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