Hi guys
Its been a while since i last wrote a post. So here is my account of every main event in the last month, before i left MUWCI for winter break. Sorry in advance for how lengnthy it is.
I will start at Project week. If you can remember i was meant to be going to south India to work with a NGO, Sadhana Forest, surrounding work of sustainable living. Well i was still ill around this time so it was not in my health interests to go, which i was sad about at the start but in the end i cherished a week off to relax and recover from being ill. I must say that not everyone here gets ill, most people never get ill here, i was one of the unlucky few. I stayed back on campus with many second years who were doing work and two other first years. The pool opened on the Monday so i got to go in without the huge mass of people, i even went for a midnight dip under the stars, along with the frogs. Also on PW i went on a day trip out to Balaji Temple in KatKcerulle and a fort with Paul and Sarah, who work at the college and two guys from the village. It was great to get off campus finally and to see such beautiful scenery. I also went with a group of friends to Pune to get off campus, to browse and to eat out.
I was back school for a week then we had Diwali Exeat holiday. I went to Bombay with some mates and stayed and one of their houses. The hosts were very hospitable and made Exeat go smoothly for all of us. If i hadn't known it was Diwali i swear it could have been WW3. There were fire crackers being thrown in the streets, by your feet and fire works lighting up every part of the city. It was a mate Elize's 18th birthday when we were there, so to celebrate we took out a friends yacht around Marine Drive harbor, seeing tourist sights, like the Gateway to India, on the way. I visited a street called Causeway, which is one long street filled with markets, shops and restaurants. I ate at Leopolds (a touristy Indian restaurant) and Theobromas (who do the best brownies and full English i could find) here. I also went to a restaurant called Imbiss, as it was called them meating place and i craved good meat.
The Saturday following i heard the fire service alarm for the first time. So i ran out of having a mid day nap to find there was no fire at all, we had been called to do a rescue mission. A visiting group of students from a local village were on a hike up Mt Wilko, the mountain we are next to, a girl in group badly hurt herself disenabling her to walk any further. So a group of fire service students ran up the mountain with stretchers, bandages, pillows and everything else we might have needed. She was very brave, making the whole thing so much smoother. With the help of a couple of her friends and Ingrid and Fredrico, teachers at MUWCI, we took the day to safely carry her back with the correct first aid. It got tough when it started to get dark, the path was almost unrecognisable and we became tired, but we called for back up torches and water to successfully reach the medical centre, my recent home. In all it was one of the best teamwork and quick decision making building sessions i have ever experienced and i thank everyone who was there to make it the success it was.
Closer to the end of the term, we started learning how to put out fires. In training sessions we had the full gear: masks, goggles, jeans, jumpers, t-shirts on heads and a beater in hand. We do it old school, learning how to beat and double beat. Over the last weeks we cut down a ring of grass, with massheties, around the college to act as fire barrier. We had the first practice at beating, when burning the cut grass where we beat the fire to embers.The fires weren't big as the grass was too damp from monsoon season. On the weekend there was a surprise fire alarm. So we all ran, put on our gear and headed out into the hot sun. The fires were at random around campus so required a lot of running to get to. Blatantly enough it was a test, but a well needed wake up call. It made me realise just how fit you have to be, to be able to run and beat for such a long time. It was already too hot and it was winter, so i can't imagine how hot it will be the next time the alarm rings!!
A couple on weekends ago i went on a experimental rock climbing expedition, experimental in the sense of a trial for future trips. We left on Friday after school in a bus to the campsite by the rock. We set up camp near loads of snakes holes so i was walking on egg shells all night. We had a camp fire and eat aloo paratha before gong to bed. We woke at 4:30 packed up the tents and walked to the base of the climb to have breakfast, cereal. the first vertical part of the climb was a lot of fun and very windy. we waited in groups in a man made small cave in the rock, formed when the area was being used as a fort. Carrying on and at one point could use a string like ladder. Taking the opportunity, i pretended i was on the Black Pearl climbing up the ladder to get the sails, as that's what it reminded me of. It was just past mid day when we reached the top, so i had a bit of a sunbathe for the first time in India which was nice but i hadn't put any sunscreen on so i had to cover up after a short time. We encountered some problems when trying to get the whole group up in as one group and back down as so. This was due to the fact another group came on the mountain whilst we were climbing and we had to pass them, which took more time that we would have liked. We got back to campus just after dinner, in time enough for MUWCI Fest.
MUWCI Fest is a more formal event which raises money for Community Fund, a pot of money the school raises to help any students, staff and workers pay for things they need but can't afford, for example hospital treatment. The event had lots of different food stalls, performances with the theme of rock and a auction. The auction included posters, cakes, dinners, and people who offered themselves as slaves, maids and masseuses. It was a overall fun and successful event which brought a great end to the week.
The week following was Gensex week. As a part of LGBTQ club, i was very excited to see what this week could bring. In the previous week at LGBTQ club, we create posters with facts, drawing and messages, like 'Have a Gay Day', to put up around college. We also made small posters to rename each classroom with the names of countries that allow gay marriage. On the Monday of Gensex week, we got together again and set about making hundreds of penis, vagina and boob choco chip cookies!! These were given out throughout the next day. Have to say i ate a lot of them, so i think they were a great success. The week also included sex in a box, which isn't as bad as it sounds. A box was left out on Monday and Tuesday in which you anonymously ask any question to do with gender, sexuality and sex. Tuesday night we opened the box at a cake evening in my courtyard. There was a really great turn out, so discussions were more fruitful than i thought they would have been, although we did go round in circles at times. The rest of the week included talks and discussions, movie screenings and a karaoke to finish it off. Well done to everyone who helped to make this week so informative and fun, as i really cherished and saw the importance of Gensex education, especially in young people.
On one Wednesday night, students who take Philosophy were invited to dinner by the Philos teacher Liam. We talked about philosophy a little, but more what we have learnt so far from class and at MUWCI in general and how to switch the philosophy mind set off to enjoy and accept life around us. We also grilled Liam as to why and when he chose to teach Philos. It was a lovely evening with amazing food.
MUWCIlympics started that weekend. Like the Olympics, we competed in sporting events, like Athletics, rugby, football, basketball, ultimate Frisbee and table tennis, we also had chess. We competed Wada against Wada, i am wada 4, who i have to say had the best cheer leading and support, taking out the bias. Throughout the events wada four were doing very well, such as winning ultimate, but so were wada 2, our main competition. One of the last major event was Athletics, i competed in 100m relay in which we came 4th, as Patricia hurt her ankle during the race and had to be taken to the medical center, so well done to her for carrying on. I also competed in girls shot put and won!! happy days, nice to know i hadn't lost it. Overall we won Athletics but unfortunately it wasn't enough to beat wada 2, we came a close second. I think we will let them win this year, but just get ready for when we thrash them next year!!
All dance students, first and second years, performed at the IB Dance Sunday spotlight. This is a showcase of some of the work we have be learning over the last term. I have been learning Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance from the South Indian state of Tail Nadu, Turkish folk dance and starting to choreograph our own styles and routines. First years performed a small Bharatanatyam routine to start the show. The second years performed amazing group and solo dances. It was a great way to show what we were working on. The turn out was great and made all the hard work pay off.
The last week of college was Human Rights week. Treveni's were cancelled but many talks on HR took place. One talk was from Ashima Kaul, a peace worker from and working in Kashmir, running workshops on peace building today.
Sahana friends had been preparing a theatre performance about the Diwali story for the past weeks now. On the Wednesday it was their time to shine. A show was put on that included hip hop dances, Bollywood dances, Arial silks and of course the Sadhana friends performance. They had made crowns and monkey tails for costumes which really helped show a great, enthusiastic performance by all. After the show we all sat outside, eat samosas and drank chi, listening to guys playing tabla and drums, before waving them off.
A Wada concert was organised especially for Usha. Usha has worked at the college for a very long time and has played a main role in giving the college the success it has had. She has seen many students through their two years and inspired many others. This concert, along with many other gifts and events, saw her off. People sang songs, read out poems and sent their wishes.
The last Thursday saw everyone dressed in their finest for the Christmas dinner, held at Pelham's house, the headmaster. It was a lovely event with great traditional, Christmas, English food like Yorkshire puddings, turkey, beef, roasties and mince pies. There was a Christmas tree under which everyone put final gifts for their Christmas buddy, which was going on over the month. The person who was budding me was Disha and i couldn't have asked for a better buddy. She knew i loved scarfs and food, so her last gift included exactly that. Padya was being the buddy to Saloni, the flash mob coordinator. So a group of us performed a flash mob at dinner to 'Bruno Mars's' song 'Just the way you are' as a final gift. There was also a Latin dance, singing, carol singing, MUWCIlympics awards and best of all fire works.
It was a sad but memorable end to Human Rights week, when the death of the honorary president of the UWC movement, Nelson Mandela, was announced. Pelham Lindfield Robets, MUWCI's headmaster, made this statement 'His life has been a profound inspiration to millions around the world and to the United World Colleges movement. His passing allows us an opportunity to consider the sacrifices made around the world by many people who take action everyday for the human dignity of others and suffer, as Mandela did, to also make a difference and a positive change in the world.'.
All that was left was to pack my bag ready for the Christmas holidays and say my good byes. It was a lot harder than i first thought. However I was so looking forward to going home and with the knowledge that a month will fly bye and i will be back at MUWCI starting my second term in no time at all.
Happy holidays
Sarah
Here are links to MUWCI News letters:
December-http://issuu.com/uwcmahindracollege/docs/december_2013_newsletter
October--http://issuu.com/uwcmahindracollege/docs/october_2013_newsletter
African and Middle Eastern Regional evening-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XssCK_9O7bE&feature=youtu.be
Its been a while since i last wrote a post. So here is my account of every main event in the last month, before i left MUWCI for winter break. Sorry in advance for how lengnthy it is.
I will start at Project week. If you can remember i was meant to be going to south India to work with a NGO, Sadhana Forest, surrounding work of sustainable living. Well i was still ill around this time so it was not in my health interests to go, which i was sad about at the start but in the end i cherished a week off to relax and recover from being ill. I must say that not everyone here gets ill, most people never get ill here, i was one of the unlucky few. I stayed back on campus with many second years who were doing work and two other first years. The pool opened on the Monday so i got to go in without the huge mass of people, i even went for a midnight dip under the stars, along with the frogs. Also on PW i went on a day trip out to Balaji Temple in KatKcerulle and a fort with Paul and Sarah, who work at the college and two guys from the village. It was great to get off campus finally and to see such beautiful scenery. I also went with a group of friends to Pune to get off campus, to browse and to eat out.
I was back school for a week then we had Diwali Exeat holiday. I went to Bombay with some mates and stayed and one of their houses. The hosts were very hospitable and made Exeat go smoothly for all of us. If i hadn't known it was Diwali i swear it could have been WW3. There were fire crackers being thrown in the streets, by your feet and fire works lighting up every part of the city. It was a mate Elize's 18th birthday when we were there, so to celebrate we took out a friends yacht around Marine Drive harbor, seeing tourist sights, like the Gateway to India, on the way. I visited a street called Causeway, which is one long street filled with markets, shops and restaurants. I ate at Leopolds (a touristy Indian restaurant) and Theobromas (who do the best brownies and full English i could find) here. I also went to a restaurant called Imbiss, as it was called them meating place and i craved good meat.
The Saturday following i heard the fire service alarm for the first time. So i ran out of having a mid day nap to find there was no fire at all, we had been called to do a rescue mission. A visiting group of students from a local village were on a hike up Mt Wilko, the mountain we are next to, a girl in group badly hurt herself disenabling her to walk any further. So a group of fire service students ran up the mountain with stretchers, bandages, pillows and everything else we might have needed. She was very brave, making the whole thing so much smoother. With the help of a couple of her friends and Ingrid and Fredrico, teachers at MUWCI, we took the day to safely carry her back with the correct first aid. It got tough when it started to get dark, the path was almost unrecognisable and we became tired, but we called for back up torches and water to successfully reach the medical centre, my recent home. In all it was one of the best teamwork and quick decision making building sessions i have ever experienced and i thank everyone who was there to make it the success it was.
Closer to the end of the term, we started learning how to put out fires. In training sessions we had the full gear: masks, goggles, jeans, jumpers, t-shirts on heads and a beater in hand. We do it old school, learning how to beat and double beat. Over the last weeks we cut down a ring of grass, with massheties, around the college to act as fire barrier. We had the first practice at beating, when burning the cut grass where we beat the fire to embers.The fires weren't big as the grass was too damp from monsoon season. On the weekend there was a surprise fire alarm. So we all ran, put on our gear and headed out into the hot sun. The fires were at random around campus so required a lot of running to get to. Blatantly enough it was a test, but a well needed wake up call. It made me realise just how fit you have to be, to be able to run and beat for such a long time. It was already too hot and it was winter, so i can't imagine how hot it will be the next time the alarm rings!!
A couple on weekends ago i went on a experimental rock climbing expedition, experimental in the sense of a trial for future trips. We left on Friday after school in a bus to the campsite by the rock. We set up camp near loads of snakes holes so i was walking on egg shells all night. We had a camp fire and eat aloo paratha before gong to bed. We woke at 4:30 packed up the tents and walked to the base of the climb to have breakfast, cereal. the first vertical part of the climb was a lot of fun and very windy. we waited in groups in a man made small cave in the rock, formed when the area was being used as a fort. Carrying on and at one point could use a string like ladder. Taking the opportunity, i pretended i was on the Black Pearl climbing up the ladder to get the sails, as that's what it reminded me of. It was just past mid day when we reached the top, so i had a bit of a sunbathe for the first time in India which was nice but i hadn't put any sunscreen on so i had to cover up after a short time. We encountered some problems when trying to get the whole group up in as one group and back down as so. This was due to the fact another group came on the mountain whilst we were climbing and we had to pass them, which took more time that we would have liked. We got back to campus just after dinner, in time enough for MUWCI Fest.
MUWCI Fest is a more formal event which raises money for Community Fund, a pot of money the school raises to help any students, staff and workers pay for things they need but can't afford, for example hospital treatment. The event had lots of different food stalls, performances with the theme of rock and a auction. The auction included posters, cakes, dinners, and people who offered themselves as slaves, maids and masseuses. It was a overall fun and successful event which brought a great end to the week.
The week following was Gensex week. As a part of LGBTQ club, i was very excited to see what this week could bring. In the previous week at LGBTQ club, we create posters with facts, drawing and messages, like 'Have a Gay Day', to put up around college. We also made small posters to rename each classroom with the names of countries that allow gay marriage. On the Monday of Gensex week, we got together again and set about making hundreds of penis, vagina and boob choco chip cookies!! These were given out throughout the next day. Have to say i ate a lot of them, so i think they were a great success. The week also included sex in a box, which isn't as bad as it sounds. A box was left out on Monday and Tuesday in which you anonymously ask any question to do with gender, sexuality and sex. Tuesday night we opened the box at a cake evening in my courtyard. There was a really great turn out, so discussions were more fruitful than i thought they would have been, although we did go round in circles at times. The rest of the week included talks and discussions, movie screenings and a karaoke to finish it off. Well done to everyone who helped to make this week so informative and fun, as i really cherished and saw the importance of Gensex education, especially in young people.
On one Wednesday night, students who take Philosophy were invited to dinner by the Philos teacher Liam. We talked about philosophy a little, but more what we have learnt so far from class and at MUWCI in general and how to switch the philosophy mind set off to enjoy and accept life around us. We also grilled Liam as to why and when he chose to teach Philos. It was a lovely evening with amazing food.
MUWCIlympics started that weekend. Like the Olympics, we competed in sporting events, like Athletics, rugby, football, basketball, ultimate Frisbee and table tennis, we also had chess. We competed Wada against Wada, i am wada 4, who i have to say had the best cheer leading and support, taking out the bias. Throughout the events wada four were doing very well, such as winning ultimate, but so were wada 2, our main competition. One of the last major event was Athletics, i competed in 100m relay in which we came 4th, as Patricia hurt her ankle during the race and had to be taken to the medical center, so well done to her for carrying on. I also competed in girls shot put and won!! happy days, nice to know i hadn't lost it. Overall we won Athletics but unfortunately it wasn't enough to beat wada 2, we came a close second. I think we will let them win this year, but just get ready for when we thrash them next year!!
All dance students, first and second years, performed at the IB Dance Sunday spotlight. This is a showcase of some of the work we have be learning over the last term. I have been learning Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance from the South Indian state of Tail Nadu, Turkish folk dance and starting to choreograph our own styles and routines. First years performed a small Bharatanatyam routine to start the show. The second years performed amazing group and solo dances. It was a great way to show what we were working on. The turn out was great and made all the hard work pay off.
The last week of college was Human Rights week. Treveni's were cancelled but many talks on HR took place. One talk was from Ashima Kaul, a peace worker from and working in Kashmir, running workshops on peace building today.
Sahana friends had been preparing a theatre performance about the Diwali story for the past weeks now. On the Wednesday it was their time to shine. A show was put on that included hip hop dances, Bollywood dances, Arial silks and of course the Sadhana friends performance. They had made crowns and monkey tails for costumes which really helped show a great, enthusiastic performance by all. After the show we all sat outside, eat samosas and drank chi, listening to guys playing tabla and drums, before waving them off.
A Wada concert was organised especially for Usha. Usha has worked at the college for a very long time and has played a main role in giving the college the success it has had. She has seen many students through their two years and inspired many others. This concert, along with many other gifts and events, saw her off. People sang songs, read out poems and sent their wishes.
The last Thursday saw everyone dressed in their finest for the Christmas dinner, held at Pelham's house, the headmaster. It was a lovely event with great traditional, Christmas, English food like Yorkshire puddings, turkey, beef, roasties and mince pies. There was a Christmas tree under which everyone put final gifts for their Christmas buddy, which was going on over the month. The person who was budding me was Disha and i couldn't have asked for a better buddy. She knew i loved scarfs and food, so her last gift included exactly that. Padya was being the buddy to Saloni, the flash mob coordinator. So a group of us performed a flash mob at dinner to 'Bruno Mars's' song 'Just the way you are' as a final gift. There was also a Latin dance, singing, carol singing, MUWCIlympics awards and best of all fire works.
It was a sad but memorable end to Human Rights week, when the death of the honorary president of the UWC movement, Nelson Mandela, was announced. Pelham Lindfield Robets, MUWCI's headmaster, made this statement 'His life has been a profound inspiration to millions around the world and to the United World Colleges movement. His passing allows us an opportunity to consider the sacrifices made around the world by many people who take action everyday for the human dignity of others and suffer, as Mandela did, to also make a difference and a positive change in the world.'.
All that was left was to pack my bag ready for the Christmas holidays and say my good byes. It was a lot harder than i first thought. However I was so looking forward to going home and with the knowledge that a month will fly bye and i will be back at MUWCI starting my second term in no time at all.
Happy holidays
Sarah
Here are links to MUWCI News letters:
December-http://issuu.com/uwcmahindracollege/docs/december_2013_newsletter
October--http://issuu.com/uwcmahindracollege/docs/october_2013_newsletter
African and Middle Eastern Regional evening-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XssCK_9O7bE&feature=youtu.be
Numaya, me, Yarden and Zelma at the pool.
Balaji Temple
View from the fort and at the old entrance to the fort.
Being all Titanic.
Elize, Fian, Alisha and me on the yacht.
View of the Gateway to India from the yacht.
Full English and Earl Grey tea at Theobromas.
A collation of pictures from the rescue mission.
Breakfast on the mountain getting ready to climb.
View on the small hike back down the the camp site.
Roomie picture. Patricia, Shaib's and me at MUWCI Fest.
Performances at MUWCI Fest.
Performances at MUWCI Fest.
Supporting our Wada's at MUWCilympics football match first round.
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Getting ready to perform at IB Dance Sunday spotlight.
Performing.
Performing.
At Sadhana village, preparing for Sadhana show case.
Disha and me at Christmas dinner, wearing the scarf she just gifted me.
Saying farewells.
Students pay tribute to Nelson Mandela in the Academic Quadrangle.
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