Raluca-Loana Grigoras, Grade 11
UWCEA (Arusha)
This story is not just mine..it is the story of probably hundreds of teenagers that came to UWC expecting a life-changing experience, expecting everyone to be happy all the time, every day to be exciting, flags in the air and exchanging cultures with every breath.
We arrived so excitedly to the newest UWC, and after “the honeymoon” as our teachers called the first weeks, I heard lots of people, including myself, saying: this is not a UWC. This is just an international school, and that’s not what I came for. UWC became an adjective, and everyone was complaining that we don’t do enough “UWC things”.
Why did we feel that? Because we forgot that we were called here to create the experience, and expected the unforgettable activities and experiences to be here, waiting for us. We forgot that the main reason we are here is to come up with ideas and implement them. We want to make a change in the world. Then, shouldn’t we be able to change our school into what we want it to be?
The truth is, the UWC we imagined, doesn’t exist. But there are amazing people in the world, and I met a lot of them here! We have more than a perfect school handed on to us. We have the opportunity to build it. And this is true for any UWC! The essence of every UWC is you, the students! I only truly understood this sentence after I came here. We are the point!
Learning how to live together, despite the differences, is what we came for! Being provided with the tools, help, and means to impact the world around us, everything that’s left to do is… do it!
The perfect school that you are dreaming about, doesn’t exist. But there is something far greater than that. This place is my new home, where I met people with beautiful souls, and with whom I feel a connection far stronger than I thought it is possible in a few months. Sometimes I wonder how people that are so kind, so special, talented, inspiring, loving and caring exist, and how they will change the world in the future.
I can’t describe in words how amazing the conversations about everything from conflicts in the world to religion, relationships, dreams, our countries are. How much more you understand about the world, its people, and the different perspectives on issues.
We arrived so excitedly to the newest UWC, and after “the honeymoon” as our teachers called the first weeks, I heard lots of people, including myself, saying: this is not a UWC. This is just an international school, and that’s not what I came for. UWC became an adjective, and everyone was complaining that we don’t do enough “UWC things”.
Why did we feel that? Because we forgot that we were called here to create the experience, and expected the unforgettable activities and experiences to be here, waiting for us. We forgot that the main reason we are here is to come up with ideas and implement them. We want to make a change in the world. Then, shouldn’t we be able to change our school into what we want it to be?
The truth is, the UWC we imagined, doesn’t exist. But there are amazing people in the world, and I met a lot of them here! We have more than a perfect school handed on to us. We have the opportunity to build it. And this is true for any UWC! The essence of every UWC is you, the students! I only truly understood this sentence after I came here. We are the point!
Learning how to live together, despite the differences, is what we came for! Being provided with the tools, help, and means to impact the world around us, everything that’s left to do is… do it!
The perfect school that you are dreaming about, doesn’t exist. But there is something far greater than that. This place is my new home, where I met people with beautiful souls, and with whom I feel a connection far stronger than I thought it is possible in a few months. Sometimes I wonder how people that are so kind, so special, talented, inspiring, loving and caring exist, and how they will change the world in the future.
I can’t describe in words how amazing the conversations about everything from conflicts in the world to religion, relationships, dreams, our countries are. How much more you understand about the world, its people, and the different perspectives on issues.
You feel yourself grow as a person as a result of everything that’s happening here. UWC gets the person you always wanted to be out of you, showing it to the world. You get the courage to be what you really are and do what you really wanted. It is not about getting the best education and going to a top university. Sure, if that’s your goal, that’s okay, but here, we can learn how to live. We can learn how to make an impact around us, starting from our dirty boma to the wider community of Arusha to the whole of Tanzania to - most importantly - the whole world. We are here to learn about life from each other. We are here to learn how to be leaders and to put our ideas into practice. We are here to see the world through each other’s eyes, to understand more of it, and to learn how to change it. Each in our own small way.
Come to UWC! Not to get to the perfect high school, but to create your special experience, and to live life in the most valuable way you can, at 17 years old, surrounded by amazing people and the opportunity to make a change. It is more than you think! Enjoy it at its full!
Come to UWC! Not to get to the perfect high school, but to create your special experience, and to live life in the most valuable way you can, at 17 years old, surrounded by amazing people and the opportunity to make a change. It is more than you think! Enjoy it at its full!
www.unitedworldwide.co