First Semester

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Well, I’m finally here at UWC. Currently I am sitting in my warm room, blasting music and realizing that I am a bit homesick. But it’s normal.
First semester is almost over. Thanksgiving break is in less than a week, and I will get to see my family. Finally. Life here has been, well, pretty awesome. The people are intriguing, the classes are interesting, the teachers are encouraging, and the environment is welcoming. I’ve made so many memories in the past couple months. And it’s the small things that stick out a lot. Little memories that I already know I will miss once these two years are over. Or one and a half year now. And surprisingly, I am even getting used to the 80+ steps I have to walk up everyday at least 3 times!
A little about the people I interact with on a daily basis… My roomie, Jianing, is from China. Let’s just say that she’s the craziest 19-year old hipster I have met, and she is the best roommate I can ask for. I’ve become friends with people from every corner of the world: India, Spain, Germany, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Nepal, Bolivia, Denmark, Bosnia, Trinidad and Tobago, Senegal, Venezuela, Morocco, United Kingdom, USA, and many many more. The diversity at UWC is mind-blowing. And another thing about the UWC community is that we are not afraid to show who we really are. The community is open to anyone and everyone, and the students stand up for what they believe in. We want to make change in the world, and we take the first step by taking an initiative in our community itself.
For my Southwest Studies trip, I traveled to Arizona and Mexico. I got to learn so much from spending a week at the border. Talking to immigrants in Mexico who were planning on crossing the border soon, meeting border patrol, and walking in the same path the immigrants take when trying to get to the USA were just some of the several fascinating things we experienced during our packed week.
I got to travel to Albuquerque a couple weekends ago to attend and Amnesty International Conference in which I got to learn so much about human rights violations around the world, including police brutality and the immigration crisis.
We also celebrated Diwali with everyone from the Indian Subcontinent. It was my first time celebrating Diwali, and I enjoyed it very much. It was nice getting together with everyone and talking in Urdu and Hindi for a whole night. We all helped cook Indian food and then ate together as a big family and played with firecrackers. I felt like I was back home.
There’s so much more I can say about the experience I have had so far, but I think this a good concise summary. I will genuinely try to blog more often.

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”

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UWC-USA: 50 days

As Andre Gide once said, “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” In less than 50 days, I will be at UWC-USA meeting the people whom I will spend the next two years of my life with. I’ve lived in Dallas, Texas for most of my life. And on August 12th, I will leave this city to move to Montezuma, New Mexico: a city that most people have never heard of. I’m going to be leaving so much behind; I won’t even bother making a list. Of course, at first I may not realize that I’ve left things behind and started a new chapter of my life. But soon enough, it’ll kick in. It’ll be hard, but definitely worth it. Now, many of you may be wondering what exactly UWC is, right? What is this school in the middle of nowhere that I’m going to be spending two years at? So, here’s a little about UWC, otherwise known as United World College… UWC was founded in 1962 with the intention of creating a community based on “shared learning, collaboration, and understanding”. The goal is to create a multicultural environment that challenges its students and allows them to grow. The mission states that “UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future”. SInce the opening of the first United World College in the UK, the UWC movement has spread to 13 other locations: Swaziland, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Italy, Armenia, the Netherlands, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway, Germany, Canada, USA, and Costa Rica. I am going to be attending UWC-USA, which is located in Montezuma, New Mexico (a couple hours outside of Albuquerque). Once August rolls around, I plan on blogging at least once every week, so keep checking to get updates on my life at UWC-USA. And of course, you can follow my blog by signing up on the right. That way, you will get an email every time I add a new post. By the way, I’ve decided to end each blog post with an interesting and thought-provoking quote, so here goes! “You’re someone who is different, but who wants to be the same as everyone else. And that, in my view, is a serious illness.” – Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die