Ali Slayie, Grade 11
UWCEA (Arusha)
Ali was born in Syria, a wonderful place. Everything was fantastic with love, happiness, and respect everywhere. All the people lived together in harmony while the economy thrived. All this changed in 2011. During this time, he was about to finish the third grade when everything took a turn for the worst. Missiles flew and bombs dropped, and little did he know that things would only get worse. This became the new norm, such that the occurrence of silence was abnormal. Death became so common and many families were devastated. Despite all the tragedy he has faced, Ali believes he is blessed; blessed to be alive and have had the opportunity to progress further with school. However, he could longer continue with the things he loved like swimming, art, music and -not to mention- seeing his cousins who lived far away from him.
When he got to secondary school, changes in his environment were evident: religion was harsher, the community stricter and the government secular. All this took a toll on him mentally. As a result, he struggled to have positive thoughts about the world and life, worsened by having no friends who believed what he had to say, who he was, or how he acted and behaved. There was not much support given to him, besides the mandate from his family. He fell into the pit that was depression and it was not that easy for him to get out of it, until one day he saw an article on the internet about United World Colleges by the Syrian National Committee and saw an opportunity for change.
He read thoroughly and talked to his family, who allowed him to apply. Motivated to go on, he passed all the preliminary stages, got accepted and was awarded a scholarship to attend the United World College East Africa campus in Arusha, Tanzania. From this moment onwards his life began to change for the best, leaving him feeling that there was still hope to continue with this life. His UWC experience started on August 7th, 2019 when he lived the first day of this wonderful experience. On that day, he got to know different people from all over the world, all of whom were welcoming, loving and interesting. He adapted very easily as he sensed that he was in a new family, where everyone respected who he was, what his thoughts and opinions were without any bad responses. His colleagues and he started the International Baccalaureate curriculum and it was a bit difficult for him to adapt but his friends helped him which he appreciated a lot. Now he can confidently say that he has fantastic friends, a good life and a bright future. His hope is to be the voice for the people in this world who are not able to express themselves. He is here to promote peace and build a sustainable future for this world with everyone here, sharing many various cultures with different perspectives for the same objective. This experience has shaped who he is and will keep on changing him for the better.
When he got to secondary school, changes in his environment were evident: religion was harsher, the community stricter and the government secular. All this took a toll on him mentally. As a result, he struggled to have positive thoughts about the world and life, worsened by having no friends who believed what he had to say, who he was, or how he acted and behaved. There was not much support given to him, besides the mandate from his family. He fell into the pit that was depression and it was not that easy for him to get out of it, until one day he saw an article on the internet about United World Colleges by the Syrian National Committee and saw an opportunity for change.
He read thoroughly and talked to his family, who allowed him to apply. Motivated to go on, he passed all the preliminary stages, got accepted and was awarded a scholarship to attend the United World College East Africa campus in Arusha, Tanzania. From this moment onwards his life began to change for the best, leaving him feeling that there was still hope to continue with this life. His UWC experience started on August 7th, 2019 when he lived the first day of this wonderful experience. On that day, he got to know different people from all over the world, all of whom were welcoming, loving and interesting. He adapted very easily as he sensed that he was in a new family, where everyone respected who he was, what his thoughts and opinions were without any bad responses. His colleagues and he started the International Baccalaureate curriculum and it was a bit difficult for him to adapt but his friends helped him which he appreciated a lot. Now he can confidently say that he has fantastic friends, a good life and a bright future. His hope is to be the voice for the people in this world who are not able to express themselves. He is here to promote peace and build a sustainable future for this world with everyone here, sharing many various cultures with different perspectives for the same objective. This experience has shaped who he is and will keep on changing him for the better.
www.unitedworldwide.co