Winston, Grade
UWC China
Iridescent, accepting, unlimited. These are the three words that I conclude from my first year at UWC Changshu China.
As a student who once survived in Chinese traditional middle school, I've been immersed in my own world for the last three years pursuing grades. (I am not claiming that Chinese traditional education is a disaster, not at all.) I chose to further my study at UWCCSC out of, more or less, curiosity. I am curious about UWC values and appreciate the global mission. As a result, I came, I saw, I conquered. (Not yet actually.) I can confidently say that UWC refined me and opened up a new world for me.
The first treasure at UWC is doubtlessly iridescent life and activities. For instance, we have a platform called Open Mic, which is offered for all students and staff in the CSC campus, allowing us to introduce ourselves, hobbies and build friendships. I took part in the second Open Mic in September 2020. I only did so, because my roommate said that I am able to sing and play the guitar well. When I came to the performance spot, I regretted everything - I thought to myself 'ahh my self-taught guitar skills are so weak and there's so many expert guitar players in campus; I was concerned that one of them would jump out and criticize my playing. Performers showed up on stage one by one. I could tell that some of the performances were not that well-prepared and intriguing, but the confident and relaxed smiles on their faces made them, surprisingly, shiny. It was no wonder that I used the word shiny because there seemed to be actual light released from their eyes, faces, or even voices, attracting the attention of each individual at the spot. When it was my turn, I started with an embarrassing introduction, followed by a Chinese song. With the nervousness in the moment, I ended up singing a key higher than I was supposed to and all the notes that I was practising a minute ago were completely erased from my mind. As I accumulated all the courage and looked up at the audience, I found that everyone was actually listening to my music intently. After my performance was over, people burst out cheering and applauding. Some people who I didn't even know started yelling and cheering my name out. I found myself amidst an excited and encouraging audience, and, out of my expectation, I was shining too. At that moment, I realized that my world overlapped with the worlds of everyone watched. Just like a single colour can blanket another to create a new shade; I had created something beautiful. This experience showed me that acceptance was vastly present in our community at UWC. There is no judgement. There is simply acceptance and understanding in this community.
Another unique feature in UWCCSC is definitely CCE, which stands for Chinese Culture Evening. As the only UWC campus located at mainland China, CSC carries missions of promoting Chinese culture. In my interview with the director of CCE 2020, Jack Xie, he said "CCE is a culture promotion that faces toward audiences of all ages. The most intriguing part of it is that CCE is totally organized by the enthusiastic youths in CSC. It is them who makes CCE a meaningful, inclusive and fascinating show."
In CCE 2020, I played the bamboo flute in a band which included electric guitar, bass and keyboard. During the rehearsal process, I was able to learn about the combination of Eastern and Western music. The melody of the keyboard and the sound of the flute twined together to form music full of beautiful harmonies. CCE was a wonderful experience where young people were able to learn about Chinese culture and enjoy the experience of the different arts showcased that evening. It was delightful to seeing international students playing the diabolo (空竹 in Chinese), performing Chinese Kong Fu and overall showing great interest in Chinese traditional culture.
As a student who once survived in Chinese traditional middle school, I've been immersed in my own world for the last three years pursuing grades. (I am not claiming that Chinese traditional education is a disaster, not at all.) I chose to further my study at UWCCSC out of, more or less, curiosity. I am curious about UWC values and appreciate the global mission. As a result, I came, I saw, I conquered. (Not yet actually.) I can confidently say that UWC refined me and opened up a new world for me.
The first treasure at UWC is doubtlessly iridescent life and activities. For instance, we have a platform called Open Mic, which is offered for all students and staff in the CSC campus, allowing us to introduce ourselves, hobbies and build friendships. I took part in the second Open Mic in September 2020. I only did so, because my roommate said that I am able to sing and play the guitar well. When I came to the performance spot, I regretted everything - I thought to myself 'ahh my self-taught guitar skills are so weak and there's so many expert guitar players in campus; I was concerned that one of them would jump out and criticize my playing. Performers showed up on stage one by one. I could tell that some of the performances were not that well-prepared and intriguing, but the confident and relaxed smiles on their faces made them, surprisingly, shiny. It was no wonder that I used the word shiny because there seemed to be actual light released from their eyes, faces, or even voices, attracting the attention of each individual at the spot. When it was my turn, I started with an embarrassing introduction, followed by a Chinese song. With the nervousness in the moment, I ended up singing a key higher than I was supposed to and all the notes that I was practising a minute ago were completely erased from my mind. As I accumulated all the courage and looked up at the audience, I found that everyone was actually listening to my music intently. After my performance was over, people burst out cheering and applauding. Some people who I didn't even know started yelling and cheering my name out. I found myself amidst an excited and encouraging audience, and, out of my expectation, I was shining too. At that moment, I realized that my world overlapped with the worlds of everyone watched. Just like a single colour can blanket another to create a new shade; I had created something beautiful. This experience showed me that acceptance was vastly present in our community at UWC. There is no judgement. There is simply acceptance and understanding in this community.
Another unique feature in UWCCSC is definitely CCE, which stands for Chinese Culture Evening. As the only UWC campus located at mainland China, CSC carries missions of promoting Chinese culture. In my interview with the director of CCE 2020, Jack Xie, he said "CCE is a culture promotion that faces toward audiences of all ages. The most intriguing part of it is that CCE is totally organized by the enthusiastic youths in CSC. It is them who makes CCE a meaningful, inclusive and fascinating show."
In CCE 2020, I played the bamboo flute in a band which included electric guitar, bass and keyboard. During the rehearsal process, I was able to learn about the combination of Eastern and Western music. The melody of the keyboard and the sound of the flute twined together to form music full of beautiful harmonies. CCE was a wonderful experience where young people were able to learn about Chinese culture and enjoy the experience of the different arts showcased that evening. It was delightful to seeing international students playing the diabolo (空竹 in Chinese), performing Chinese Kong Fu and overall showing great interest in Chinese traditional culture.
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