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
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