Lucas Salaberry, Grade 12
UWCRBC
Navigating up the hill, making sure not to slip on the steep and rocky path while dodging the spikey vines protruding out, was worth it for the seclusion and view. The House 5 bench is what we called it and although some people knew it as a nice spot for some purposes, I knew it as the spot where I talked to myself, memorized songs, and ate snacks while watching sunsets. Technically, it is off campus overlooking a hiking path with the whole school below, but I hold it as a part of campus because it was an escape from the bubble enough to where it wouldn’t pop.
I was scared of being alone for the majority of the year, especially in the woods, so I wouldn’t dare to spend any time on the bench until the spring. Looking up while laying back on the sloped wood I could see clearly the difference in the color of new and old plants, the mosquitos flying around trying to bite me through my blanket, and the wind brushing up against my ankles. It was a place where I was able to literally and figuratively get out of my own perception of the world and look at it from above.
Walking back to my house, nothing would really change, the air was the same, but that was the point. Drinking my fancy apple juice alone was what I needed to ground myself and make sure I was staying true to who I was. If I was stressed because I had a test the next day, or felt like relationships were in scrambles, all I needed to do was sing aloud “Zapatos Rotos” by Los Naufragos with my eyes closed to remind myself of who I was and what I wanted to be.
This bench is not the only bench and definitely doesn’t have the best view, but for me, that doesn’t define its worth. Studying at a place where you’re constantly put in healthy, but uncomfortable environments sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself have those moments of comfort. For me, it's listening to the song my family would sing year after year, wearing my childhood blanket, and a drink that reminded me of home. The bench is only as good as what it can provide and at the end of the day, although it may be just a nice place for relaxation, it can also be the space I long for and need sometimes.
Image Courtesy: https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=bench+mountain
I was scared of being alone for the majority of the year, especially in the woods, so I wouldn’t dare to spend any time on the bench until the spring. Looking up while laying back on the sloped wood I could see clearly the difference in the color of new and old plants, the mosquitos flying around trying to bite me through my blanket, and the wind brushing up against my ankles. It was a place where I was able to literally and figuratively get out of my own perception of the world and look at it from above.
Walking back to my house, nothing would really change, the air was the same, but that was the point. Drinking my fancy apple juice alone was what I needed to ground myself and make sure I was staying true to who I was. If I was stressed because I had a test the next day, or felt like relationships were in scrambles, all I needed to do was sing aloud “Zapatos Rotos” by Los Naufragos with my eyes closed to remind myself of who I was and what I wanted to be.
This bench is not the only bench and definitely doesn’t have the best view, but for me, that doesn’t define its worth. Studying at a place where you’re constantly put in healthy, but uncomfortable environments sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself have those moments of comfort. For me, it's listening to the song my family would sing year after year, wearing my childhood blanket, and a drink that reminded me of home. The bench is only as good as what it can provide and at the end of the day, although it may be just a nice place for relaxation, it can also be the space I long for and need sometimes.
Image Courtesy: https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=bench+mountain
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