Last night I went out with a few friends to get pizza, and it was pretty interesting how the entire thing worked out in the restaurant. So when you got in they displayed all the pizza and you were supposed to choose slice of what you wanted, ( that is how a lot of things work out here, you pay for what YOU want and not anybody else, I like it). At one end of the display cabinet was the cashier and at the other end a small counter, after placing your order you were supposed to wait at the counter and pick up your pizza. Then, you walked to the cashier at the other end of the room and paid the bill for your pizza.

Interesting arrangement, right? 

A place like this could never survive in Pakistan, ever, people would just walk to the counter pick up the pizza walk to their chairs eat it and not pay. But no one did that, well no one except for one guy who got confused and came back with out paying, but then he went back and paid the bill at the end. 

The level of trust is something that I find really interesting and is something that you see reflected everywhere. The place is pretty popular, has been there for a long time and is obviously doing well because no body stands up and tries to cheat the owners even though there are so many opportunities for them to do so, no body does it. Ofcourse I an not suggesting that no one does that and obviously people break laws over here, but the thing to focus is that when given the option to swindle a majority of them do not. 

This extends to nearly every circles, especially but not limited to Dartmouth. One thing that has been grilled into our heads every day we have been here is the Dartmouth Academic Honor Code which covers topics like plagarism and qouting sources which we have to do no matter what even if we quote a friend in our paper! It is understood that we will always do that and always respect the ownership of any property, intellectual or physical. It is also understood that if we are given a paper we will not cheat, even if the professor leaves the class(which they often do) no body will look at answers or even peek at the book lying just next to him/her. Of course if some one does so, who cares? No body and he will most certainly not get caught becuase no body will tell on anyone as well, but even with that security no body cheats or even thinks about it, because we have all been told that now we have the responsibility that hundreds of thousands have had before, to maintain the policies of Dartmouth and ensure it continues to have its high standing. Dartmouth is immensely proud of the fact that it is a honor school, that a degree from Dartmouth means more than the major you took and instead  is also a reflection of your personality and your integrity. To borrow from the speech we got from an officer with the Honor code department, the class of 2008 has gone places with this degree and now it us the class of 2012 who has to ensure that this piece of paper continues to not just mean what it does but rather much much more. 

That is my thought for today, I have to sleep now since I have to get up early tommorow because I want to be done with all my work before I go to watch Wall E in the evening,

Forgive the spelling errors since I wrote this in the dark and my Mac's screen doesnt even give enough light to illuminate even my keyboard.

And the next post will hopefully also be more coherent. 

BYE..