Vasty Jean-Francois, Grade 12
UWCEA (Arusha)
"Each UWC is unique," said one of my boarding parents when I first arrived at UWCEA.
At this time, I did not really understand those words until a Friday afternoon…
It was three in the afternoon when a strange noise coming from the Common Room woke me up from my nap after a hard day. Curious to know what is going on in this little paradise in Tanzania, I decided to get off my bed to see where this noise was coming from. It was just one of my roommates opening the back and front doors of my room with a broom in hand, telling me we'll clean the room now. I didn't even have time to reply when I saw the other two of my roommates walking past with their chairs to put them outside. Realizing that I just woke up, one of them said flexibly, "Are you okay?"
Without further ado, I also took my chair to follow them. Going outside, I came across something that I have never seen before - Mount Meru. It was so majestic and so close that I did not want to withdraw from this view prematurely, but unfortunately, I had to go back to my room for the small family reunion.
After removing everything in the bedroom, we proceeded to clean and pour water on the floor. I remember how difficult it was to find a water bucket to transfer water because we didn't have all the cleaning supplies available yet, but that didn't stop us from using the water from the shower and distributing it in the room. In a foam-filled room, we started talking about corruption in Indonesia and Haiti. However, we could not stay on this subject because there was so much to know about the different languages spoken in Zambia and the crane that we thought was a hen on the flag of Uganda that we didn't even realize that it was already 6 pm and that we should go to dinner.
This 1/8 of the day to clean allowed me to perceive this unique aspect of my community. UWCEA is that community that makes you forget the notion of time when you are talking with your roommates, your friends, your teachers, etc ... This small community at the foot of Mount Meru where you always go and hear someone say "Pole" to say sorry and "Asante" to say thank you.
It's where you decide to go to dinner but stop on the Volleyball Court to play until you remember that you're hungry.
It's going to Sable Square after school because on the road, you'll have a conversation with your friends.
It's an evening when you have a "cultural night" about Iraq and Kurdistan, but more than half the students got sick the following day because of the food.
It's being aware of our responsibilities to contribute to building this community, despite the various challenges we encountered on the course.
It's waking up every Friday at 5 am to jump into the swimming pool's freezing water that makes you feel like your heart stopped beating before you went to school. It's running around the halls when you're late for registration when it's 7:50. It is debating about the impact of religion in different cultures and societies. It's going to Plaster House and playing with the kids with correctable disability and making a change in this community.
A year ago, if you asked me what my dream UWC was? I probably wouldn't answer UWC East-Africa. But today, I realize that it is the right place for me to be because every day conversing with people from around the world, who are unique in their ways and that the memories of this place will always be of them.
At this time, I did not really understand those words until a Friday afternoon…
It was three in the afternoon when a strange noise coming from the Common Room woke me up from my nap after a hard day. Curious to know what is going on in this little paradise in Tanzania, I decided to get off my bed to see where this noise was coming from. It was just one of my roommates opening the back and front doors of my room with a broom in hand, telling me we'll clean the room now. I didn't even have time to reply when I saw the other two of my roommates walking past with their chairs to put them outside. Realizing that I just woke up, one of them said flexibly, "Are you okay?"
Without further ado, I also took my chair to follow them. Going outside, I came across something that I have never seen before - Mount Meru. It was so majestic and so close that I did not want to withdraw from this view prematurely, but unfortunately, I had to go back to my room for the small family reunion.
After removing everything in the bedroom, we proceeded to clean and pour water on the floor. I remember how difficult it was to find a water bucket to transfer water because we didn't have all the cleaning supplies available yet, but that didn't stop us from using the water from the shower and distributing it in the room. In a foam-filled room, we started talking about corruption in Indonesia and Haiti. However, we could not stay on this subject because there was so much to know about the different languages spoken in Zambia and the crane that we thought was a hen on the flag of Uganda that we didn't even realize that it was already 6 pm and that we should go to dinner.
This 1/8 of the day to clean allowed me to perceive this unique aspect of my community. UWCEA is that community that makes you forget the notion of time when you are talking with your roommates, your friends, your teachers, etc ... This small community at the foot of Mount Meru where you always go and hear someone say "Pole" to say sorry and "Asante" to say thank you.
It's where you decide to go to dinner but stop on the Volleyball Court to play until you remember that you're hungry.
It's going to Sable Square after school because on the road, you'll have a conversation with your friends.
It's an evening when you have a "cultural night" about Iraq and Kurdistan, but more than half the students got sick the following day because of the food.
It's being aware of our responsibilities to contribute to building this community, despite the various challenges we encountered on the course.
It's waking up every Friday at 5 am to jump into the swimming pool's freezing water that makes you feel like your heart stopped beating before you went to school. It's running around the halls when you're late for registration when it's 7:50. It is debating about the impact of religion in different cultures and societies. It's going to Plaster House and playing with the kids with correctable disability and making a change in this community.
A year ago, if you asked me what my dream UWC was? I probably wouldn't answer UWC East-Africa. But today, I realize that it is the right place for me to be because every day conversing with people from around the world, who are unique in their ways and that the memories of this place will always be of them.
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