Sunday, November 27, 2011

I Should Really Just Title these with Dates: 26/11/11

Except I'm not even sure that this is the correct date.  I've noticed that during some months, I find it very difficult to keep track of what the actual date is.  February is one of those months, as is September, and November is as well.  That problem is only exacerbated by the fact that it matters more what day of the week it is here, rather than the date, since if something is happening everyone sends out an email saying 'come to this activity on Tuesday at 19:00' or 'don't forget to sign down for a calendar by Friday' and things like this.  If you took a slice out of the emails we get, you would have no idea when the emails were sent, until you came across Nick Lush's ten-day calendar reminding us of important things the school wants us to know about.

But anyway, this marks the beginning of the last real week of school! Our monthly grades are due by Friday, and the next week we only have 3 days of codes.  Then we have a 'cleaning day' on Thursday, and we leave either that night or the next morning!  I cannot believe my first term is coming to an end.  It still feels like I just arrived, or just finished Induction, or just returned from half-term.  I can't wait to be home, but I am shocked at how quickly I'm returning to Florida.

Christmas is in the air! You can see it, feel it, and sometimes even smell it if you go to Cardiff Street Market to see the roasted candy nuts being sold, along with lots of other holiday wares.  Our houseparents have put up some great decorations in the house, including a table-sized Christmas tree with lights and some wreaths.  There is a Christmas crafts fair on campus today, and I saw it advertised all the way in Cardiff, so I except quite a few people to show up.  It is a strangely beautiful day, and since we've been getting a lot of rain lately, I'm sure the whole school will be out to soak up some sunshine.

Thanksgiving was a fun affair, as all of the Americans got together and made a dish to contribute to our own little celebration.  About 30 of us crammed into the Globe Lounge in the castle, and there was a pile of delicious food and good company, which made for a lovely evening.  I made Mom's green bean salad, which turned out very well, and the vegetarians were very happy to have it since they don't eat turkey.
I also got to talk to my family and some of my extended family, which I definitely enjoyed, especially since I won't see some of them this year at all.

Last week was the 'Culture of Consumerism' Focus Week.  During focus weeks, codes and activities continue, but there are generally workshops or activities that you can attend that have to do with the topic of the focus week.  My second-year, Luke, created this focus week because he is very interested in what he calls the 'pseudo-spiritual culture of consumerism' that has been created in the west.  So there were lots of discussions and workshops about our current economic system and if and how it should be reformed or changed completely.  I went to one of them, and I wish I had had time to go to more, because it was an incredibly interesting discussion, and no one took it personally or got mad with anyone else.  That's something I love about living here.  Last week I had a very intense debate with one of my co-years in Spanish (which made it much more difficult) about gun control in the USA.  We were both pretty passionate, but in the end we respected each other's opinions and put it away after we left class.  That's how discussions and arguments should be, and I'm lucky enough to have them every day.

Well, I'll be seeing some of you very soon---I can't wait!

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, and have a good week!

Madi

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Diploma Week 2: Critical Engagement

Hello everyone!

Sorry I missed the update last week---we were away in Oxford at Shared Planet Conference, which was basically a weekend full of sustainability and human rights initiatives.  It was a really interesting experience, and I got to go with a lot of fun people.  I took away some good ideas from the conference, especially for Made in 48, an activity that I am a part of at school that deals with workers' rights.  However, parts of the conference were a little extreme for me, and many of the participants have been arrested in the UK for protesting and regularly choose protest as a way to express their displeasure with 'the system' in general.  At a school like AC, where we work to find peaceful solutions to problems interculturally or within our own countries, protesting (particularly violent protesting) doesn't seem like the best option most of the time.  I did attend one very interesting workshop on how to encourage sustainable food consumption by buying locally or setting up a student-run co-op, so maybe that will be an option for AC.

Gallivanting about Oxford was also fun.  Ok, it wasn't really gallivanting, but we did explore up and down Cornmarket street, which is this lovely pedestrian road near the Town Hall, and we ate food that wasn't from the canteen and spent an inordinate amount of time at a bookstore like the nerds we are.  Amy (UK), Luke (USA), and I split the cost of the fourth book of the Eragon series three ways so that we each only paid 3 pounds for it.  Oxford is a beautiful place, and many of my American co-years fell completely in love with it and are absolutely convinced that they will go there for university. 

One of the strangest things here in the UK is how dark it gets and how quickly the sun goes down in the winter.  In the summer they get a lot of daylight, but in the winter---well, it's 3:30 right now and it is beginning to get pretty gray.  It will be dark by 5.  That makes running very difficult, and Heidi and I have had to cancel our Friday afternoon runs because by the time we get out of classes at 4:45 (Friday is a long day of codes) you can't see anything!  I've been swimming with Kate and Paula instead, and we have found that morning swims not only wake you up for the day but also allow you to shower in the pool room with some actual hot water!

I had a really lovely dinner on Tuesday evening with Heidi, Heidi's mom (who came to visit and take a few of us out), Paula, Hans (from the Netherlands, he's a second-year in my house), and Chloe (France).  We went to the pub and had some great conversation and good food.  It was a bit of an impromptu arrangement, but those are the only ones that truly work at AC, because you don't have to look far to find someone who is up for whatever you are doing.

I'm looking forward to going home for the break and spending Christmas with family---the Christmas decorations have been up since before Halloween over here, and holidays are in the air.  I can't wait to see everyone!

Ok, the actual purpose of this post was to talk about our current diploma period on Critical Engagement, but I might have to finish that in another post, partially because it is not over yet and partially because I have another workshop in 5 minutes!  But I'll put everything in as quickly as I can.

This Diploma Period is designed to get us to think more about our own identities and the identity we have at AC as a community, and use this knowledge to interact positively with others here and outside of the college.  We've spent the morning in theoretical sessions about topics like diversity and identity, trying to figure out where identity comes from and how much diversity can create conflict or resolutions.  The afternoons are devoted to action workshops:  for instance, I just came from a workshop on engaging in conflict where we tried to find a resolution to the new night rule everyone is upset about by identifying the needs the staff had when they imposed it and how we can work with those.

I know that's a spotty explanation, but I really have to go, so until I can post again, everyone have a great weekend!

Madi

Monday, November 7, 2011

What Week Is It Now?

After a friendly prompt from my mother (thanks Mom), I have remembered to update my blog, albeit one day late. 

Change is coming in our house and at AC.  Some of it is welcome and some is less welcome, and since everyone has a pretty strong opinion, it's been discussed a lot in the past 24 hours since we were told what is happening.

We were told last night by our Student Council reps at House Meeting that academic teaching staff will begin receiving copies of the nightly reports with names of students who are staying up late either studying or socializing.  The night reports go out every morning to houseparents and some other related staff detailing what happened in the house each night: who was in the quiet room working, until what time, who was using the dayroom after lights-out, etc.  The teaching staff would only receive a list of students staying up late working or socializing, not any of the details involved, but nearly every student is very strongly against this new policy.  I haven't actually met a student who is in favor of it, and it was clear at our house meeting that most of us find it really unfair.  Whether intentionally or not, impressions of us will be made by the teachers, and as a student body we generally feel that our life outside of classes is our own and when we choose to study is our own affair.  That's the overall sentiment.  I don't have a major problem with the new policy, but I think it will cause a lot more stress than any positive benefits that would come out of teachers having this information.

On the good side, my friend Sara Al-Masri was elected to be our new House rep to Student Council, so she'll be inheriting this lovely issue.  Also, we started Secret Santa within our house, so that will be very exciting!

One thing I'm looking forward to at the end of this week is Shared Planet Conference.  About 60 of us are going to Oxford for the weekend to particpate in a two-day-long conference meant to bring different colleges and student populations together to plan and discuss initiatives at our respective campuses.  It's basically a mixing bowl of ideas that we hope to later adapt to our own schools and implement later.  Portions of it remind me of our Diploma Period, which was fantastic, so I am very excited.

We have another Diploma Period coming up next week at the end of the week....this one is entitled Critical Engagement.  We haven't received many details yet, but the word from our second years is that it was a great time and really worthwhile.

We are in the process of planning an American Thanksgiving celebration---I'll be sorry not to spend the holiday with either the Baltimore family or the Jacksonville family branch, but AC Thanksgiving should be a fun bonding session with the American national group.  Speaking of Baltimore, we just got word that they beat the Steelers in a final-8-seconds-touchdown yesterday....my seconod year Eliza and I were upset.  I like the Ravens, but the Steelers are my team, so it was a bummer to see them get beat again.  We can sometimes feel a little isolated from American daily life here, so it's good to get a glimpse once in a while.

There is a double-showering-birthday celebration for two of my lovely second years in Morgannwg tonight: Happy Birthday to Penelope and Vincent!  I think they are both turning 20.  It should be lots of fun!

That's all for now...please everyone enjoy their week!

Madi

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Post-Half-Term

I just realized that my previous post is titled 'Pre-Half-Term Week.'  Glad to see I'm sprinkling in some originality with these names!

Half-term just finished and everyone is trickling back to the college in groups of 2 or 3...it was nice to sit outside the house catching up with a few people and greeting everyone who came by.  My half term break was amazing---I got to see Dad and Katie and travel to Berlin with them.  Berlin was a great city.  It combined a very modern atmosphere and lots of contemporary buildings with a sincere acknowledgement of all of the city's history.  There is still an old architectural influence on the city, but placed in the modern context it gives the feeling of being purposely preserved, as if the city is consciously saving its past because it is such a valuable history.

I enjoyed seeing all of the old-style buildings in Berlin----the Berlin Cathedral was particularly spectacular, located on 'Museum Island,' a treasure trove of great museums housed in beautiful edifices.  If I get the chance to go back, I would love to take a closer look at some of those museums.  We also went out to the Olympic Stadium, the site of the 1936 Olympic Games.  That also had an air of being frozen in time for the benefit of future generations and foreigners like ourselves.  Seeing the stadium reminded me of the 2012 Olympics which will be housed in London---the excitement is already stirring in Cardiff!

After Berlin we went back to Cardiff for a day, so I was able to show Dad and Katie around there.  They took me back to school on Saturday and saw the castle.  It was really quiet since there weren't many people around and those who stayed at school for half-term were mostly studying.  Saying goodbye was not fun, but I know that only 6 weeks separate me from Winter Break---and if past experience is anything to judge by, that time will be quickly over!

Getting back to Morgannwg we found a bit of a surprise: one of the members of our house, Anne-Sofie, decided to leave the school and return to her home in Denmark.  I did have a couple of conversations with her during which she seemed unhappy at the school---she seemed a little disillusioned by the college. In her mind, UWC is supposed to be a place where students come together to work for the ideals of the college, but the focus was more on partying or drinking.  Though there is a strong drinking culture here, I don't find that it interferes too much with what we are trying to accomplish as a community.  Then again, it depends a lot on the people you spend your time with, and while I have found a great group of friends here whose focus is on promoting intercultural understanding to change the world for the better, she may not have been as lucky.  Anyway, a new girl named Chloe has come to Morgannwg.  She is from France, and seems like she will fit into the house very nicely.  So once again, we are almost full in Morgannwg, and full of some great people.

I'm feeling entirely ready for whatever is to come during the next 6 weeks of the semester.  Seeing my family has been really refreshing, and getting a connection with home was incredible.  However, I am glad to be back at AC with all of the wonderful friends I have made.  Until next time, take care and everyone have a fun and safe Halloween!

Madi

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Pre-halfterm Week

Hello everyone,

My apologies for missing my blog post last week---I do feel bad about this, and it's not much of an excuse, but the truth is last week I completely forgot and every time I thought about going to update it something started happening that delayed it even more!  So I will let you all know what's been going on for the past two weeks.

A great way for me to remember what's been going on is to check my past emails from my school email account.  The college has a pretty efficient system of communication where anyone can email anyone else in the school, or the groups of people to whom the email is relevant.  So checking back through my emails, I can see what I and others have been up to---emails are sent out about everything from a first-year vs. second-year basketball game (which was a fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders) to Gender and Sexuality Focus Week workshops to Lost-and-Found emails.  There are quite a few of the latter, since everyone who loses something sends out a campus-wide email describing it and promising food for the person who locates it.  Food is the preferred currency here....if you want to ask a favor, chocolate always helps it along!

This past week was Gender and Sexuality Focus Week, which was an awareness period about homosexuality and bisexuality within the college and in the rest of the world.  Some people ran workshops with titles like 'What if your roommate is gay?' and had debates on issues like gay parent adoption.  I went to that debate to listen to what was being said, but the debate ended up being completely overshadowed by the group discussion we had afterwards.  Everyone participated, making it a strong exchange of different viewpoints, and I don't think anyone walked away offended because in general we all accept others' rights to their own opinions.  That's something I love about this place:  these initiatives work because we are ready to have an open dialogue with each other about any sort of topic.  I'm looking forward to more focus weeks in the future!

Checking further back in my emails, I see that we had a Disney Marathon in Morgannwg last weekend---that basically consisted of showing multiple Disney films and people from other houses crowding into our dayroom to catch a glimpse back at our childhood.  One interesting thing about watching Disney with international students: everyone knew the songs in their own languages!  So while I was singing along in English, Coral might be joining in with the Spanish version while Paula added German, and someone else sang in French or Chinese or whatever.  That was lots of fun.

I see from several extremely stressed 'lost' emails regarding missing USB drives that two weeks ago was the second-years' deadline for their Extended Essays, one of the IB requirements...it was a hectic week for them as they tried to pull it together, and missing USBs were a big issue.

Service has been going very well---we have been doing sessions for about a month now, and they are really rewarding to participate in.  I'm leading my first session on Wednesday---that means that I will make a plan for what songs and activities we will be doing at the session, as well as taking charge of the session while we are there.  Hopefully it will go well! 

There's only one week of school left before our week-long half-term break....a wonderful feature of the British school system that I know we all appreciate.  Dad and Katie are coming over, which I am very excited about, since I miss them and everyone else at home.  Some people who live close are going home, but others are traveling around the UK or Europe during this time.  Some are staying in the castle, but whatever anyone is doing it is sure to be a welcome break.  One of my goals is to catch up on sleep---we have all acrued a heavy sleep debt whilst here!

Finally, I'd like to say Happy Birthday to Susu and Papa John...hope you guys have/had great birthdays!  To everyone else at home, I miss you a lot and I hope you are all doing great.

Madi

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Post-Diploma Week

Once again I find that the busy flow of AC life has delayed me in posting when I should---I know it is no excuse, but the weather over the weekend was so gorgeuos that the entire campus flooded outside to soak up some sunshine before the Welsh rain came back!  No worries, though:  The dark gloom and doom is back in the sky, so we are expecting some cloudy days ahead.

Sunday was, as one of my second-years put it, 'the best mental health day ever.'  A group of  us went down to the seafront at low tide, and it was very similar to a day at the beach back in Jacksonville---we made a gigantic sand castle, looked for strange creatures on the rocks, and threw wet sand on each other.  Later some of us went back down and swam in the outdoor pool, which was one of the only times we'll do that of our own volition and not because of service or being thrown in for our birthdays.  It was so refreshing.  Sunday night we had a great house barbeque to celebrate our Sports Week win (actually it was total domination), and of course house bonding went along with that.

Now we are back to regular routine, with some changes as many first years have decided to switch their classes around---we were only given 45 minutes to decide on our schedule for the next two years during Induction, so there are quite a few people who want to alter their schedule.  Luckily for me, I'm very happy where I am, so I don't have to go through the hassle of getting make-up work or anything.

Last night my co-year Sara dragged me to a Student Council meeting.  It was an interesting experience and I'm glad I went to see it.  Each house has two second-year representatives on the Student Council, and it is completely student-run with a student president conducting the meeting.  Any student can bring concerns to the council, and some relevant issues came up which were dealt with very efficiently by the reps.  They also sprinkled in some humor and made the whole meeting enjoyable.

After Diploma Period people are buzzing with new ideas and ways to change life in the college for the better.  I think we first-years are stepping into our roles as full participants of the community here, since we've gotten over being the new arrivals.  I'm working on a small project with some co-years regarding sustainable food products.  We got the idea during a workshop on enacting environmental change, and we are researching which food products are the most environmentally friendly to purchase.  The main goal of this will be to spread whatever information we gain in a quick, accessible way to the people on campus.  This might be in the form of blurbs posted around campus, a notice on the dining hall, or cards handed out to people.  By suggesting alternatives to certain products, rather than just saying what is bad, we hope to nudge people in the right direction when they next go to buy food.

I hope everyone reading this blog is having a good week, and I miss you all a lot.  Time is flying, and my free code just flew away from me, but best wishes to everyone back in the US, wherever you are.

Madi

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Week 5

Dear Time: Will you slow down please?  I mean, I feel like you are riding a bicycle at full speed down a steep hill or something.  A nice leisurely walk could be the thing right now.

Hello all,
Sorry for my brief lapse out of reality, I am just in a continuous state of disbelief that yet another week has gone by!  Last week was quickly completed, and now we have entered our first Diploma Period at AC on Human Interaction.  This Diploma Period is designed to further the mission of AC, which is (put simply) to unite cultures for peace and a sustainable future.  We are using Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to go to a series of workshops and conferences run by outside speakers and our second years to explore leadership and communication with others.  The workshops have been incredible, not only because they are interesting but because they are empowering.  The outside speakers have been talking a lot about how leadership works now in the context of the 21st century.  It is no longer about one super-human person doing fantastic deeds, but about every individual participating in a network to create change at the smallest level and continually work up.  That makes leadership and action much more attainable for all of us, and it has already made me realize some ways that we as students can change the environment around us, and eventually the wider world.  It is also important to me that I bring back the skills I learn at AC home to Jacksonville and share them with others so that we can expand our community of empowered people.  I won't say what I am thinking just yet, because I need to give it some more focus first, but look for this in the near future and I will have my ideas up!

One of the best workshops I attended was given by one of the second years, Lily Tomlinson (I think I spelled her name right), titled 'Avoiding Armageddon.'  It focused on what we can physically do to change, rather than discussing the problems of the world, getting depressed, and not going anywhere.  This was great because I feel that action is sometimes lacking in any discussion of issues, so to jump right to that was refreshing.  I and a few others have decided to start researching environmentally sustainable food products (apparently entire forests are decimated in a search for palm oil to produce Kit-Kats...NOT sustainable!) in order to compile a list of the 'best' products to buy and put them in a presentable form to distribute to AC students and maybe Llantwit Major.  We felt that the best way to get the largest number of people to consume more 'environmentally-friendly' was to make information very accessible to them and provide alternatives so that they don't actually have to change their habits too much.  I'll keep you updated on how this goes!

Today the weather was absolutely gorgeous---we have been so lucky so far, with blue skies and sunshine turning up more often than rain.  I'm told this is uncharacteristic of Wales, so I'm enjoying it while I can!  A few friends and I went stargazing tonight in the Blue Garden, I ran along the coastal pat with Heidi, and I walked down to the seafront earlier today to watch the tide roll in.  I love the hills here, it's a welcome change from flat Florida!

It's in my mind right now to do another blog in a couple days, when Diploma Period is finished and I can gather my thoughts a little better...I feel a little scattered right now: it's 10:00 at night and this is the first time I've been in my house for more than 15 minutes today, so I'm all over the place.  Thank you for bearing with me, and I will hopefully write a more coherent post soon.

'Til then, take care everyone! 
Madi

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Yemen

Hello All,

Here at AC we have just received some distressing news.  One of the staff recently sent out an email to the student body forwarding a message from one of his friends in Yemen.  As tensions rise in Yemen, protests have been breaking out and during the last few days 70 youths have lost their lives.  His friend was forced to leave the country for his own safety, and he has sent out an email describing the current situation in Yemen.  If you would like to read this email, please send me a note at ac11mlah@atlanticcollege.org with your email address.  I don't want to put it out on the web, but please tell me if you would like to read it.  Censorship in Yemen has provided us with a less-than-accurate picture of this country, so messages like this one are extremely valuable.

Let us also remember that tomorrow is International Peace Day.  Please spread the word and take a moment to remember those who are not fortunate enough to have peace in their lives.

Madi

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Week 4

Wow!  Every time I sit down to write this blog I am astounded because it seems like I just wrote my last post yesterday!  Now that we've established a bit of a regular routine here at AC, when weekly events come up I am always a bit surprised because they come so quickly!  Every Thursday, our houseparents hold an Open House, where they open the connecting door between our house and their house and let us come in and visit their place.  Somebody makes some kind of food and we sit at a dining room table, drink tea, and chat with our housemates.  It's a really nice thing for them to do, and it's nice for us to be in a normal house once in a while.  But anyway, when Open House rolled around last week I felt like it had been two days since the last Open House!  That just shows how fast time moves around here.

Yesterday I went into Cardiff for the first time since coming to the school.  It was great to get off campus, see a big city again, and hang out with a couple friends.  I went with Maggie from Indiana, and Lian from the Netherlands.  Lian comes from a VERY small town, so Llantwit seems large to her, making Cardiff a metropolis!  It was fun for her to go to a big city.  It turns out that Ikea is a popular attraction for AC students, so we took a side trip there as well so Maggie and Lian could get some stuff for their rooms.  Sadly, I have realized once again that I am a terrible shopper and I didn't get anything while in Cardiff except for a pack of Ritz crackers and some batteries. 

Things are moving right along here, and we are all getting closer to the people we are living with.  The great thing about living in a big house is that everyone is there to support each other whatever happens.  So if you are sick, expect 10 people to ask you throughout the day how you're doing and tell you to get well soon.  I left a note and some tea and biscuits on Paula's pillow when she was sick, and she returned the favor by leaving me a note and a chocolate bar this morning when I wasn't feeling well.  That sort of looking out for one another is something I love about this place.

Another highlight at AC is the National Evenings that take place every Sunday.  So far we have had the British National Evening and the Eastern European National Evening.  Tonight is the Middle Eastern Evening, which should be interesting.  These evenings are opportunities for students to share their culture with the rest of the school.  The best presentations also have a bit of humor in them, as the point is not only to educate but also to entertain.  The North American evening is in a couple weeks...who knows what we'll be doing!

Our second-years are getting busier and busier with university application deadlines, EEs, and coursework due dates looming.  They are really jealous of the first-years, but some of us are starting to get loaded up as well.  I haven't gotten too slammed yet, but I'm waiting for it....I'm also lucky because I'm a native English speaker.  It's much more difficult for people who are learning English as a second language to complete the homework. 

The biggest news going around right now is probably the UN meeting on the 21st.  Palestine is planning to apply to the UN for official statehood, and the US has stated that we will veto the proposal, and since we are a member of the Security Council the proposal will not go through.  Most of the other countries in the world support an independent Palestine, which is reflected in the opinion of most of the students here.  As a student from the US, I am sometimes automatically associated with my government, so it's a tricky issue for myself and my co-years.  Being around so many international students with different perspectives has made me look at this issue differently than I would have from the US, and it's incredible to follow its progress with students from both Palestine and Israel here at AC.

Well, my English poetry analysis is calling....I need to finish it before dinner tonight because directly after is the Middle Eastern National Evening!  I hope all is well back home, and I miss everyone even though I'm having a great time here!

Have a good week,
Madi

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Week 3

Hello!

I can't believe it's already been another week!  Actually, it's been a bit more than a week, but I was having trouble posting from the computers in the quiet room inside my house....apparently they don't like blogspot!  This week has gone by so fast.  Classes are in full swing now, along with service, activities, and everything else, so it's been busy.  For example, yesterday I: went to classes from 8:00-12:30 and ate an early lunch because I had last class free.  Then I went to pick up my laundry from the castle, went back to my house to put it away, and did some homework.  Then at 2:15 I went to a Dysparity training session, which is an organization that helps children with dyslexia or other learning difficulties.  They train Atlantic College students to work with kids, which is great because for a lot of them it is easier to learn from someone closer to their own age.  After that I went back to my house (thank goodness it's close to all of the classrooms!) and took a short nap outside by our tree.  It was very refreshing, but I was rudely awakened by my dormmate, Bridie, when she tried to take a picture and unfortunately for her made too much noise!

At 5:00 (this is still the same day but I decided to switch paragraphs because the one above is quite long), all of the first-years met in the Bradenstoke Hall to discuss our first Diploma Period.  Diploma Periods are unique to AC, and began last year.  Our fist one has to do with Human Interaction.  It is a series of conferences and workshops about Intrapersonal and Interpersonal relations that will take place Monday-Wednesday of the week after next.  I will tell you more when I know more myself!  Some of the workshops are led by outside speakers, but some of our second-years will be leading them as well, which will be really great.  Anyway, by then it was time for dinner, and straight after dinner I went to choir practice.  AC Choir reminds me a lot of the JCC, so it kind of feels like home.  A couple of my good friends from my house are also in the choir, which makes it even better!  At 8:00 when practice was over, some of us stuck around for a 'community session,' basically a meet-and-greet with some of the members of the Board of Governors of AC.  They have a meeting going on today so we were able to talk to them last night.  Before that, we had about 15 minutes, so a group of us went down to the seafront.  Wales is catching the tail end of a hurricane from North America, so the waves were sweeping up over the sea wall.  It was fantastic.  It was really great for my friend Ameed, who is from Palestine.  He hasn't been swimming in the sea since the Separation Wall was built very close to where he lives, cutting his neighborhood out of access to the sea.  He hadn't seen the sea for 10 years before coming to AC!

I'm pretty sure I went to bed some time after the meet-and-greet...and after we had a short birthday celebration for my American co-year, Luke...and after calling some people from home....and finishing some homework...I did sleep, right?  Well, I'm sorry to make my explanation of yesterday so long...I didn't know it would be so long when I started writing!  There is a lot going on here every day, but that's part of what I love about this place.  There are always people to do something with, to talk with, to go somewhere with.  I now realize that time will fly here...the first week has already proven that!

My newest dormmate, Yangchen (from Tibet), is settling in very well I think...she is so quiet, but sweet as anyone can be, and extremely studious.  She studies in the quiet room every night until 1 in the morning!  The rest of us have been trying to get her to go to bed earlier, but she always says 'it's fine, don't worry, I'll come to bed soon...'  So at that point all I could do was give her a chocolate bar and tell her not to get tired of studying too early in the year!  She plays this cool instrument that looks like a ukelele mixed with a giraffe...I forogt what it's called because the name is Tibetan, but she plays it well and it sounds really nice.

Well, I was lucky enough to have a free code this morning, but now I'm headed off to a double code of Spanish...I actually really enjoy that class because there are only 5 of us in it, which is a great opportunity to practice speaking. 

The last thing I wanted to say was some kind of acknowledgement of 9/11, which was especially important this year since it was the 10th year after the terrorist attacks.  Everyone at AC, from all different cultures, recognized the importance of this day not just for US citizens, but for the entire global community.  I wanted to share a story:  On September 11, 2011, Ameed asked me if he could read part of a sermon he had heard on Monday's assembly.  Ameed is Muslim, but he went  to church for the first time last Sunday and appreciated the sermon so much that he wanted to share it with the College.  The sermon talked about forgiveness and remembering 9/11, and even though it was written by a Christian for Christians, he read it to remember all the victims of 9/11.  That was a great experience for me and probably for everyone else in that hall.

Now I really have to go...I'll be late!  Until next time everyone!  Have a great week!

Madi

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Week 2

Well, classes have officially started here at Atlantic College, and it seems like it will be a busy but fun and VERY interesting year! The great thing about AC is that the students here learn as much or more from each other as they do from school.  Where else can you practice your Spanish with a girl from Spain who lives in your house, hear the Chinese version of the Tibetan cause from a student from Shanghai, and learn more Canadian history through a conversation with a guy from Canada than you ever learned in school?  I've done all of those things and more in the past two weeks, and it has been an incredibly educational experience.  The most vivid memory I've made so far, however, is jumping in to the outdoor pool fully clothed with about 6 other people on the second day of induction!  Nothing says 'bonding' like walking back up to your house sopping wet!

First-years were given service inductions this week and had to select our services, which we will be doing twice a week and about 4 hours a week for the entire two years at AC.  I picked the Performing Arts Service, which is a service that provides music therapy to children with autism and elderly people with dementia in the local community.  I was very glad to get in to this service, because they only accepted 6 first-years and over 30 people wanted the spots!

Last night the second-years put on a hilarious first-year show imitating the first years in their house and exaggerating their more humorous personality traits....basically, it was an opportunity for them to make fun of us.  It was really great, and everyone took it in good fun, and as far as I could tell no one was offended.  I hear we have a chance to get them back at the end of the year though, so that should be amusing as well!

This week the first-years have had several opportunities to visit the local town, Llantwit Major, and sometimes go farther to Bridgend or Cardiff.  Llantwit Major is an adorable little town, and though it's very different from Jacksonville, it has a lot of charm and is a good place to visit.  The best part about it for me is the market...finding a place to buy fresh fruit and vegetables was such a relief!  It's pretty strange to walk by houses that were built centuries ago (some that look like miniature castles), and even stranger to see people on horseback riding down the road right along with the cars!  While I was on a bus to Bridgend, I even saw sheep lying right nex to the road, perfectly content to sit in the grass as cars whizzed by without slowing.  It's a different place here, but one that I enjoy a lot.

The biggest news of the day was that my roomate arrived!  Yangchen Tenzin from Tibet arrived at 11 am today, so Dorm 10 is officially complete.  We were all excited to see her, and she seems like a really sweet girl.  She has been a bit quiet, but I'm sure it's all overwhelming and she'll settle in quickly.  It turns out that she has actually lived in India all her life, but her family is from Tibet and she was raised in a Tibetan culture.  I know she'll be an interesting person to live with for the next two years.

I hope all is well in Jacksonville, Baltimore, D.C., Richmond, Bradenton, and wherever else you are reading this blog from.  I miss all of my family and friends, and I'm glad I can let all of you know what's going on with this blog.  I love hearing from you, even if the contact may be brief.  I'm looking forward to fully catching up with everyone at a later time.

Madi

Sunday, August 28, 2011

First Weekend: August 28th

What a week!  The first week of school has been so hectic, but it will (hopefully) start to settle down on Wednesday when we begin regular classes.  I decided to take English, Spanish, and Middle Eastern History at the higher level, and Physics, Math, and Economics at the standard level.  Those classes, along with the service I will pick and a couple of other requirements will make up my IB program for the next two years! So I hope I picked ones I will enjoy!

On Tuesday, half of the school went to first year camp.  It was on a farm in West Wales that was surrounded by some gorgeous scenery...cliffs, mountains, the ocean, and an old slate quarry where we went coasteering! Coasteering is basically exploring cliffs, climbing on rocks, and jumping off those rocks into the water.  It was one of the best parts of camp.  Meeting so many people was great as well...before camp, we had really only met the people in our house and the others from the same country as us.  Camp was very tiring though. We had a lot of activities each day, and every morning the second years woke us up by banging pots and pans and blasting music into our dorms!  They also ran the same 12 songs on a continuous track...the goal was to make us remember camp every time we heard those songs! That's all fine, but if I hear Katy Perry's "Firework" any time in the next two months, I may just remember being sick of it.  Anyway, we were all very tired when we stumbled back to school at midnight on Friday.  Oh, on Tuesday the bus broke down on the way to camp and started smoking, so we all got out and talked to people and waited an hour for a new bus to arrive.  So that was lovely.

I'm ready for classes because I'd like to get in to a bit more regular routine...everything is a little strange right now, with first years running around doing induction and each day so different than the previous one.  Two of my three roommates have arrived....one, Bridie, is from the UK, though she has lived in China for the past 5 years.  The other, Chisom, is from Nigeria, and she just got here a couple of days ago.  Our final roommate, Yangchen, is from Tibet, and she'll be getting here September 4th.  Chisom and Bridie are great...they are lots of fun and very considerate people, which is good since we are sharing a very small space.

I have to leave now because we are about to go to ILB induction, which is the lifeboat service at the college.  It sounds interesting, so I'll have to see what it's about! We've been lucky with the weather so far...no rain yet, so I hope that continues while we're on the water today!  The castle is amazing to walk around when the weather is nice, though I have yet to really find my way around campus. 

I miss everyone at home and think about Jacksonville every day.  I love it here, but it has been difficult being away from my friends and family.  I hope everything is going great at home and that hurricane season doesn't hit too hard!  We're waiting to hear about NYC since a girl from my house comes from New York and her family is up there.  Please send good thoughts their way!

Madi

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Day 0: Last Night Home

Hi all,

Well, it's finally here. The day I've been hoping would come for two years and anticipating for four months is just around the corner, and I am more excited than ever!  Tomorrow I leave sunny Jacksonville, Florida and fly to London.  My mom will go with me, and my cousin Joanna will meet us in London.  We will stay in London for five days before taking a train to Cardiff, Wales.  After staying in Cardiff for a couple of days, Mom and Joanna will drop me off at the United World College of the Atlantic, my school for the next two years!

Atlantic College is one of twelve United World Colleges located around the world.  Atlantic College was actually the first college founded in 1962, and all the other colleges are loosely based off of its program.  The goal of the program is to bring international students together for the purpose of providing a secondary education that focuses on leadership, service, and global cooperation.  The large amount of countries that the school's students come from (about 70, with only 350 students in the school) allows students to learn from each other outside the traditional classroom setting.  All of the students participate in the two-year International Baccalaureate program, a standardized curriculum that is recognized in most places in the world. This rigorous academic program adds to the international environment and challenge of the school.

That's a little bit about the program I'm going to be a part of for the next two years.  I am very lucky to have this opportunity, and I am looking forward to it more with every new piece of information I receive.  Recently, I got my rooming assignments, which was a major source of excitement.  I will be living in Morgannwg (when I learn how to pronounce that I'll let you know how to say it!) with 24 other first-years and 23 second-years. My dorm mates will be three first-year students.  One girl is from the Cayman Islands, one is from Nigeria, and one is from Tibet.  I am very excited to meet them all, and the contact I've had with Abi (the girl from the Cayman Islands) and Yangchen (the girl from Tibet) has made me feel like we'll all get along quite well.

Hopefully, I'll be updating my blog every week, depending on Internet accessibility, which I hear can be pretty spotty on campus.  All in all, I am only excited about the upcoming two years.  I'm sad to be leaving all of my great friends and family, but I'm not nervous because I know what's in store for me will be an experience of a lifetime.  I'll keep you posted on the college, Wales, and all the people I meet!

Madi