In terms of the programme itself, my favorite lecture was “Killing, Letting Die, and the Trolley Problem” with Professor Shelly Kagan. The philosophical problem was one that I had encountered before, but it was approached in a manner that was so incredibly thought-provoking. For every argument we made, Professor Kagan had a rebuttal that made us question our own stances and think more critically.
Trading House is an initiative that I started with a friend who currently lives in Abu Dhabi. The project is still in its preliminary stages but our main aim is to celebrate cultural differences across the world. We have developed a website, with support from friends with more technology and design experience, where students will be able to post short articles about the interesting cultural niches in each of their countries. We are hoping it will be similar to a public forum and/or blog.
So far, we have contacted a plethora of students attending international schools and many have agreed to and have sent their own articles. The contents range from tourist locations in Kazakhstan to the use of Feng shui in the shaping of the Hong Kong skyline. We only started this initiative in November and while we have yet to officially launch Trading House, we are optimistic that everything will be finalized by the end of January. Our biggest goal is for people to create a community where cultural differences can be shared and embraced around the globe.