Sunday 18th 1am:

Hi,

This is Alison here. I thought I would write a little about my journey so far whilst I have the time!

Under certain circumstances we realised my parents could not drive me down to London to catch my flight on Sunday, therefore we quickly booked another flight from Newcastle to Heathrow on the Saturday evening. This means I have all night in Heathrow airport, you may think I slept, oh no! I have to stay up to ensure I do not miss check in for my flight, because once I'm asleep, there is no waking me for a long time!

The flight was nice and I arrived safely, only to drag all my stuff to the correct terminal. Reality, and a numb leg, is starting to kick in as I sit in the terminal for hours. I am going to miss people and my home town so much but I am so exciting for the following two years but slightly nervous as I have no idea what it will be like or what I will do.

Sunday 18th 4pm (9pm in England):

So I have landed in New York after a long flight that was surprisingly good. The films and entertainment were great, and the extra leg room really made the flight comfortable and enjoyable. I made the most food and drink and got something every time the airhostess passed by :) It is now starting to get real, months of planning is now coming into action and I can feel things happening which gives me a great sense of excitement and adventure!

I am currently sitting at my gate in Newark airport waiting to board for my fourth and final flight to San Jose in Costa Rica. The lack of sleep the previous night and the jet lag means that I am so very tired. I hope to sleep well tonight but I doubt I will with all the thrill of arriving and meeting my fellow students and immersing myself in my new home.

COSTAAA RICAAAA

I'm finally here and already so much has happened. It is now Thursday so I am a couple of days in. I have met so many amazing people and the campus is so surreal with all of the animals and exotic plants. My residence is called Cahuita which is named after a beach in Costa Rica, just like the rest of the residences. My room is good and is now personalised with loads of pictures and posters from home, however my roommates are still yet to arrive!!! So it is slightly lonely but very tidy as a result!

It was dark when I landed so coming to the college through San Jose and Santa Ana felt like a weird dream. But as the days go on and my jet lag starts to go it is starting to feel more real and like a home. I have done so much such as activities, bonfires, meetings, tutor groups, dinners, parties, academic fair and tests!! My placements tests went well and I have to decide my preliminary subjects on Friday. Also I'm excited that on Friday is open house where we, in groups, go have dinner somewhere else, I am going to go to Leila's house, who is the deputy head! And I also plan to go around Santa Ana to a second hand store and to my first ever Walmart this weekend, so I'm super excited!

Also on Monday the students go camping in the mountains for a night, which I can't wait for. It's be nice getting to know people more and experiencing and exploring my new home in Costa Rica. Me and Sarah also skyped last night, well, it was 2.30am here but 1pmish in India... :( however it was nice to see what was going on there and how our experiences differed and meet some of her friends. I also managed to skype a best friend who also got into UWC-USA, so I really have been able to compare different UWC college experiences so far. But it is amazing knowing you have this connection all over the world!

I hope to keep you updated with all the many things going on here!

Ali :)

First Year Students!! ( I am at the very back to the right)

Santa Ana, the local town where UWCCR is based.

Santa Ana

Fond Farewells

Today we start our two year journey at our respective colleges. We are heading down to London where we will say our final farewells to England and a big excited HELLO to India (for Sarah) and Costa Rica (for Alison).

Sarah (left) and Alison (right) at the airport

For the past week we have been rushing round in preparation with key questions in mind, 'have i forgot something?', 'can i take this?', and 'why is my suitcase too heavy?'. Now we are very close to leaving and all three questions are becoming more prevalent than they were at the start of the week and we are almost getting used to the idea of living in another country for two years.

Many of our friends ask us how it is going to be leaving each other for the first time and to go to other sides of the world. In honest reply, we have no idea, we will find out as the journey goes on.
On one hand it will be good to be living independently and finding our own individual ways, this is a big factor in why we applied in the first place. On the other hand it will be strange not having your twin always there and i'm sure we will miss annoying each other!

We are both so excited and nervous for our travels. We cant wait to meet many amazing people and create unforgettable experiences. However problems with Sarah's visa mean that she will be arriving later than expected. But for now we say ta ta to England and Namaste or  Hola to the next stage in our life.
One can't wait for this spiffing show to start.

Alison and Sarah

Sunset at MUWCIndia

http://www.uwcmahindracollege.org/

Part of UWCCR

http://www.uwccostarica.org/en