Sarvenaz Mohaghegh, 11
UWC Mostar
While walking in the streets of Mostar which I already call home, I can already feel the sense of community, empathy, and compassion that has materialized over the past couple of weeks. UWC Mostar does not have a closed campus, which is what makes it so unique and special since the whole city is considered your new home. This allows students to live in different parts of the city and have different experiences and memories.
From the people who live in Santic, the “fancy” residence located right next to the school, to the students in Mejdan who enjoy walking in the beautiful streets of the old town, to the students living in Novi Susac and Susac who enjoy having private bathrooms and a near half-hour walk to the school; each of us experiences living in a different part of the city and cherish the beautiful memories we have created there.
A significant element about UWCiM is that our school building, the vibrantly orange Gimnazija, is a symbolic and historical building in Mostar. It was founded in 1893 and has been through numerous ordeals, in no small part thanks to the Bosnian War.
Studying in a place with such a rich history is a prerogative that I am grateful to take advantage of. We also share this building with the local high school in Gymnasia, meaning that we get the chance to interact with the local students living in Mostar. This precious experience is very eye-opening since it allows us to discover the perspective of the local students studying in the same building as ours.
Although UWCiM has many unique features, all of these would be nothing without the fantastic students with whom I live and study. The first year students (or “firsties” for short) have just left their homes behind to experience Mostar. Trying to adjust to living independently, trying to remember different locations in Mostar not to get lost, attempting to remember names that they have never heard in their life, trying to get to know their co-years and second years, struggling to understand how the IB and CAS systems work here, trying to manage their life, school, home and family and overall; overwhelming does not begin to describe the feeling. Second years do not have it easy either. They have to juggle trying to cherish their last year here while struggling with the
IB and all the deadlines for their EEs and IAs, getting to know firsties and acting as a mentor for them, guiding them to make sure they have someone to look up to and helping them to survive the first couple of months while having their own friends who are now called “family members” and trying to figure out what life has for them after UWC, these are all the people who have created the special UWC community and are the reason we call this place home.
At the time of writing this I have been here for not even a month, but I already call this place home and have created many beautiful memories that I will cherish forever. The frenzy of 200 people trying to find their place in the puzzle of Mostar may be overwhelming, it brings me comfort all the same. Knowing that we all are going through the same difficulties, no matter how different the context in which we came from may be, makes me feel a little less lonely in my journey. Everyone is willing to help me with anything, and this willingness to enhance and educate others’ experiences is ultimately
what UWCiM means to me.
From the people who live in Santic, the “fancy” residence located right next to the school, to the students in Mejdan who enjoy walking in the beautiful streets of the old town, to the students living in Novi Susac and Susac who enjoy having private bathrooms and a near half-hour walk to the school; each of us experiences living in a different part of the city and cherish the beautiful memories we have created there.
A significant element about UWCiM is that our school building, the vibrantly orange Gimnazija, is a symbolic and historical building in Mostar. It was founded in 1893 and has been through numerous ordeals, in no small part thanks to the Bosnian War.
Studying in a place with such a rich history is a prerogative that I am grateful to take advantage of. We also share this building with the local high school in Gymnasia, meaning that we get the chance to interact with the local students living in Mostar. This precious experience is very eye-opening since it allows us to discover the perspective of the local students studying in the same building as ours.
Although UWCiM has many unique features, all of these would be nothing without the fantastic students with whom I live and study. The first year students (or “firsties” for short) have just left their homes behind to experience Mostar. Trying to adjust to living independently, trying to remember different locations in Mostar not to get lost, attempting to remember names that they have never heard in their life, trying to get to know their co-years and second years, struggling to understand how the IB and CAS systems work here, trying to manage their life, school, home and family and overall; overwhelming does not begin to describe the feeling. Second years do not have it easy either. They have to juggle trying to cherish their last year here while struggling with the
IB and all the deadlines for their EEs and IAs, getting to know firsties and acting as a mentor for them, guiding them to make sure they have someone to look up to and helping them to survive the first couple of months while having their own friends who are now called “family members” and trying to figure out what life has for them after UWC, these are all the people who have created the special UWC community and are the reason we call this place home.
At the time of writing this I have been here for not even a month, but I already call this place home and have created many beautiful memories that I will cherish forever. The frenzy of 200 people trying to find their place in the puzzle of Mostar may be overwhelming, it brings me comfort all the same. Knowing that we all are going through the same difficulties, no matter how different the context in which we came from may be, makes me feel a little less lonely in my journey. Everyone is willing to help me with anything, and this willingness to enhance and educate others’ experiences is ultimately
what UWCiM means to me.
Edited by Bruno Belmonte Sandoval
www.unitedworldwide.co