Munira Nurbhai, Grade 11
UWCEA Arusha Campus
I thought about having one home only that is here in Dar es salaam, Tanzania never realizing there would be another family, home, and a whole community by my side to support me and nourish me throughout my journey in UWC in the future.
It all started with me browsing through the internet with no sense of direction of where I was going to end up after completing my secondary schooling. Concerns from parents and counselors did not make this any easier. Schools after schools, websites after websites, and forms after forms. I finally ended up on the United World Colleges website. After learning more about their mission and values I just knew I had to get in.
I was very skeptical about submitting the form at first, not used to living the whole “independent lifestyle” since I was used to a dependent one myself. But I knew I had to get out of my comfort zone and get used to things not familiar to me.
I used to study in an only girl's Islamic school making it difficult for me to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures only increasing my passion for joining UWC.
I knew getting accepted would allow me to break through my barrier and reach out to possible new friends and family. Alongside all the fun CAS activities and OP trips.
With the deadline hovering over me and taunting me every second not to miss this opportunity and of course, who has a background of letting go of the best of opportunities because I am too scared, I decided not to let this one go. Every time a new email came flying through, I was too scared to read the phrase, “We regret to inform you”. Fortunately, that was far from the case for me, With nothing but smiles every time I opened a new email from the national committee, the smile grew brighter as well as the grin on my face.
Now, normally the sleepless nights, academic stress, and endless deadlines should be terrifying right but not for me.
I was looking forward to it!
Psychotic right?
But what can I say, I was dreading getting away from my home-to-school-to-home schedule with a timetable of sleeping at 10 30 and waking up at 6.
I wanted to experience staying up late at night studying, skipping dinner because you have deadlines to meet, making some instant noodles at 12 am when your stomach starts grumbling just to fill yourself up because you skipped dinner. Game nights where you spend countless amount of hours playing Uno, Mafia, Monopoly Deal, and go to sleep when you see the sunrise, and don’t even get me started on all the bickering when one of you cheats. Moreover, knocking on your friends' dorm room with tears in your eyes because you can’t master the knowledge of Derivative and Integration.
Yes, I want to be in a place full of unfamiliar places where I’ll have to mingle, goof around with my new friends, play silly pranks on each other, and steal their food when we are eating in the dining room.
With nervousness and stress literally coursing through my veins, I am ready with my bags packed, heaps of fresh dreams, and goals, but overpoweringly excitement,
Celebrate endings, for they precede new beginnings- Jonathan Huie
Image Courtesy: https://www.aaa.co.tz/
It all started with me browsing through the internet with no sense of direction of where I was going to end up after completing my secondary schooling. Concerns from parents and counselors did not make this any easier. Schools after schools, websites after websites, and forms after forms. I finally ended up on the United World Colleges website. After learning more about their mission and values I just knew I had to get in.
I was very skeptical about submitting the form at first, not used to living the whole “independent lifestyle” since I was used to a dependent one myself. But I knew I had to get out of my comfort zone and get used to things not familiar to me.
I used to study in an only girl's Islamic school making it difficult for me to interact with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures only increasing my passion for joining UWC.
I knew getting accepted would allow me to break through my barrier and reach out to possible new friends and family. Alongside all the fun CAS activities and OP trips.
With the deadline hovering over me and taunting me every second not to miss this opportunity and of course, who has a background of letting go of the best of opportunities because I am too scared, I decided not to let this one go. Every time a new email came flying through, I was too scared to read the phrase, “We regret to inform you”. Fortunately, that was far from the case for me, With nothing but smiles every time I opened a new email from the national committee, the smile grew brighter as well as the grin on my face.
Now, normally the sleepless nights, academic stress, and endless deadlines should be terrifying right but not for me.
I was looking forward to it!
Psychotic right?
But what can I say, I was dreading getting away from my home-to-school-to-home schedule with a timetable of sleeping at 10 30 and waking up at 6.
I wanted to experience staying up late at night studying, skipping dinner because you have deadlines to meet, making some instant noodles at 12 am when your stomach starts grumbling just to fill yourself up because you skipped dinner. Game nights where you spend countless amount of hours playing Uno, Mafia, Monopoly Deal, and go to sleep when you see the sunrise, and don’t even get me started on all the bickering when one of you cheats. Moreover, knocking on your friends' dorm room with tears in your eyes because you can’t master the knowledge of Derivative and Integration.
Yes, I want to be in a place full of unfamiliar places where I’ll have to mingle, goof around with my new friends, play silly pranks on each other, and steal their food when we are eating in the dining room.
With nervousness and stress literally coursing through my veins, I am ready with my bags packed, heaps of fresh dreams, and goals, but overpoweringly excitement,
Celebrate endings, for they precede new beginnings- Jonathan Huie
Image Courtesy: https://www.aaa.co.tz/
www.unitedworldwide.co