ADL- Collaboration and Solutions for Financial Literacy

~Data and Solutions~ 

3 Year GIC  

I am missing $40,000 till my goal, and my goal was to save till I have the amount of $120,000  

To get to this amount, place the $80,000 you already have into the GIC that is for 3 years, with a 4.2% return then you will get what it says in the equations below 

Year 1: 80,000 x 1.042 = 83,200 

Year 2: 83,200 x 1.042 = 86,694  

Year 3 86,694 x 1.042 = 90,335 (.148)  

And add the 30,000 saved from the 3 years  

90,335.148 + 30,000 = 120,335.148  

(This did not seem correct so I re-calculated)  

80,000 x 1.042 x 1.042 x 1.042 + 30,000 = 120,509.28704  ($)

(Final answer) 

I don’t know but when I used websites to check my answers, they all gave me different answers and just confused me even more… 

~Visual Representations~ 

Compound Interest Calculator | Investor.gov 

~Justification~

I chose the 3 year GIC and thought it was a better suited solution for me than stocks; the reason for this is because I do not like talking risks. While stocks may be a better choice if you really want to make it to your goal quickly, that option has a notable demerit, which is that you might lose all the money you had in the first place if you were not lucky. What I do not like about it is that it really is an go up really high or fall down very low thing, and the trends in the ups and downs change so much, and there is no stability. One year you could get so much back, but the next you may lose half of what you earned. I do not like the thought of all the work (money) going to waste by that happening, so I like the lesser at a time but steady amount of money every year (GIC) choice better.

~Collaboration and contributions~

(Questions from the assignment sheet)

How did you find working with your group?

I was really sick and at home for 2 of the days of the financial literacy class, the part where you would talk with the groups, and on the day I went to school, it was the last day of working in groups then. I really did not understand much about what the teacher was talking about on that day, and did not even know we were doing something in groups? A person came over to me and told me that I was in their group so I went to go sit with them. They asked me to contribute, but I did not even have the worksheet so I asked about it, but only 1 of the people would talk to me, and they only gave me a brief explanation and said they did not really understand the assignment either, I think the group was kind of each trying to do things on their own and was not very cooperative overall.

How did you contribute to the group? And how did others in the group contribute to your learning?

I know this is not academical, but some of my group members did not even have the proper supplies to do work, and took my pencil and eraser to use. (I guess this does count as a contribution) I helped think of a solution to get to the goal too, I used my phone calculator to find the answer with the group watching. I think I did help think, and write things down to some extent as well, I did not fully understand what we were trying to do and what goal we were to get to for our assignment. (The next day I read the instructions many times as well as ask one of my parents to explain to me the assignment and it made a little bit more sense to me) Others in the group contributed, by when I asked they showed me the paper that they had taken notes on the days before, and they also wrote down my answers onto the paper.

Did you use any other the solutions proposed by your group? Why or why not?

The group had more than one solutions, we had one solution that used stocks to grow the money (which was a solution that they had done when I was absent) and when I was there, we worked on a solution which used a 3 year GIC as well, we used that question as our final answer (the safest one I thought, that’s why I liked that answer more than placing the money in stocks hoping for it to grow. (though the average return rate is decent, you just could lose all that money that you worked hard to earn/save) There also was another solution that we thought of which was “A 1 year GIC + 2 year stock, but we did not have enough time to actually test that one out, so our final answer stays at the 3 year GIC (+ the 30,000 that had accumulated over the 3 years, 10,000 per year to get the answer.)

How would you rate your ability to collaborate with others in your group on a scale of 1-4 (1 not good; 4- excellent)

My ability to collaborate with others in my group this time might not have been very good, maybe a 2. I did not fully understand the objective of the assignment and what we were trying to learn. I did try to help out as best as I could, though. The group itself did not really talk things out, and they just did what they thought was right, and nobody objected to that. I probably should of spoken up more, but it just made almost no sense to me, I really should be more careful not to get sick and miss classes. It was not very easy for me to grasp the concept.

~Core Competency Reflection~

I can recognize different points of view and can disagree respectfully.

I know that people, when spending money and thinking about how to use it think very differently. I do not think that if you gave 10 people a sum of money, they would put it to use in it the same way. I understand that people think in diverse ways, and can understand and accept that fact, and take ideas from people and thinking for myself. When I was in y group too, everyone wanted a different solution, so we just tried all of them to see which worked, and we all agreed on which one was the best suited for out situation.

I can recognize my emotions and use strategies to manage them.

I got a little frustrated when working on this project, (Being there when the explanation is happening would probably have made this assignment much easier. I tried so many different things to complete this assignment and made mistakes lots of times, it was hard for me. This assignment was also a lot of work and was due very soon. I personally am not much of a person who is good with analyzing data and looking at graphs, so it was stressful. I did not even know what a stock was till a day ago. (When I started researching and working on my project) When I was feeling a little edgy, I took a break and listened to some calmer music, to make me feel okay again and refocus so I could get my assignment finished in time.

An example of where I built upon someone else’s ideas is…

An example is when the group contributed ideas and wrote it down, and collectively we created solutions. After looking at that pile of information that made the equation, I started to understand. And from that I was able to start thinking on my own, (Building up from what other people know/told me) and creating new ideas and graphs, solutions that work for me.

I remain open minded as I explore viable options or alternative approaches, like when I…

I always try to keep my mind open to new solutions, as the first one you think of might not be the correct one all the time. I try my best not to be stubborn and be teachable, though that sometimes is easier said than done. The ability to listen honestly to people evaluating your work and telling you where they think you need something different or changed can be a good thing, and help you grow better from the advice and criticism.

This assignment took me a while to understand and is probably not a very good example of what knowledge should be displayed, but it is my best. Thank you for looking through my work.

R2 – ようかい

・Which Yokai did you pick? Why?

I chose the yokai “Hachishaku-sama.” (Eight feet tall, also sometimes called hasshakusama) The reason I chose that yokai is because it was one of the first ones I read about on my own, and was scared of. I used to like reading scary stories, especially the ones that are scary when you find out the meaning. (Imikowa) When I was reading those, I found a link to another website that had scary stories, and while I was reading those I found a section with Japanese urban legends. I was in Japan at the time, and it interested me so I started reading those as well. Out of those ones I started reading, the story of hachishaku-sama seemed the most realistic and scary to me, it felt like she might be around the corner or just be living right close, ready to attack.

・Name some characteristics and provide a background history/summary on your Yokai.

Hachishaku-sama is about 240cm tall, and is eight feet tall (If you couldn’t tell from the name of the yokai) and appears in the form of a woman. It always is wearing a hat, or has something placed on it’s head, which makes it difficult to distinguish the features of it’s face. It is said to haunt the countryside more often than the city, and appears wearing a long white onepiece dress. When it finds a child that it likes, they stalk the child around and take it away from their families; doing so using some of it’s powers. Hachishaku-sama is able to change it’s voice freely, and often mimics a voice that the child knows, like their parents to gain trust from the child, and then get close enough to take them away. Hachishaku-sama, when not mimicking any other voice, is said to have a inhuman, genderless mechanical sounding voice, in which it creepily cries “popopo.” According to legends and passed down stories, in the past, Jizo-sama had sealed and trapped Hachishaku-sama so it could not move from a specified area, but now that Jizo-sama has been destroyed by someone, and Hachi-shakusama can freely appear anywhere, and do what it wishes.

・Do you think Japanese Yokai differ from Western monsters and mythical creatures? Explain. 

I do think that Japanse yokai are different from the “monsters” we have here. For one thing, what they say in Japan “If you use the thing for a long time, it will become haunted” is also a thing unique to Japan (I think…but at least something that Canada does not usually say) And I feel like the “yokai” are more like spirits while the monsters from here are more human-like or are humans or creatures that did something bad and went wrong, or changed because of punishment from god. (Examples can be Frankenstein, fallen angels etc.) I also think that the yokai are more of stories/legends that are passed down, and most of the yokai’s seem whereas the monsters are usually from books. To me, yokai’s seem to be associated with things more familiar to people, and is closer to everyday life. (I mean, an umbrella jumping out at you seems more possible than a green huge monster running at you, right..?)

・Do you believe in Yokai, monsters, ghosts, or mythical creatures? Why or why not?

I do not know, I think I could say half and half. I cannot really say for sure that they are not real, but I cannot say with certainty that they are fake/non-existent either. If I would to see one, or get evidence that it would be real I would believe in it. I used to see (it might have been part of my dream or a delusion from being tired at night) little white things dancing in the corner of my room at night; after the nightlight had been turned off. Now that I learned about these yokai-creatures more, they looked a little bit like kodamas. (Spirits that live in trees and forests) My room is not a forest anyways so I really doubt that it was kodama, but you never know! I do think that the things people say about the yokais, and the creatures though. It is interesting, it does make you think! Maybe there’s a little ghost sitting next to me reading my writing right now? If you are, hi little ghost!

・Me with my little ghost friends (maybe)

Drawing is by me! It was done in about a minute so it’s very messy but please don’t say anything about that ; ; I just wanted to draw this so badly

・Images of Hachishaku-sama! ↓

Hachishaku-sama standing beside a phone stand (?) You can tell the height difference, wow she’s so tall
Hachishaku-sama looking into your soul *shivers* so scary…


R1 – Independent Children

・How old were you when you started doing chores, do you do chores?  

I do chores at home; I think I had just started middle school when I started doing actual “chores” like washing dishes, cleaning the bathtub and vacuuming, but before that I would just do simple things like folding clothes, lining up the shoes, and cleaning up. (Those are things everyone can do and should do, but they still were something.)  

・Do you think that children should grow up with Japanese ideals of independence?  

At home I am told a lot by my mom that “kids in Japan are doing way more than this so try more, you know you can do it if they can” It really is very shocking when you see the difference between the kids in Canada and in Japan. I think the school system and the contrast between the rules and how people think have to do with how the kids seem more responsible as well. (One thing I thought of is how Japanese schools make the children clean the school, there is no janitors! This surprised me so much…everyday they take time to clean all the parts of the school.) I do think the Japanese ideals of independence is good to grow up with, it prepares the kids for the future, and makes it so they aren’t depending on their parents for everything. But I also think that the age that they are taught to be able to do things on their own was a little bit early when watching the “はじめてのおつかい” (My first errand/Old enough!) show. It really was scary watching those little kids walking around the streets alone, when some of the children were not even old enough to read and understand words well yet. I think the ability to be independent is really a good thing to have, but I think they should be older before they have to try to be okay off on their own. They should be able to trust and let their parents do things for them and help them with their everyday life still at that age, if they are not able to learn to rely on their family when they are younger, when will they ever? If they are told to be responsible and do most things by themselves, I think that they would not ask for help or advice from their parents when they need it, as they feel like the problem/thing is their responsibility. Overall, I do think that learning how to be independent is a good thing, as many people here do not know how to do things themselves, but I also think that they should be able to “be kids” and depend on parents for most things for a while. 

・When did you first use transit by yourself, go somewhere on your own, go to school by yourself? 

The first time I went to school alone was when I went to school in Japan (When I was in grade 2 in Canada) and I was in grade 1 in Japan. (The school semester system is divided differently) I remember that I was surprised that I had to walk to school alone, even though the school was a 45-minute walk away from my house. I was really scared to walk to school alone. Well, I thought I was going to be alone. I did not know that in Japan they have set groups that walk to school together. The groups are split based on where you live. The children all meet up at the same time, (usually around 7:20) and go to school together, children of all different ages. This relieved me, as there would be older kids watching out for me. There also is “crossing guards” something you see rarely here; adults and volunteer grandparents were there to help us safely cross at every crosswalk. I understand now why parents are okay with their kids walking to school on their own. In Japan it is a rarity to have children sent to school by car. Even though I was scared the first couple of times walking to and from the school, I found it fun after a couple of times. It made me feel like a “big kid” I think. I enjoyed the sense of being more “free.” but when I talked to my classmates there, they envied and were surprised at the fact that in Canada walking to school at that young of an age was not normal, and cars were used more. I guess everyone wants what they cannot get. It was an interesting experience, getting to go to school in Japan and learning more about the culture. But here in Canada, I do not really want to go places alone, I am too scared and worried if I would get lost, how would I get help? In Japan there are many “help-centers” and most people are kind enough to tell you where to go if you ask, but I am not so sure about here. I have never really been going places on my own by transit, but I have walked places. (in Canada) I do not know yet, but maybe sometime soon I will go somewhere on my own by transit! 

Why Japanese?

~Inspiration~

The reason I wanted to learn Japanese, and the reason I enjoy learning it so much was because of a Person named Rinu. He is a Japanese utaite (singer) and also is a voice actor. He Belongs to a 6 member Japanese boy band called “Strawberry Prince” (Also sometimes called Stpri) that was formed in June 2016. The group that usually is represented by an illustrated character when appearing in media. (Not showing their faces) I met him about 2 years ago. A song called “chiisanakoinouta” (In English “A small song of love”) an Uttatemita by this Rinu person kept popping up on my YouTube recommended; like a curse that wouldn’t go away. I was annoyed by it so I decided to listen to it about a week later. And it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever heard. I did not know that a wonderful song like that, and a voice like that existed. I had never heard anything like it, the song made me felt like I was enveloped in warmth, like I was in a safe place. I was so moved by the song, the voice, the lyrics and I started crying (Right in the middle of class) I was just so moved and surprised. That song made me feel safe and that everything was okay when everything did not feel okay at all. To think I did not even know what an “Uttatemita” was then, (means “Tried to sing”) makes me shiver now, because now it’s like my only sanity. I started having interest in Rinu-kun from then. As I listened to more songs by him, watched the streams he did, there seemed to be more and more times I could not understand what he was saying, and that made me feel so sad. I could not even receive the words he was giving out. I really hated that, and to think there would come a time that I wouldn’t be able to understand anything of what he was saying just hurt me so much, so I decided I wanted to try harder at Japanese, and get better. I wanted to be able to receive and give back to him that helped me so much when I needed it with his songs and his words, he really was inspiring to me. I wanted to be like him, a person that could make people feel secure with their words. This was also why I started writing stories in Japanese! (Thumbnail of the first song I heard him sing ↓)

*What the 1st one says “A small love song”

*What the second one says “A small love song will reach and get through” (To you)

(Drawing/thumbnail is by @_sayu_T on Twitter)

~Goals~

My further goals with Japanese would be to be able to catch up to my grade level. (For a student in Japan) No matter how much I seem to try or take other classes, the students in Japan are really still very ahead of me, as they use the language more in their everyday life, and also get to experience Japanese culture in a way we really cannot experience when we are not there personally. (I long to be able to be a student in Japan…I know that the schoolwork is very hard, and the rules are strict, but I feel the safest/able to express my feelings the best when I am speaking Japanese, so I imagine how great it would be to be speaking that (and only that) all the time. The uniforms are cool too!) I wish to be able to be like a “normal” school girl in Japan and make friends with people in Japan! I really like being able to speak Japanese and teaching/showing people how to speak it or help them translate, so I hope that in the future I will be able to get a job in which I will be able to make use of both my English and Japanese. I also want to get better at word choices/choosing words when writing stories. (Something I do for fun!) Because Japanese has so many different words to express one thing or emotion, I want to learn them and be able to use them properly. Learning how “Keigo” (Proper speech) is used in different situations might be good for me, too.


~Motivation~

When I feel like throwing my Japanese textbooks out the window, I usually either listen to Rinu-kun’s streams, or listen to his songs. It helps me to realize anew how much I love Japanese and how precious being able to understand it is to me! I also read novels (online ones) and make myself suffer from not knowing many words. (I have to search for the meaning of a word every 5 seconds, and it seems as if I would never be able to read till the end of the chapter..) I really feel sad about not being able to understand it on my own. That makes me want to try harder, so I can understand the stories, as well as learn new things about Japan (In Japanese that I can read and listen to to get information.) I watch Japanese shows too, to remember how much I want to be there where the people on the shows are. I may make myself write stories in English, because while writing I often cannot find the right words that “fit” do describe what I want to say, but I can think of the word in Japanese!! This makes me so mad, when the word or the idiom I want to use does not exist in English. Japanese really has a large selection of words, which I think is really useful when speaking. I want to keep learning new words from now on too, so I will be able to more easily express my feelings!

(The image below is from a scene in question from one of Rinu-kun’s videos. It is not weird. I promise…Why did I choose “kabi killer” ??? *means mold killer. Please do not ask me I have no idea, this was the only image that would load onto here for some reason. I guess fate decided this.) Thank you for reading this, I hope you have a good rest of your day!

(Captions: “KABIKILERRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!” “What the heck is he doing??”)