I have education, health, and money, but I also have the power to do whatever I want in life; these Haitians have the ability to change their lives through education, but doing so is often too expensive or unimportant when compared to food and health needs.
ReplyDeleteAfter playing this game during school, I couldn't help but play it again tonight. I have to admit that I kept restarting to try and get my family into well health and an okay economic status. I did notice that if you change your living status to "poor" you can save goud a bit faster :), but even if you have the most goud in the game, misery can fall upon you. I had some of my characters experience depression and bloody diarrhea, which I can imagine is not pleasant. None of my characters died though! (I bet it was from me restarting the game so many times) Nevertheless, it was an interesting simulator. I focused more on health and money. Neither the children or parents went to school in all four years, but they did pick up a few education points from the readings in the library that I helped the community to build. Whenever a family member was sick, I usually sent them to the clinic. However, when I knew that I could not afford it I made them power through the illness. I believe that I was some what successful in living and earning, but it was a hard life. I hope that we can do more activities like this in the future!
ReplyDeleteAfter playing the game Ayiti I realized how difficult it was to live in a developing country that was struggling to keep up with the rest of the world. In my experience with the game, I would send my family to go to work and the jobs that were available to them were not very new jobs and were jobs that did not make a lot of money. Also, my characters began to catch fevers and colds because of the harsh conditions they had to live in due to the lack of money my family was providing. When people in my family became ill I could not send them to the hospital because of the lack of money. This shows that it is very important to have jobs that have safe working conditions, but can also bring in enough money for the family. Because the jobs in the game were so low paying it was almost impossible for me to make as much money as I was spending, making it very difficult to survive. The game showed me that at this time in the world, if you do not have the ability to do jobs and make a good amount of money, it will will be hard to survive in this world.
ReplyDeleteWhile playing this game, I managed to keep the family alive and well until the third year. I used money on things that I thought were necessary, for example only spending money on the clinic or hospital when a family member is very sick or when their health level is low and only purchasing a certain amount of toys to keep the children happy. I had two of the children work on the family farm while the third child was at school all three years. I had the mother and father work in a factory. In the third year however, during hurricane season, many of the family members got sick. I could not afford to send them all to the hospital and that resulted in the family not being able to work, and not earning enough money to get them through. In the middle of the third year, the father gets depressed and refuses to work, the mother gets sick and cannot work and I could not afford the hospital/clinic. The family members unfortunately died off and the game ended. This game showed me how difficult it is to survive in an undeveloped country. I really enjoyed this game and hope to play more games like this soon.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Ayiti game, I learned about life in a developing country. The game shows how difficult it is to live when a family cannot depend on anything but itself; the family must produce its own food and money, as well as earning an education, which leads to happiness and better job opportunities. However, as I learned from trying to send Jaquline to school, education is a slow process that is very costly. Also, I learned that life is not all about having enough money to survive. Happiness is also a large factor, as shown when the father of the family could not work because of depression. I learned about the influence of disease, too, because every time that I played the game, members of the family became sick and had a hard time receiving healthcare. Lastly, I learned how fortunate people in developed countries are because of the opportunities available, such as my opportunity to get an education. Overall, the Ayiti game is an interesting, educational activity.
ReplyDeleteI found the game really challenging. In the beginning I did well, but it went down hill fast. From the mistakes I made in the game, I learned that health is something one must keep up with and it is also important to choose healthy job environments. In addition, when I played the game, I found that education was an inconvenience because it was so costly and time consuming. Furthermore, the education that was needed did not fit in with the work schedule that I needed them to work to stay a float. Sadly, without a greater education the family members couldn't work any other jobs besides labor jobs. In the end, my family ran out of money and died from sickness. Through this game I learned the factors involved in making a successful community and how difficult it is to succeed.
ReplyDeleteI experienced a lot of learning through this activity. In my first attempt of the simulator, I wanted to allow my eldest son, Patrick, to receive an education while the other two children worked to help support the family costs. I mostly had the family work on the farm, as I felt that this was more sanitary than other forms of labor. However, Patrick’s education was pricey, and the family could not make enough money to create a profit. Additionally, my family became sick and they were unable to survive for very long. My entire family died before the end of the second year! This taught me valuable lessons for my second attempt at the simulator, as I no longer sent Patrick to school, but rather had him work. I also found it to be more lucrative to send the family to work as rum distillers, market women, farming hands, and volunteers as opposed to working on the family farm. I put a lot of effort into volunteering, and it paid off, as I was receiving many benefits from the library, health center, and soccer field. Before each season I purchased a home remedy to help keep the family’s health up, and as a result, each family member only had to go to the clinic once. I also was able to purchase livestock and improved plumbing, which helped significantly. In year 3, I was doing so well that I was able to begin sending my children to school. I began with Yves, and he received a diploma quickly, and then I sent Jaquline and Patrick, who also achieved this diploma. In the end, I finished quite successfully, and the entire family finished with maximum happiness and health. This simulator helped me realize just how difficult it was for Haitians to survive in this period of development, let alone afford a good education. Education is an expensive luxury for many people struggling to adapt to a developing country, and often, more focus needs to be focused on health and money. People in these countries are not given the same opportunities to attend school like people in wealthy countries, like America, Canada, Spain, France, Germany, etc. In conclusion, although I was successful on my second attempt, nobody gets a second chance in the real world, and as a result, most people in developing countries are unable to afford a proper education.
ReplyDeleteIn my attempt to play Ayiti my family has had many ups and downs. The family started off well when I sent Yves and Jacquline to school, Marie to work on the farm, and Patrick and Jean to work. For the first year, my family did well and made a lot of money from working on the farm and others places while the two younger children earned an education. Unfortunately, during the holidays most of my money was spent for gifts and presents. When my family finally returned to work for the next year, they could not afford to send the children to school anymore, forcing them to work on the farm. Because they were constantly participating in hard labor, they began losing their happiness as well as their health. I sent the family members who were sick to the clinic but then eventually ran out of money and they were forced out. Because the family had absolutely no money, they were forced to work through their sickness. This made their illnesses much worse. Jean’s sickness turned into tuberculosis, Marie and Jacquline contracted cholera, and Patrick and Yves got diphtheria. Eventually both Marie and Jean died, leaving the children as orphans who were sent into foster care homes for the rest of their childhoods.
ReplyDeleteMy first attempt at this game found my virtual family with good health and happiness, but no education whatsoever and little money. I sent the young boy to the farm every season, and the rest of my family to work at various jobs. To bolster my family's health, I frequently bought the home remedy, and if anyones health fell below 3 I would send them off the the hospital for a season. As soon as I was able to, I bought a bicycle, bed, and better plumbing. Whenever anyone got a cold I would have them rest a season, and nobody ever died or became depressed in the four or five times I have played. Though I never had time to play through all four years, I did once get to the third year with excellent happiness, health, and a decent amount of money, but no education. This activity provided some insight into how people in developing countries survive and endure through disease, natural disaster, and lack education and well-paying jobs. This activity shows us that people in developing countries are often locked into debt and poverty with no way out, though relief programs such as UNICEF may help improve their quality of life.
ReplyDeleteI tried this game multiple times and each time I came to the same ending. After about two years on each try focusing on different things, the family all died from sicknesses. I found That if I sent one child to school while the rest worked at different jobs it worked out well, but as soon as one family member got sick and needed to stay home or go to the hospital, there wasn't enough money for school. Soon after that, another family member would get sick and then with lack of income, there wasn't enough money to pay hospital bills. After I sent them back to work, they would eventually die from diseases. My conclusion is that neither health, happiness, education, or money should be the main focus of a struggling family. Health needs money for hospital fees, education needs money for tuition, working needs health and happiness, happiness needs a little bit of everything, and so on. Everything is dependent on the other, so the family in question must focus a little bit on everything. This is a great game to show people how hard it really can be to survive in some places and how careful people must be in every situation and in every decision that they make just to live through the next day. It basically shows us that globalization and development has left these people in a bad place and they really can't make it without outside help, our help.
ReplyDeleteIn my first attempt of Ayiti I failed miserably. My whole family died at one time after about a year. This showed me that I needed to attempt to take them to the clinic as often as I could afford to. In my second attempt I managed to keep my family alive, and to keep their income at about $100.00. I withheld this lifestyle for two years, but after the end of the second year the family began to develop colds while working and ended up having to quit work. Once they left work, their bank account's balance began to drop rapidly, not allowing me to treat them in the hospital. This simulation really did show me the struggles of living and surviving in a third-world country. I strongly believe that I could not survive living in Haiti, if I could not even manage to do so on an online computer simulation.
ReplyDeleteBoth times that I played Ayiti, my family died from diseases in the first 10 minutes. Each time I would send my family to work to earn money for them to go to school and get educated, but as soon as they went they all were plagued with horrible diseases. All their sicknesses came at once, and I was then unable to keep them all alive. Toward the end of the second game I was able to keep the mother alive, and earn enough money for her to survive. However, the mother had been overworked and died from a cold. This online game made me think of poverty as a first hand situation, and it was eye opener showing me that just trying to "keep your head above water" can be very difficult. I myself know I would truly struggle if this was my real life situation, all in all I thought this game was creative and educational.
ReplyDeleteAfter two attempts, the game taught me the importance of geography regarding its ranking in the chain of causation as well as its ability to alter a society's government and economic state. On my first and second try the characters' health depleted every time that they stepped outside, which eventually caused the family to die from cholera and other various diseases. Also, I was not able to give the children and parents an education due to a lack of funds. This made me contemplate a family's well-being in America today. With our government and fast-growing economy, a family has a greater ability to provide for itself or to be provided for by the government. Furthermore, countries like the United States have higher numbers of available jobs and it is expected for working citizens to be provided with healthcare, job security, and a safe working environment. Additionally, places such as America make it possible for less fortunate children to attend school. These ideas brought me to the conclusion that if the game were about a family in North America or the U.K., it would be much easier to keep them happy or at least alive. More so, the game returned my thoughts to geography because it is the ultimate cause that leads to proximate causes such as a nation's form of government and economy.
ReplyDeleteIn my first attempt my family died during the first year. Then the second time I attempted Ayiti I was able to make it to the end with the parents, but the kids all died in the first year. This helped me realize instead of giving them an education I should just have all of the work every season. So I would be able to afford the hospital every time I need it. This helped me, because on my last attempt every one survived with good health and also they were able to end with a total goud of 4998. I was still able to generate this money while being robbed constantly. This showed that in a third world country even if you want an education you have to work constantly so you can just survive in Haiti.
ReplyDeleteIn my first attempt, I lived all four years, with no money. I was -6000 gourd. In addition my people were completely unhappy, and always sick. I was lucky during hurricane season because I was not hit while I also did not prepare for it. The children went to school for a small amount of time, and volunteered at UNICEF for the rest of the time because, again I had no money and they could learn there. This game, had my people living with no money and way below poverty. I got an understanding of what it is like. No money, no education, no job because you are normally sick, you are sick because the home you live in probably is not that great, and you can not go to the doctor. The family farm does not go well if no one can tend it. I know this one from my life, not just by the game. I also know that the more education you have the greater the life you will have as long as you have a job. The money in this game was almost directly related to happiness. Toys from the store kept the kids happy and of course you can not buy toys or holiday presents with no money. This game, is way more then just a online computer game, it teaches you about poverty, third world, and so much more. To fully get everything from the game it will probably take many tries at it.
ReplyDeleteIn my first attempt at playing this game, my family lived for about two years before we ran out of money. They were constantly depressed and sick, and I couldn't figure out how to make my family happy or healthy. I ran out of money trying to cure them so that they could go back to work. Getting jobs for everyone was difficult too. Not many were available. Only one of my kids went to school for about one day because I didn't realize that there was a school at first. I think that playing this game gave me perspective on how difficult it is for people living in poverty, especially if the person running the family can't figure out how to do anything, like myself. It showed me how hard it is to survive without money, education, a good job, and decent medical care for persistent bloody diarrhea.
ReplyDeleteIn my first attempt at playing this game, my family lived for about two years before we ran out of money. They were constantly depressed and sick, and I couldn't figure out how to make my family happy or healthy. I ran out of money trying to cure them so that they could go back to work. Getting jobs for everyone was difficult too. Not many were available. Only one of my kids went to school for about one day because I didn't realize that there was a school at first. I think that playing this game gave me perspective on how difficult it is for people living in poverty, especially if the person running the family can't figure out how to do anything, like myself. It showed me how hard it is to survive without money, education, a good job, and decent medical care for persistent bloody diarrhea.
ReplyDeleteWhile playing the Ayiti game, I gained valuable knowledge about globalization and developing countries. I played the game twice. On the first attempt, I focused on education. I sent the children to school while the parents worked to sustain the minimum living standards. However, the education did not pay off. The Haitian education is poor and only for the wealthy members of society.There were no safe and profitable jobs that the children could posses. The family was stripped of money and the family could not afford schooling for the children. The family grew ill and eventually, the family died off broke and ill. The next time I played, I knew to not invest in education, so I sent the family to work. Once I saw the UNICEF volunteer work, I decided to send the youngest boy there since he could only work at the farm. After a few seasons, a community center was built and it turned into an autocatalytic process. Once the center was build, better medicine was practiced for cheaper costs and the family was able to earn more money. I decided to upgrade the family to a very comfortable lifestyle. When all four seasons ended, all members of the family had full health and happiness. Looking back at the game, I learned a few things. For one, I learned that education in poor third world countries is not beneficial since the education systems are poor in quality. I also learned that families face tough challenges like disease and hurricanes. Lastly, I learned that organization, like UNICEF, lead communities to prosper and act self sufficient.
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ReplyDeleteDuring the Ayiti game, my first attempt was horrid. The members of my family were focused mostly on their happiness. Happiness, to me, is a goal I wanted for my family because it is what I value most in life. If my family wasn't happy in the end I would have felt like I failed at this game. The first time I played, I didn't understand what was happening. I soon realized, after -1000 gourd in debt, what the game was really trying prove. My family, in the game, was very unhappy and they all had gotten sick within the fist and second years. During this time, I sent the children to school and the parents to work. However, the children and parents got to the point where they refused to work/go to school because they were so unhappy and/or too sick. Once they were so sick, the only option was to go to the hospital, which was incredibly expensive. My family was unable to receive the care they needed to survive. This showed me that disease spread rapidly throughout families making them extremely depressed. Another thing to consider was how many jobs were available during this time. There was only a certain number of jobs available each time one of them went to work. It was extremely difficult to get a job that paid off the debt. This game opened my eyes and gave me a much better perspective on how life was then. Especially how hard it was to live in poverty, like my family.
ReplyDeleteWhen I completed the first game of Ayiti game I loved it, unfortunately none of my family survived (they all had bloody diarrhea). The second time I played I was much more successful. Only two of the five family members died and I ended with over 9,000 coins. When I started my second game, I choose happiness because it seemed in my first game they were never happy. In the second game, I received lots of comments from the characters that it was a hard life but at least they were happy. Their happiness also increased their productivity, which is why I earned so much money. Because moral and productivity was so high, through the four years I was able to rest some of the characters and give the proper medical care to the family members that need it. During my third year in the game, both the mother and the daughter died. The mother died because of cholera, which failed to be treated, and in doing so killed her. The daughter who had fainting problems died on the farm because I worked her too hard. I thought I could get one productive season out of her before I rested her but I unfortunately could not. The rest of the family survived and prospered as I bought items like a bed and increased there living conditions to the max. They prospered and earned lots of money and were extremely happy when the game ended. I think Mrs. Friday, had us play this game to show us just how hard it is to survive in 3rd world countries that have atrocious living conditions. The game showed me that to succeed in some poor conditions some sacrifices have to be made.
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm very impressed by your insightful reflections. Some of you even managed to incorporate vocabulary into your comments! One note of caution - be careful in your choice of terminology (ex. developing & developed countries vs. first, second, & third world).
ReplyDeleteI thought this game was very interesting. I thought it was interesting to see how trying to work and get an education could actually cost you your health and money. It really made you think about your decisions and how those decisions would affect each family member. I did not get to finish, but I did get to see how so many factors affected your family. For example, wanting to give your family a nice, big, full out Celebration could lead to poverty. I enjoyed playing this game and seeing how certain choices could lead to either a happy life, or a devastating one. I was also surprised that this happened to real people and this game really opened my eyes to these hardships that people faced. I have a better understanding of the lifestyle that some groups had to live throughout history.
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