Liana Star, Grade 12
UWC Mostar
Prior to attending UWC I was constantly told not to have any expectations about what my experience would entail. Of course this was impossible considering I had been waiting for my acceptance since I was about 12 years old. My first few days at UWC were exactly what I imagined, new face after new face, endless exciting activities, and newfound friendships I had always felt had been missing from my school experience. After the first few weeks though, naturally the excitement began to fade. I refound this excitement in one of the places I least expected: what we at UWC Mostar refer to as Mejdan Beach. One of the most significant moments of my life dates back to a September evening spent on Mejdan Beach with people who to this day remain to be my three best friends. One of my favorite aspects of UWC is the unlikely friendships that would occur nowhere else that exist at our schools. My friend group consists of two people from the US, a Mexican-American, and someone from France. A group I never would have ever encountered back home. These three have grown to be my people, those I go to in my times of both happy and sad moments.
On this one particular night, the four of us had a few hours to kill. The night was inviting due to the warm weather and soft breeze, a fact which was too good to ignore. We made our way from our dorm down to the coastline of the Neretva River, the coldest river in the world. Walking down the steps to the beach is one of my most memorable moments in Mostar, as it was the gateway to where our friendship formed. Prior to arriving at the beach, we had bought some snacks to join our nighttime walk. As we sat with each other on a rock parallel to the river, we took turns playing our favorite songs for each other and passing snacks between us. We discussed everything from what our lives were like back home, to how happy we were to finally be in Mostar. For the first time in my entire life, I felt as though I truly belonged somewhere, among an unlikely group of friends who had very, very little in common. That’s one of the most exciting parts of UWC, you bond with people with whom you share no similarities.
Although opposites often do attract, at UWC opposites from every corner of the world are brought together to an extreme degree. At this moment in time I was able to experience what I consider to be UWC’s most unique quality: an unforgettable ability to make each student feel as though they belong. The most ironic aspect of this part of the UWC experience though is the fact that where each UWC student belongs is among those who share no commonalities with them. We come from different countries and we speak different native languages, yet we share a passion for contributing to the bettering of the world in a significant way.
On this one particular night, the four of us had a few hours to kill. The night was inviting due to the warm weather and soft breeze, a fact which was too good to ignore. We made our way from our dorm down to the coastline of the Neretva River, the coldest river in the world. Walking down the steps to the beach is one of my most memorable moments in Mostar, as it was the gateway to where our friendship formed. Prior to arriving at the beach, we had bought some snacks to join our nighttime walk. As we sat with each other on a rock parallel to the river, we took turns playing our favorite songs for each other and passing snacks between us. We discussed everything from what our lives were like back home, to how happy we were to finally be in Mostar. For the first time in my entire life, I felt as though I truly belonged somewhere, among an unlikely group of friends who had very, very little in common. That’s one of the most exciting parts of UWC, you bond with people with whom you share no similarities.
Although opposites often do attract, at UWC opposites from every corner of the world are brought together to an extreme degree. At this moment in time I was able to experience what I consider to be UWC’s most unique quality: an unforgettable ability to make each student feel as though they belong. The most ironic aspect of this part of the UWC experience though is the fact that where each UWC student belongs is among those who share no commonalities with them. We come from different countries and we speak different native languages, yet we share a passion for contributing to the bettering of the world in a significant way.
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