Ella Williams, Grade 11
UWC Mostar
I am fortunate to have found a very broad friendship base, branching through many friendship groups, very early on. I found a group of amazing people from my residence, whom I spent a lot of time in my room, talking, dancing, and singing. This is the first group I became a part of, some of whom I spoke to a lot online before arriving at UWC; their friendship at the beginning helped me feel comfortable and like I could be myself. Within this group is one of my roommates; she definitely has had a massive impact on my experience as she is one of the main reasons I met this group of people in the first place. Our room became the place we all hang out, and because of this, I have so many amazing memories there.
I remember one night after a particularly taxing week, we were all together, playing music, dancing, singing, and generally letting off some steam. At some point, we decided to make it someone’s birthday, looking back, this doesn’t make a lot of sense, but at the time it was perfect. We sang happy birthday and laughed hysterically into the night. This group is particularly special to me as we have all grown up in very different ways, we all come from totally different cultures, and this has meant that we all have totally different skills. This is particularly apparent when someone needs advice and gets 5 or 6 opposing viewpoints and recommendations. For me, in times of need, I have found these ranging perspectives have helped me gain perspective on different situations, and in the case where everyone agrees with each other, suddenly, the path forward is very clear.
Many people say that the friendships you make very early on won’t stay your closest friends, this group of people makes me disagree with this. However, I have a particularly close friendship with one girl in our group who became friends with us later. I don’t actually recall when or what made us become friends, but it’s weird to think that I’ve only known her for a few months, it’s even weirder to think that she was not much a part of my experience at the beginning. I have countless memories of us lying in my bed and talking about everything and nothing. She is an amazing singer and performer, and she is generally very charismatic; she helped me become a lot more confident.
From the day I have been good friends with a boy who isn’t in my residence, and by spending time with him and his roommates, I found another group of friends. We bonded through a mutual love for a specific cafe where we study a lot of the time, they keep me motivated, and their second-year wisdom comes in handy! One of my favourite memories of these study evenings was when two of them dressed in full suits for no reason, and we filmed them walking through the town to the cafe in slow motion. It is random funny moments like this that make friendships so special, and living with your closest friends means that these moments happen often.
For me, it would be impossible to choose just one person who has changed my experience as there are so many amazing and interesting people that I have met. Even the people who you have one time conversations with or the people who you aren’t particularly close to can and have changed my perspective on so many subjects inside and outside UWC life. I have learned so much from everyone I’ve met, and it is all these people that have helped me to grow to form my own opinions; UWC is a hub of people changing each other’s life journeys just by being who they are.
I remember one night after a particularly taxing week, we were all together, playing music, dancing, singing, and generally letting off some steam. At some point, we decided to make it someone’s birthday, looking back, this doesn’t make a lot of sense, but at the time it was perfect. We sang happy birthday and laughed hysterically into the night. This group is particularly special to me as we have all grown up in very different ways, we all come from totally different cultures, and this has meant that we all have totally different skills. This is particularly apparent when someone needs advice and gets 5 or 6 opposing viewpoints and recommendations. For me, in times of need, I have found these ranging perspectives have helped me gain perspective on different situations, and in the case where everyone agrees with each other, suddenly, the path forward is very clear.
Many people say that the friendships you make very early on won’t stay your closest friends, this group of people makes me disagree with this. However, I have a particularly close friendship with one girl in our group who became friends with us later. I don’t actually recall when or what made us become friends, but it’s weird to think that I’ve only known her for a few months, it’s even weirder to think that she was not much a part of my experience at the beginning. I have countless memories of us lying in my bed and talking about everything and nothing. She is an amazing singer and performer, and she is generally very charismatic; she helped me become a lot more confident.
From the day I have been good friends with a boy who isn’t in my residence, and by spending time with him and his roommates, I found another group of friends. We bonded through a mutual love for a specific cafe where we study a lot of the time, they keep me motivated, and their second-year wisdom comes in handy! One of my favourite memories of these study evenings was when two of them dressed in full suits for no reason, and we filmed them walking through the town to the cafe in slow motion. It is random funny moments like this that make friendships so special, and living with your closest friends means that these moments happen often.
For me, it would be impossible to choose just one person who has changed my experience as there are so many amazing and interesting people that I have met. Even the people who you have one time conversations with or the people who you aren’t particularly close to can and have changed my perspective on so many subjects inside and outside UWC life. I have learned so much from everyone I’ve met, and it is all these people that have helped me to grow to form my own opinions; UWC is a hub of people changing each other’s life journeys just by being who they are.
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