Day 53: Class and a Play at Belvoir Street Theatre

Today we met with Dr. Wilson for our final class while abroad. We watched TED talks from Simon Sinek, a world-renowned leadership mentor, and discussed many aspects of what it takes to be an effective leader. Three points from Tom Friedman really stood out: think like an immigrant, think like an artisan, and think like the hostess working at Perkins Pancake House. When motivated like an immigrant, the hunger to succeed and provide for others is unparalleled, especially as immigrants leave everything comfortable and easy behind for a challenge that will reap more rewards. Next: the artisan. Artisans take pride in their work, and this idea applies to everything in life. Working with my hands from a young age has taught me a lot about quality over quantity, and doing things the right way the first time, because your work is your name. This lesson continues to hold true, and it's at the top of my list in life. Lastly: the Perkins hostess. This one might seem odd, but makes sense when considering the work that a hostess at Perkins does. They quietly work behind the scenes for minimal reward to ensure that everyone is promptly taken care of and satisfied. It's the hardest trait to take on with a positive attitude: requiring ample amounts of humility and patience. The lessons Dr Wilson and Dr. Holley taught us have been invaluable, and will definitely stick with me for the rest of my life. With class finished up after three hours, we left for a late lunch, then met at Belvoir Street Theatre, where we had watch Jasper Jones a month prior during our last stay in Sydney.

When we arrived I learned that the play was called Mark Colvin's Kidney, and my ticket was for seat K-8. Oddly enough, this was the exact seat that I had sat in a month ago, and deja vu set in. The play was about Rupert Murdoch's phone-hacking scandal in Britain. The scandal unraveled as investigators found out that Murdoch's tabloid "The News of the World" had been unveiling headline gossip through illegally hacking voicemails, emails, and text messages. This play was about the life of Mary-Ellen Field, a business consultant who had several high-priority clients. When news about one of her clients was leaked, the conclusion was drawn that she was the only person who could've leaked the information, and she lost all business with her ruined reputation. When the scandal emerged, Field tried taking the news empire to court and fought for several years. Her journey brought her to Mark Colvin, a world-renowned journalist from a current affairs ABC radio show. Colvin interviewed Field, and later dropped out of writing because of his worsening kidney failure. When Field found out about Colvin's serious condition, she decided to give one of her kidneys, and ended up saving Colvin's life. The play brought the story to life, and captured what these phone hacks did to all the individuals involved; particularly the individuals who were inadvertently effected by the scandal. I'm learning that I've gone my entire life without live theatrics, and I plan to change that in my upcoming years. Our night ended soon after, and we prepared our saddened hearts for tomorrow: our last day in Australia...