Soukeyna Pitroipa, Grade 11
UWC Costa Rica
Sometimes to create a special bond with a place, you need a meaningful moment and an eruption of good friends in your life. The memories you create with the people you met in your journey will last a lifetime and, when the time comes to step inside the same special place, you will be able to feel lavas of good memories flowing inside your brain. At UWC Costa Rica, there is this special place that makes me feel nostalgic and feel as if I was in a volcano full of memories that I have created with my co-years and second-years. This place is an administrative office Poas, named after a famous volcano in the country.
Last time I went to Poas, it was while they were doing renovations into the building. You could see stones and rocks on the ground, and seeing this scene hurt because it was as if they were destroying the volcano, which contained one of my favorite memories. They moved out most of the furniture in the administration office -computers, chairs, even the immigration quarter, which was usually full of administrative folders and passports. You couldn’t see an ounce of paper. Only the infirmary room was left untouched, but even there, no one. Then, I went to the backyard of the building, and the feeling of emptiness vanished to let an overflow of memories warm up my soul. A soul that was saddened on the 16th of January 2020 because it would have to celebrate its 17th birthday away from home.
I remember this day as it was yesterday. It was a normal school day when I had all my standard-level classes in the morning. That day, I felt especially down; I was missing something from home, my family. For this occasion, they did a video-call with me in the afternoon wishing happy birthday with a cake and singing. It made me teared up a bit, and it reinforced my sadness, then a cold feeling of loneliness erupted inside me and iced up my soul.
Meanwhile, I didn’t know what was happening, I didn’t notice that my roommates were moving out and in of the room more than usual. Some of my friends organized, going to the supermarket all together for a certain hidden reason. I was just clueless, and, for me, it seemed I had nobody to spend my birthday with.
Then came the night, my roommate proposed me to go to Poas to take a coffee to warm us up a bit. She was even talking more than usual. I think she wanted to change my mind and make me feel less lonely. It is nice to have someone who tries to make your day brighter. She was trying her best to make me comfortable, and I will eternally be grateful to her for that. We arrived at Poas, and everything was silenced, the backyard door was closed, but you could notice some light coming from the building. At this moment, I felt something coming as you feel an important event would come or as a volcanic eruption would happen in the next second. As I opened the door, my suspicions were confirmed, it was an eruption of people, good friends from different parts of the world screaming happy birthday! Then the ice of my cold and saddened soul melt, and it turned into tears that dropped as I was hugging my co-years and second years coming to wish happy birthday. The moment was simple: a cake in the middle of the small table, happy birthday cards, smiles, jokes, and good discussions, but for me, it was everything, it was the volcano eruption I needed to make my 17th birthday a better day. I would say that feeling down when you are homesick is totally normal, and anyone has the right to feel that way. But I realized that the cure for this is people, people who are ready to listen to you, your fears, and ready to warm up your soul with a surprise birthday party, for example. I would be totally grateful to the people who contributed to this event at Poas, for being so caring with the 2003 baby that I am, for just being the amazing person that they are, for being the lava eruption which inspires me.
Even after this surprise birthday, as I look at the coffee machine in the middle of Poas terrace, I can’t help but feel nostalgic about that time I came there for my first birthday away from home. The same setting is there, the small table surrounded by sofas. Next to the coffee machine, there is a bigger table on which my friends put my birthday cards. In front of me, a bigger open space was used for a dinner night between my residence Cahuita and Coco. I could see and hear the shadows of girls moving, dancing around, and discussing. It was not the best girl gathering that we had on campus, but it is funny to remember how we dressed up just to have dinner at Poas backyard open space. But, it was one of these moments of sisterhood that will link Cahuitas together to make the residence better.
All these memories still stay fresh in my mind and are animated by the warm emotions I felt during my UWC experience. My friends and Cahuita housemates are the ones who contributed to make Pòas a special place to be in during a special occasion. Even though not many people are at school during summer, I still view Poas as a volcano containing great moments spent celebrating birthdays and fun times with good acquaintances. I can’t wait for other great memories to erupt in this special Pòas terrace to create bonds between second years and first years.
Last time I went to Poas, it was while they were doing renovations into the building. You could see stones and rocks on the ground, and seeing this scene hurt because it was as if they were destroying the volcano, which contained one of my favorite memories. They moved out most of the furniture in the administration office -computers, chairs, even the immigration quarter, which was usually full of administrative folders and passports. You couldn’t see an ounce of paper. Only the infirmary room was left untouched, but even there, no one. Then, I went to the backyard of the building, and the feeling of emptiness vanished to let an overflow of memories warm up my soul. A soul that was saddened on the 16th of January 2020 because it would have to celebrate its 17th birthday away from home.
I remember this day as it was yesterday. It was a normal school day when I had all my standard-level classes in the morning. That day, I felt especially down; I was missing something from home, my family. For this occasion, they did a video-call with me in the afternoon wishing happy birthday with a cake and singing. It made me teared up a bit, and it reinforced my sadness, then a cold feeling of loneliness erupted inside me and iced up my soul.
Meanwhile, I didn’t know what was happening, I didn’t notice that my roommates were moving out and in of the room more than usual. Some of my friends organized, going to the supermarket all together for a certain hidden reason. I was just clueless, and, for me, it seemed I had nobody to spend my birthday with.
Then came the night, my roommate proposed me to go to Poas to take a coffee to warm us up a bit. She was even talking more than usual. I think she wanted to change my mind and make me feel less lonely. It is nice to have someone who tries to make your day brighter. She was trying her best to make me comfortable, and I will eternally be grateful to her for that. We arrived at Poas, and everything was silenced, the backyard door was closed, but you could notice some light coming from the building. At this moment, I felt something coming as you feel an important event would come or as a volcanic eruption would happen in the next second. As I opened the door, my suspicions were confirmed, it was an eruption of people, good friends from different parts of the world screaming happy birthday! Then the ice of my cold and saddened soul melt, and it turned into tears that dropped as I was hugging my co-years and second years coming to wish happy birthday. The moment was simple: a cake in the middle of the small table, happy birthday cards, smiles, jokes, and good discussions, but for me, it was everything, it was the volcano eruption I needed to make my 17th birthday a better day. I would say that feeling down when you are homesick is totally normal, and anyone has the right to feel that way. But I realized that the cure for this is people, people who are ready to listen to you, your fears, and ready to warm up your soul with a surprise birthday party, for example. I would be totally grateful to the people who contributed to this event at Poas, for being so caring with the 2003 baby that I am, for just being the amazing person that they are, for being the lava eruption which inspires me.
Even after this surprise birthday, as I look at the coffee machine in the middle of Poas terrace, I can’t help but feel nostalgic about that time I came there for my first birthday away from home. The same setting is there, the small table surrounded by sofas. Next to the coffee machine, there is a bigger table on which my friends put my birthday cards. In front of me, a bigger open space was used for a dinner night between my residence Cahuita and Coco. I could see and hear the shadows of girls moving, dancing around, and discussing. It was not the best girl gathering that we had on campus, but it is funny to remember how we dressed up just to have dinner at Poas backyard open space. But, it was one of these moments of sisterhood that will link Cahuitas together to make the residence better.
All these memories still stay fresh in my mind and are animated by the warm emotions I felt during my UWC experience. My friends and Cahuita housemates are the ones who contributed to make Pòas a special place to be in during a special occasion. Even though not many people are at school during summer, I still view Poas as a volcano containing great moments spent celebrating birthdays and fun times with good acquaintances. I can’t wait for other great memories to erupt in this special Pòas terrace to create bonds between second years and first years.
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