Ahana Shrestha, Grade 11
UWC Costa Rica
It is 5am, and I cannot sleep. Instead, I am standing next to my open door, staring outside at the gray landscape. The rain is heavy and persistent, and I hear the distant roll of thunder over the horizon. The howling wind picks up even more, and a gust of cold air rushes towards me. I shiver unconsciously, but I do not move. I do not close the door. Instead, I reminisce. I remember my time in Costa Rica. I remember the people. I remember all the unforgettable memories.
Costa Rica is a special place with even more special people. All the little moments, which seemed so insignificant back then, I realize are worth so much more. All those memories with those different people, culminating into something so much more - a huge, rich UWC experience. And there’s no denying it. It’s the people that made this experience, that made flying across half the world all worth it.
A flash of lightning rips across the sky, and I remember a memory. A group of friends. A football field. And a starlit sky. Clutching cups filled with steaming hot chocolate, we would talk. From the Nepali Royal Massacre to the Vietnam War, our conversations flowed, moving rapidly from one topic to the next. And with each conversation, with each story, I would walk away a little more knowledgeable and a little more thoughtful.
A clap of thunder rumbles along the distance, and another memory strikes me. Phuoc and the Squad. A group of haphazardly gathered students signing up to perform at the MP concert the day before. For someone who had virtually never performed for a crowd and didn’t like to sing in front of family, let alone crowds, saying this was out of my comfort zone would be a massive understatement. I remember. Backstage, 2 minutes before our performance. All of us jittery, nervously going over the lyrics, regret written all over our faces. But we were all worried over nothing because our performance was just… so fun.
It wasn’t the best performance or the most polished, but it was definitely amusing. Back then, I hadn’t realized how big of a step that was but now, I just wonder how I did it. I used to dislike singing in front of people massively. Maybe I was insecure about my voice, maybe I just didn’t like singing. The reason didn’t matter. Singing was a huge no-no for me. And I didn’t know what happened, but I ended up singing in front of the whole school. Err yeah. I was confused when that happened too. Maybe I had a new perspective now, maybe I was stepping out of my comfort zone, maybe I liked singing after all. I didn’t know what caused me to do that, but I do know that, whatever happened, sparked a new level of personal growth in me and it was all because of my friends, who pushed and encouraged me.
The heavy, persistent rain has pittered off into soft and steady thuds. The oppressing grayness of the buildings is transforming - into what, I do not know. I look up, and a sky of white velvet greets me. Another memory. It’s a week until the semester one exams. I am hunched over my desk, eyes staring blankly at my books. Reading and re-reading but not absorbing. I’m overworked and exhausted. And a friend comes in and drags me out—a friend who has a huge project due tomorrow, which she still needs to work on. But when I mention that to her, she just brushes it off and instead says, “You need to get your mind off studying for a while. Trust me. It’ll help you.” And help it did. As we roamed around the Park, watching the fiery sunset transform the sky into cotton candy hues, I felt the tension bleed out from my shoulders. And when I go back to my desk much later, my favorite chocolate and a little note greet me.
Maybe it was a small, insignificant thing to her, but for me, it meant the world. And it was only then that I realized how much the little things mattered. A simple note. A small bar of chocolate. That was all it took to warm my heart. A small action that could bring about so much happiness: and that was when I vowed silently to myself - to treasure these little moments and to make sure I did the same to someone else.
When I come out of my musings, the rain has stopped. The transformation is complete. The first light breaks over the horizon, and others follow, its rays streaming in through the parting clouds. Thousands of droplets glitter softly in the sunlight, reflecting and accentuating all the previously damped colors. The landscape has changed. And as the sun blooms over the horizon, dreary gray gives way to warm hues. The sky is painted. Muted reds and mellow blues, all signalling the start of a brand new day. And I wonder. I wonder about the coming year, what people would I meet, what memories would I forge, what things would I learn.
The rain has stopped, but the winds haven’t. The frigid wind bites against my face. I turn away, draw the curtains and go to bed, my head still full of thoughts of all the people that made my experience so unforgettable.
Costa Rica is a special place with even more special people. All the little moments, which seemed so insignificant back then, I realize are worth so much more. All those memories with those different people, culminating into something so much more - a huge, rich UWC experience. And there’s no denying it. It’s the people that made this experience, that made flying across half the world all worth it.
A flash of lightning rips across the sky, and I remember a memory. A group of friends. A football field. And a starlit sky. Clutching cups filled with steaming hot chocolate, we would talk. From the Nepali Royal Massacre to the Vietnam War, our conversations flowed, moving rapidly from one topic to the next. And with each conversation, with each story, I would walk away a little more knowledgeable and a little more thoughtful.
A clap of thunder rumbles along the distance, and another memory strikes me. Phuoc and the Squad. A group of haphazardly gathered students signing up to perform at the MP concert the day before. For someone who had virtually never performed for a crowd and didn’t like to sing in front of family, let alone crowds, saying this was out of my comfort zone would be a massive understatement. I remember. Backstage, 2 minutes before our performance. All of us jittery, nervously going over the lyrics, regret written all over our faces. But we were all worried over nothing because our performance was just… so fun.
It wasn’t the best performance or the most polished, but it was definitely amusing. Back then, I hadn’t realized how big of a step that was but now, I just wonder how I did it. I used to dislike singing in front of people massively. Maybe I was insecure about my voice, maybe I just didn’t like singing. The reason didn’t matter. Singing was a huge no-no for me. And I didn’t know what happened, but I ended up singing in front of the whole school. Err yeah. I was confused when that happened too. Maybe I had a new perspective now, maybe I was stepping out of my comfort zone, maybe I liked singing after all. I didn’t know what caused me to do that, but I do know that, whatever happened, sparked a new level of personal growth in me and it was all because of my friends, who pushed and encouraged me.
The heavy, persistent rain has pittered off into soft and steady thuds. The oppressing grayness of the buildings is transforming - into what, I do not know. I look up, and a sky of white velvet greets me. Another memory. It’s a week until the semester one exams. I am hunched over my desk, eyes staring blankly at my books. Reading and re-reading but not absorbing. I’m overworked and exhausted. And a friend comes in and drags me out—a friend who has a huge project due tomorrow, which she still needs to work on. But when I mention that to her, she just brushes it off and instead says, “You need to get your mind off studying for a while. Trust me. It’ll help you.” And help it did. As we roamed around the Park, watching the fiery sunset transform the sky into cotton candy hues, I felt the tension bleed out from my shoulders. And when I go back to my desk much later, my favorite chocolate and a little note greet me.
Maybe it was a small, insignificant thing to her, but for me, it meant the world. And it was only then that I realized how much the little things mattered. A simple note. A small bar of chocolate. That was all it took to warm my heart. A small action that could bring about so much happiness: and that was when I vowed silently to myself - to treasure these little moments and to make sure I did the same to someone else.
When I come out of my musings, the rain has stopped. The transformation is complete. The first light breaks over the horizon, and others follow, its rays streaming in through the parting clouds. Thousands of droplets glitter softly in the sunlight, reflecting and accentuating all the previously damped colors. The landscape has changed. And as the sun blooms over the horizon, dreary gray gives way to warm hues. The sky is painted. Muted reds and mellow blues, all signalling the start of a brand new day. And I wonder. I wonder about the coming year, what people would I meet, what memories would I forge, what things would I learn.
The rain has stopped, but the winds haven’t. The frigid wind bites against my face. I turn away, draw the curtains and go to bed, my head still full of thoughts of all the people that made my experience so unforgettable.
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