Alkhateeb EsraaUWCSEA (East)
I’ve met some of my favorite people at UWC and not just students but teachers too. Some of them are still there, had to say ‘Kwaheri’ to a few. Had some friendships start and end but such is life in any highschool.
The school itself is on a mountain with a breathtaking view of the city below, even better is the view from the mountain on the school! It’s a beautiful sight and a peaceful Sunday pastime if you enjoy the hike.
The events and ‘socials’ have to be my favorite part, the mixing energies from every corner of the world is simply unmatched. For that reason I admired Link Group who organized them but it was the Slam Poetry club that captured my heart. Wednesday evenings in a circular glass hub where a handful of people, brave enough to be transparent, gather and share their words.
At UWC the Poetry is different, everyone has something new to say and a unique way of saying it. This was the first place I’d heard so many poems in a language that wasn’t my own. From German to Spanish followed by a kind explanation in English.
I could be biased but the Just for Snaps (an event celebrating poetry) which happens annually is one of the best events at my UWC! 24-hour run was a long one but definitely the most memorable. Something about jogging round and round a track at 1:00am with friends, close to negative temperatures for a good cause made me feel warm- inside.
Being in a UWC taught me the value of perspective. All my life I’d been surrounded by people who viewed the world exactly as I did. But when I moved to the foreign kingdom of Eswatini and joined UWCSA, it was filled with perspectives shooting in every direction.
I’ve met some of the most unique individuals and had the most bizarre conversations all while enjoying chicken and rice, the staple food of Waterford Kamhlaba. In one of the many heated discussions, a friend told me “You mustn’t listen to reply, listen to understand”. She was South African and although she left, her words remained. The key to the future in less than ten words. Listening to others not out of politeness or insincere interest but to really see their point of view and maybe try walking in their shoes. Try to understand and learn.
In a college overflowing with diversity and perspective, we can only make a difference if we actually try to learn from one another. I envision a future where race and gender are not discriminating factors but instead opportunities to learn from each other. Reimagine tomorrow, I interpret as shape today to fit tomorrow. The colors of our present are painting the canvas of our future so if we want a di'scrimination-free future, maybe we should stop seeing things so black and white and try add some color to the picture. See tomorrow as a continuation of today because the future isn’t something we can just suddenly change, it’s something we are building every second of everyday.
The school itself is on a mountain with a breathtaking view of the city below, even better is the view from the mountain on the school! It’s a beautiful sight and a peaceful Sunday pastime if you enjoy the hike.
The events and ‘socials’ have to be my favorite part, the mixing energies from every corner of the world is simply unmatched. For that reason I admired Link Group who organized them but it was the Slam Poetry club that captured my heart. Wednesday evenings in a circular glass hub where a handful of people, brave enough to be transparent, gather and share their words.
At UWC the Poetry is different, everyone has something new to say and a unique way of saying it. This was the first place I’d heard so many poems in a language that wasn’t my own. From German to Spanish followed by a kind explanation in English.
I could be biased but the Just for Snaps (an event celebrating poetry) which happens annually is one of the best events at my UWC! 24-hour run was a long one but definitely the most memorable. Something about jogging round and round a track at 1:00am with friends, close to negative temperatures for a good cause made me feel warm- inside.
Being in a UWC taught me the value of perspective. All my life I’d been surrounded by people who viewed the world exactly as I did. But when I moved to the foreign kingdom of Eswatini and joined UWCSA, it was filled with perspectives shooting in every direction.
I’ve met some of the most unique individuals and had the most bizarre conversations all while enjoying chicken and rice, the staple food of Waterford Kamhlaba. In one of the many heated discussions, a friend told me “You mustn’t listen to reply, listen to understand”. She was South African and although she left, her words remained. The key to the future in less than ten words. Listening to others not out of politeness or insincere interest but to really see their point of view and maybe try walking in their shoes. Try to understand and learn.
In a college overflowing with diversity and perspective, we can only make a difference if we actually try to learn from one another. I envision a future where race and gender are not discriminating factors but instead opportunities to learn from each other. Reimagine tomorrow, I interpret as shape today to fit tomorrow. The colors of our present are painting the canvas of our future so if we want a di'scrimination-free future, maybe we should stop seeing things so black and white and try add some color to the picture. See tomorrow as a continuation of today because the future isn’t something we can just suddenly change, it’s something we are building every second of everyday.
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