Settling In

Hola, habla Alison!

The past weeks has been crammed full of activities so will try to remember as much as I can. But the lack of time on my hands means that these posts will become short and sweet!

Every Sunday there is a fruit market in the local town of Santa Ana which is full of fresh exotic fruits and foods which are incredible. My second year buddy took me there the first time where I tried new fruits, like mamones chinos, which have now became a new favourite of mine! I also visited the Multi Plaza, a mall located  in a town called Escazu fifteen minutes bus drive away. It is completely different to the local town of Santa Ana because it is very Americanized, full of brand shops and a food mall. I don't think I'll go there often as it is quite expensive and you don't get a sense of the true Costa Rican culture. All of the first years went on a trip to the capital, San Jose, which is almost an hour bus ride away. San Jose is full of life, I particularly loved the markets. There is an old market in which a restaurant is located that is the oldest in there which really does take you back in time. It is also very cheap, I got a typical smoothie that was so nice, I forgot the name of it though. If I return I'll remember the name! There was also an amazing art market next to the museum which was full of amazing creations from hammocks to jewellery. I particularly enjoyed a jewellery stall where the man made the items there and then, I bought a pretty ring for 1000 colones which is two dollars, and he made me a ring for free with the shape of PV which stands for Pura Vida, the Costa Rican saying. I have found that the people here are so nice and generous which makes the experience all the more amazing and interesting!

The second years put on an Incredible performance for us which included many performances from Barbie Girl to Mambo Number Five, dancing and singing to poetry. Most of them are ''pass downs'' which means their second years, my third years, performed them to them and they got passed down to certain people to perform. There are many pass downs here, including secret ones. It is a really fun experience. The second years really know how to put on a performance!

The whole school went camping, well in cabins which is very different to the many camps I go on in tents. We went up in the mountains to a place called Robleato, here we participated in activities surrounding the UWCCR competencies of social responsibility, sustainability, healthy lifestyle, leadership, conflict transformation and diversity. We also did fun things like play football and go on a water slide and volley ball and go in the swimming pool. This was especially fun in a storm with loads of rain. That's another thing, it is rainy season (which is still boiling for me) but there are bursts of storms and rain almost everyday, so lots of thunder and lightning. I also loved socialising more with people and getting to know them, this is a constant thing that happens everyday.

I really enjoyed the inter residence competitions, my residence is Cahuita so we were all out in force with face paint! There was four activities to participate in, in which everyone participated in at least one. There was soccer, photography, art and basketball. I did basketball in which we came second, I really enjoyed it, especially getting my competitive side out! We still don't know the final overall results yet though, fingers crossed though. ''BE Cahuita, BE BE Cahuita!''

I even had a small birthday celebration because we celebrate the birthdays in months as there are many people. So there was a cake at our residence meeting for those born in August and September whicih was really nice and thoughtful, thanks to Brenda my residence coordinator and the RA's Alison (another one) and Valeria, who all so a super job.

Academics have started and my lessons are so interesting, especially with the awesome teachers and class mates which creates very interesting discussions. I got the results I wanted on my placement exams. My Higher Levels are English Lit and Lang, Psychology and Visual Arts and my Standard Levels are Spanish B, Maths and Environmental Systems and Societies. I also to Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and Creativity, Action, Service (CAS). I originally wanted to do English Lit HL but is clashed with Arts so I changed to Eng Lit and Lang. The CAS's start soon, I have a preference to do guitar, dance, aerial acrobatics and La Carpio, this is a service CAS where you spend days in very poor areas of Costa Rica helping children and to give them a good time as they have virtually nothing.

Most recently us first years planned a surprise for our second years in which we made and bought food and drinks, wrote cards for our second year friends, roomies ( my roomie is Lutfe from Bangladesh who is lovely, my other room mate is now not coming which is sad but there is now more room!!), buddies and IB buddies. We also made a film for them which includes some of the first years singing to 'You've got a friend in me', if you want to see it the link is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Msa6ttyP94&feature=youtu.be . They looked like they really enjoyed it and I hope the surprises continue as it is nice to give back to them after how welcoming and kind they have been.

This is all I can remember for now as sooo much has happened!! It has been an amazing experience so far and I can't wait for the rest of the year!

Ciao! :)

Cahuita girls ready for competition!

My cabin group

Me, Barrise and Becca at our Birthday celebration.

Me, Carla, Maia and Amiya at Robleato!

On the water slide at Robleato!

Orientation

Namaste
Sarah here,

My last two weeks in India have been jam packed, adventurous and exhilarating. I will try to remember all i have done.

After what felt like an age trying to get my visa, it finally came on the Monday so i got on the first flight to Heathrow then to Mumbai. I planned to catch up on my sleep on the plane, but the temptation of watching the new Hobbit film was too great, also i wanted to stay up for the plane food of which the English breakfast included a curry dish, well my national dish is chicken tika masala.

I was met at Mumbai International airport by my British second year Mali and a Jamaican co year Carissa. We had a 6 hour jeep journey from the airport to the college where we talked, took in the new culture and slept....being very tired from travelling. I started noticing the big culture difference in this time as the drivers didn't stick to the left side of the road and if you think England has too many pot holes in the road you will not like India. Many people use motor bikes and i caught a whole family of three children and two adults on a two person bike.

When i arrived on Tuesday evening, i was led to my Wada (block) and to my room (Wada 4 house 8 room R) by my second year roomie from Nepal Shaibyaa. The room is very basic and resembled a hospital without anything in it, a trip to Pune the local city was needed more of which to come later. My other room mates, Patricia from Portugal and Jyoti from a local rural village who cam through the Askshara programme, were all very welcoming and made it feel homely.

On Wednesday we started orientation, which first meant many meetings with staff and students. We had our first advisor meeting, which is a small group of first years from your Wada and second year buddies, who come to be a group where you can share your worries, happiness and make food at advisor dinners. I had a advisor dinner last night, we made pizza from scratch and ate them like at the teacher advisors house.
Also on Wednesday i had a maths assessment and the finally of the day, the second year show. Their show showed all the variety of cultures, talent and enthusiasm students have and have gained here. We were treated to acrobatics, dance singing, music and funny theatre sketches.

We were introduced to Satat on Thursday. This translates from Marathi, the local language spoken here, to sustainability, more spesifically to water sustainability. We took a campus tour down to the water and electricity buildings for college. The water is pumped up from the river, which uses a large pressure system. We need to leave enough water for villages further down the river, because of this, a focus this year is on water conservation. Therefore the college re-uses a lot of water for example on its bio-reserve. We are also given targets that encourage students and the whole college to be as sustainable as possible, which it does so in too many ways i can't explain.

Friday was an especially enlightening day for me. I was introduced to the akshara programme. It aims to educate those less fortunate and it started with the local community working on girls education. Its base is at the college and so gives us the chance to go to on home stays in the local villages. I attended the furthest village Badhass, which was a two hour hike away. I went with Numaya a friend from Bangladesh and Amelia a lovely second year from Malaysia. Out of mutual respect, we had to be culturally sensitive, covering our shoulders, chest and knees and speaking some Hindi and Marathi.
When we got there we met Shilpa our 14 year old host and her friends. One thing i loved about the people was that they had so little yet were more hospitable and happy than most well off families i know. They took us up the mountain where we played traditional games among the beautiful scenery. Then the girls insisted on dressing us in sari's, giving us henna then feeding us a very spicy but filling meal. After which we prepared to sleep, which was surprisingly comfortable for being their kitchen floor. Others were less fortunate but gained a experience by sleeping in the same room as the cows. In the morning we said our good byes as Shilpa went off to school. I hope i get to visit the family again to offer my help and learn more about their life.

On Sunday we had the day off, which the first years spent preparing for the first year show. I took part in the nation anthem opening performance, where i sung the sex pistols version of God save the Queen. I also took part in a Latin, Bollywood, Greek, mash-up dances and my favorite was the Brit girls going a spice girls dance performance, which i will upload to this post.

We were surprised on Monday morning at 5 am by the second years dragging us to the playing filed where the ultimate in cold mud games took place.
That same morning we started academic orientation. Classes start at 7:30,each being 40 minutes, then we have a 20 minute break for breakfast, after which is two more lessons. At 10:30 we have double block where we have assigned extra lessons, work and People's, Nation's and Cultures sessions, which is our Theory Of Knowledge. At 12:05 we have two more lessons, with the last one being a long block, followed by lunch.
At the moment i take English litiratrue and language, Global Politics, Philosophy and Dance higher lever, and Maths studies, Biology, Spanish standard level. Although we are still in trial period.

In the evenings we have Treveni's which are our CAS, they start this week. I plan to do Sahdana Friends as my off campus, in which we visit a home for metally challaged adults, we play games and educate them whilst educating our selves in doing so. I look to do acrobatics, hip hop, flash mob as my actions. For my campus service i want to do Fire Service. This is very useful as in the summer fires happen a lot and we will be trained physically and mentally to prepare for them. I was reminded of how important this Treveni is when we visited Paud the local town on Friday, where i eat some more spicy food, and a fire broke out at a electrical store. This was devastating for the community and those who lost there lively hood business.
I also plan to join Gensex which is a group who discuss issues surrounding gender and sex in a very relaxed environment.

On Saturday i went with friends to Pune a big city a few hours away from campus. The was my first time going round and seeing for myself the different lives people lead in India. We went to a market place via a rickshaw where i bought things for my room such as bed sheets, pillows, shelves and a rug for super cheap prices. I also bought Nutella and fruit from a food stall. We went to a cafe where i had the nicest sandwich ever!! the cafe food at the college is good but there is only so much curry, masala and chipati's i can take in one go.
When we arrived home my roomies and i rearranged the room about 10  times before coming to the best way for all of us.

Yesterday i had a lie in till 10 and went for brunch, possible the best meal ever here on campus. After i went for a run up and down the hill campus in situated on. The gym is right behind my room, and although basic, has rowing machines which i have come to love here.
I skyped Jake our friend at UWC USA and although the connection was bad it was cool comparing our timme at uwc's so farr.

That is a summerised update of what i have been doing here, but feel free to ask me about anything else.

Love
Sarah

College on the hill

First college meeting

Dance practice

Brit Spice Girls dance performance

Rickshaw ride

And just for Mum

More pictures to come....

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