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