Ella Williams, Grade 11
UWC Mostar
I have been very lucky in my childhood that my family has loved and been able to take me traveling, this in combination with my time at UWC has meant I have seen a lot and had many experiences. The majority of this traveling has been to ski resorts and, for many years while I was young, to one ski resort, in particular, Grandvalira in Andorra. Andorra is a tiny country (468km^2 with a population of approximately 77,500 people) As a family, we stayed mostly in the El Tarter area and crossed over to the Soldeu area often as well. Our usual hotel was a short bus ride from the slopes and had a swimming pool and an amazing restaurant.
Andorra is where I learnt to ski; every day, I would be in ski school all morning, and in the afternoon, I would go with my mum, my brother, and my grandparents and explore. Ski school was always so much fun, my brother and I would make friends with other children, some who spoke English and some who didn't, and we would communicate by throwing snowballs, gesturing, and racing. Sadly I was too young to stay in contact with any of these other children, but I think this made our time together even more special as we cherished every laugh. Another thing that made ski school so much fun was the passion of the instructors. I don't remember one grumpy instructor, they were all just loving life, living in a ski resort; many of them, I guess, would have had upbringings like mine where they discovered their love for the snow! Their love for skiing made such a positive atmosphere in ski school as we all were influenced by their joy and infectious happiness.
The afternoons of exploration would usually involve my brother and me skiing laps of a piste called the "Mickey Run," which was a slope built for children with obstacles as you go down. This was one of the many things that are so special about Grandvalira; it's so child friendly. I genuinely believe that it is one of the best places a child could learn to ski. Halfway through the afternoon, my whole family would stop on the mountain for a hot chocolate loaded with whipped cream on top.
After a long day of skiing, we returned to our hotel (Hotel Euroski) with a short 500-meter shuttle bus ride from the slopes. We would take a shower and head to the pool where we would all swim, and my mum and grandparents would have a sauna, yet another thing that added to the amazing experience as my whole family loves to swim. Finally, to finish off each day, we would go to the buffet restaurant for dinner. It might just have been because we were ravenous hungry at this point, but I remember this food was amazing. Every night after I'd finished my meal I'd crawl onto my mum's lap and fall asleep while she ate her dinner. It's been a running joke in my family that I could ski down a mountain before I could stay awake through dinner. Then we'd wake up and do it again every day for a week.
Since getting older, we have been to many other ski resorts in different countries; however, this one will always hold a special place in my heart as the best place to learn to ski. The resort was well monitored with stations everywhere that could help you find your way if you got lost, the slopes were child friendly with places for the adults to have a more adrenaline-filled day, there are great food and drink and amazing ski school, giving it a very safe atmosphere which I believe to be a great comfort to my mother. It is in Andorra that I discovered my passion for skiing, and I look forward to one day taking my children there to learn in the same place I did.
Andorra is where I learnt to ski; every day, I would be in ski school all morning, and in the afternoon, I would go with my mum, my brother, and my grandparents and explore. Ski school was always so much fun, my brother and I would make friends with other children, some who spoke English and some who didn't, and we would communicate by throwing snowballs, gesturing, and racing. Sadly I was too young to stay in contact with any of these other children, but I think this made our time together even more special as we cherished every laugh. Another thing that made ski school so much fun was the passion of the instructors. I don't remember one grumpy instructor, they were all just loving life, living in a ski resort; many of them, I guess, would have had upbringings like mine where they discovered their love for the snow! Their love for skiing made such a positive atmosphere in ski school as we all were influenced by their joy and infectious happiness.
The afternoons of exploration would usually involve my brother and me skiing laps of a piste called the "Mickey Run," which was a slope built for children with obstacles as you go down. This was one of the many things that are so special about Grandvalira; it's so child friendly. I genuinely believe that it is one of the best places a child could learn to ski. Halfway through the afternoon, my whole family would stop on the mountain for a hot chocolate loaded with whipped cream on top.
After a long day of skiing, we returned to our hotel (Hotel Euroski) with a short 500-meter shuttle bus ride from the slopes. We would take a shower and head to the pool where we would all swim, and my mum and grandparents would have a sauna, yet another thing that added to the amazing experience as my whole family loves to swim. Finally, to finish off each day, we would go to the buffet restaurant for dinner. It might just have been because we were ravenous hungry at this point, but I remember this food was amazing. Every night after I'd finished my meal I'd crawl onto my mum's lap and fall asleep while she ate her dinner. It's been a running joke in my family that I could ski down a mountain before I could stay awake through dinner. Then we'd wake up and do it again every day for a week.
Since getting older, we have been to many other ski resorts in different countries; however, this one will always hold a special place in my heart as the best place to learn to ski. The resort was well monitored with stations everywhere that could help you find your way if you got lost, the slopes were child friendly with places for the adults to have a more adrenaline-filled day, there are great food and drink and amazing ski school, giving it a very safe atmosphere which I believe to be a great comfort to my mother. It is in Andorra that I discovered my passion for skiing, and I look forward to one day taking my children there to learn in the same place I did.
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