Can kids navigate their way in London alone unsupervised?
I watched this interesting experiment on YouTube, Planet Child ITV.
The show goes like this:
There are 7 children, aged under 7 years old, divided into 3 groups of siblings.
The crew met them in the park in London, and gave them a map, and the instructions are that they must find their way out of the park, go to a cafe, then they must catch the right bus to the London Eye, and hop off at the correct bus stop.
Meanwhile, at the destination, an expert and their parents were watching their progress in every step using hidden cameras. And there were undercover crews surrounding the kids in case of emergency.
At first the kids kept playing at the playground in the park, but eventually tore themselves away to search for the cafe.
After going around in circles, they found the cafe, got a reward and quickly went to the park gate.
They waited for the right bus and managed to hop on a bus by themselves. Each group was on different buses riding across London.
They’ve been told to get off at the stop closest the London Eye. But the routes weave around the city with the Eye going in and out of sight. So, they have to judge and decide when and where they need to get off. If they missed it they had to ride around again.
They were told that the bus trip lasts 20 minutes, but they don’t have a fully developed concept of time. They were not sure how short 5 minutes are and how long 1 hour feels. They constantly asked one another when they would get there.
By this time, some of them have been away from their parents for almost two hours. They were tired and overwhelmed. This is when they started looking for their parents and were likely to give up.
After they failed and missed the bus stop and went another round trip, finally they hopped off the bus at the right stop. Then, they’ve still got to find the final destination by following the direction on their map.
At the end, they reached the finish line with big happy face.
It’s interesting to learn that despite the crazy challenges, these kids supported each other well.
They remained calm and relaxed, going at their own pace not feeling under pressure, and they were (more or less) task focused. They even talked to strangers (undercover chaperones) about their plan visiting the London Eye.
When they were asked how they feel, they said “I feel like I was bigger than I am”. They felt they’d grown up.
I feel like those kids. I am also facing an impossible task bigger than me. Yet, I stay calm and relaxed. I feel no pressure because I am not alone on my journey. Tobias is by my side to encourage me and go through thick and thin. We also miss stops and do detours, but it doesn’t matter, because we are not in a hurry to arrive anywhere.
::: FAITH GROW IN THE VALLEY OF OUR LIFE
There are some things in life as we grow up
that we had to learn to work it out.
There are some challenging situations
that we all face.
Life can be difficult,
either because of our dumb choice, or
because some things happen to us that we have no control over.
When we face challenges,
usually we try to better ourselves and overcome those challenges,
but sometimes no matter how much effort we put in, we won’t resolve them.
Or, we’re looking for solutions from other people.
But, when there’s no solution, we’re stuck in the current situation and may think it is our fate.
::: PUT EVIDENCE IN FAITH
Late stage brainstem cancer,
is my deficiency that I can’t fix.
Because of this,
I trust in God in a way I would not have trusted God before.
It brought a new level of prayer and healing up inside of me.
My prayer, my praise,
became the evidence of my faith.
Today, I sit on the train to Berlin writing this article. Tobias and me are going to attend the wedding of a good friend of mine.
In past two years, since I was diagnosed with DIPG, I wrote almost a hundred articles. Just like those kids on their trip to find London Eye, I also talk to strangers: most of you, who are reading my articles. Never before could I imagine I would be a writer, in English, a language that is not my primary language, and I’ve never been in English literature class before.
It’s obvious,
the big story of the deficiency I’m facing right now,
is not about the deficiency itself.
But it’s about how God loves me,
and how He blesses me beyond my suffering.
And, also,
it’s about how He loves you, that He called me to tell you through my stories.
Love,
Titien.
“So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”
James 2:17 NLT
“Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.”
1 John 3:2 NLT
::: UPDATE ABOUT ME
2 Year 2 Month Post Biopsy
Midline Pontine Glioblastoma/DIPG Grade IV
Last week, coming back from lake Konstanz I fell sick. I had sore throat and my lower back wisdom tooth was inflamed badly. Everyday, I took pain killers (ibuprofen) to be able to sleep.
On Monday, my dentist gave me antibiotics. Next week on Thursday, she plans to pull my tooth .
On Wednesday, my oncologist canceled what was supposed to be my 11th round avastin chemo, due to my dental condition. Avastin could delay wound healing.
Please go to “My Medical History” for more details.
Thanks for keeping me in your prayers 🙏
PS: Thank you for reading, commenting and sharing my posts.
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Great story, Titien! Looking forward to seeing you both next week.
Hugs from Barcelona.