Devanshi Loomba, Grade 11
UWCSEA (East)
Hey, I’m Devanshi, I’m a 17-year-old Indian girl. I joined UWC last year and trust me when I say this. It has been an adventure ever since. My life back in India was very secure, and my parents always fulfilled my needs, so there was no particular struggle that I had to deal with. Sure, I was faced with challenges now and then, but who isn’t. I’m a boarder at UWCSEA East, Singapore but I wouldn’t call it boarding, I’d call it home.
When I first came to UWC, it was a complete change of environment for me, the girl who never left her house alone was now in a different country all alone. I wasn’t scared; all I felt was excitement. The first few weeks of my transition were quite difficult, not because I was missing home, but because I discovered a new trait of my personality, I discovered I was an introvert. Being socially awkward isn’t the best thing when you move to a new country, but eventually, I found my way around things. It took me about two months to form friendships - now my friends are like family to me. I loved being independent, or at least the thought of it sounded exciting until I realised that I had to step out of my comfort zone. As most of you guys would know, IB is no joke but thanks to the rigorous teaching patterns of the Indian education system, I could easily deal with academics. As I mentioned before, the socialising bit was difficult, but studying at UWC gives you so many opportunities to work together as a group that eventually, I felt comfortable.
The best UWC memory for me by far has been the trip all the boarders took to Bintan. It was a short weekend trip but still gave me the most memorable moments to cherish. We left the boarding house after school on a Friday, and all I can say is that we left as individuals, but we came back as a group, a family. We all were friendly with each other, but there were cultural and regional barriers that highlighted the differences within the boarding community. We were so busy defining and judging each other based on nationality that we forgot to acknowledge individuality and personal experience. However, all this changed after the trip as we decided to look beyond the surface and acknowledge experiences and beliefs that defined people not in the form of a portfolio but as human beings who have had their share of struggles in life. We made the most of our two days.
The first day was eight hours on the beach - even the scorching heat of the sun could not convince us to leave the pool.
When I first came to UWC, it was a complete change of environment for me, the girl who never left her house alone was now in a different country all alone. I wasn’t scared; all I felt was excitement. The first few weeks of my transition were quite difficult, not because I was missing home, but because I discovered a new trait of my personality, I discovered I was an introvert. Being socially awkward isn’t the best thing when you move to a new country, but eventually, I found my way around things. It took me about two months to form friendships - now my friends are like family to me. I loved being independent, or at least the thought of it sounded exciting until I realised that I had to step out of my comfort zone. As most of you guys would know, IB is no joke but thanks to the rigorous teaching patterns of the Indian education system, I could easily deal with academics. As I mentioned before, the socialising bit was difficult, but studying at UWC gives you so many opportunities to work together as a group that eventually, I felt comfortable.
The best UWC memory for me by far has been the trip all the boarders took to Bintan. It was a short weekend trip but still gave me the most memorable moments to cherish. We left the boarding house after school on a Friday, and all I can say is that we left as individuals, but we came back as a group, a family. We all were friendly with each other, but there were cultural and regional barriers that highlighted the differences within the boarding community. We were so busy defining and judging each other based on nationality that we forgot to acknowledge individuality and personal experience. However, all this changed after the trip as we decided to look beyond the surface and acknowledge experiences and beliefs that defined people not in the form of a portfolio but as human beings who have had their share of struggles in life. We made the most of our two days.
The first day was eight hours on the beach - even the scorching heat of the sun could not convince us to leave the pool.
Guest Writer |
I found one of my best friends while looking for sunscreen, and the funny part is that she made fun of me instantly asking me about my ‘Indian melanin’ and at that point, I just knew I’d be friends with her. After a good beach day, fifteen of us decided to sit by the beach overlooking the dark, roaring waves, and discuss ‘our stories’. At that moment, there was no filter; everyone was truthful and did not mind showing their vulnerable side. Effortlessly, we all empathised with each other. We talked about politics, culture, societal norms, and it was wonderful to see how people from nine different nationalities could interact and find so many common grounds. Some of us even had similar stories and family situations, and sometimes we found it difficult to imagine our reaction if we were in the other person’s position. With every passing hour, we realised that we all are similar in some way: similar interests, ideologies, hobbies, even taste in music, and with every wave that crashed on to the shore, we became a little more like a community. After that day, we didn’t have to learn the UWC motto anymore.
We just knew what it stands for. |
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