Soukeyna Pitroipa, Grade 11
UWC Costa Rica
In a previous edition of the UWC Magazine, most of the UWC students addressed the topic of Covid-19, and how it has impacted their UWC journey, sharing their emotions facing the upsides and downs due to their UWCs closure. By reading these articles, I noticed how each UWC student shares a special emotional attachment to their co-years and the love they hold to their respective UWCs. I hope you are able to keep your close connection to your second home (UWC), like me. I still have a close connection to the UWC Costa Rica campus. As it happens, my connection is so strong, for I have spent my 2020 summer on the Costa Rica campus.
March, 12th 2020 is a historic date that no one in the UWC Costa Rica community would ever forget. It was the day the first case of Covid-19 was declared by the Costa Rican government. Everything happened so fast, graduation, prom, packing, flights, goodbyes, and tears, almost everyone was gone in their home countries before the 20th of March, 2020. I say “almost” because there is a small population of students who remained on campus because of travel restrictions or closing borders. However, I don’t regret this misfortune because it was a new experience that will forever stay in my favorite UWC memories.
At first, there were more than 20 people trapped on campus. March was a month of uncertainty, anxiousness, and wonderings. Everyone was worried about how to go back to their home country, and each individual was looking for humanitarian flights or different visas alternatives. We were still in the post-emotional vibes of the campus and some objects people left behind reminded of a school anecdote. It was as people left, but their spirits were still here surrounding and reminding us that it was the early ending of an academic year. Little by little, the school started putting restrictions on our outings. We could not go out anymore, even to the nearby supermarket. Some might call this a prison, but to the people who stayed on the campus, it was bonding time. Most of the campus staff moved with their families on campus to help us live the full residential experience, and I will always be grateful to these people who took care of us during these unprecedented times. Some staff members were offering workout and yoga classes at the school gym, and I remember how participating in these activities made me less stressed about the events happening around the world. They all contributed to our wellbeing, and it is thanks to them we can still be healthy and happy. We also organized a dinner on the 20th of May to thank them and celebrate our effort so far as a COVID-19 healthy community. It was an emotional night, containing beautiful speeches in English and Spanish. I remember one staff member said: “every day I see the trees and the herbs, but now I see the people.” This phrase hits home. If you think about it, this experience is a blessing, for when we are normally in school, with over 200 people on campus, we lack the intimacy with staff members because of IB workload and many other school events. During these four months at school, we (staff members and students) developed an unbreakable bond.
As time went on, the number of students on campus decreased little by little, from more than twenty to nineteen, then to seventeen. Seventeen is an unpair number, composed of ten 2020 alumni, 7 second years, and, most importantly, it is the number of the bravest. If, in the beginning, we were anxious and worried because of travel restrictions, as time passed by, we started to try to make the best out of quarantine. One of the special memories I have from this quarantine is Ramadan - the 9th month in the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast for a month. It was my first month fasting Ramadan away from home, and I felt a bit down during this time. However, having three Pakistanis waking you up at 3:00 AM to eat before sunrise and praying in groups gives you the will to fast the whole month. This might sound cheesy, but it is this sense of community and togetherness that made my days brighter, even though I am living away from home.
Indeed, after the COVID-19 outbreak, all the girls staying on campus moved to one residence called ‘Hermosa’ (beautiful) and, from now on, I will consider myself a ‘COVID-19 Hermosa Girl’: I remember how boredom had influenced us to throw a party at Hermosa with lights and music in the middle of the night, everyone was dancing during that party. It is while living in these tough times that you learn to appreciate the small moments with your co-years and second years, even if it is an Uno game, a ping pong tournament, going to the classroom to study, or even a session of poker with fake money. These are some of the enjoyable moments that make you realize how, during the school year, you sometimes miss these special bonding moments. One anecdote that I distinctly remember is when we were sitting in the cafeteria terrace after dinner discussing everything and nothing while amicably teasing each other. It was as if we were in a laughing bubble, which nobody could burst. Time stopped. There was no worrying about COVID-19, or the IB, and, instead, more jokes, more laughter.
The COVID-19 UWC Costa Rica generation is the bravest group of people I have met during my UWC journey. They have found the courage and strength during these hard times to replace the empty UWC Costa Rica campus with smiles and positive vibes. We are a social bubble that defies the laws of nature. We have been able to keep ourselves safe, and not even the harsh realities of COVID-19 have been able to break the bonds that keep us together in this amazing environment.
March, 12th 2020 is a historic date that no one in the UWC Costa Rica community would ever forget. It was the day the first case of Covid-19 was declared by the Costa Rican government. Everything happened so fast, graduation, prom, packing, flights, goodbyes, and tears, almost everyone was gone in their home countries before the 20th of March, 2020. I say “almost” because there is a small population of students who remained on campus because of travel restrictions or closing borders. However, I don’t regret this misfortune because it was a new experience that will forever stay in my favorite UWC memories.
At first, there were more than 20 people trapped on campus. March was a month of uncertainty, anxiousness, and wonderings. Everyone was worried about how to go back to their home country, and each individual was looking for humanitarian flights or different visas alternatives. We were still in the post-emotional vibes of the campus and some objects people left behind reminded of a school anecdote. It was as people left, but their spirits were still here surrounding and reminding us that it was the early ending of an academic year. Little by little, the school started putting restrictions on our outings. We could not go out anymore, even to the nearby supermarket. Some might call this a prison, but to the people who stayed on the campus, it was bonding time. Most of the campus staff moved with their families on campus to help us live the full residential experience, and I will always be grateful to these people who took care of us during these unprecedented times. Some staff members were offering workout and yoga classes at the school gym, and I remember how participating in these activities made me less stressed about the events happening around the world. They all contributed to our wellbeing, and it is thanks to them we can still be healthy and happy. We also organized a dinner on the 20th of May to thank them and celebrate our effort so far as a COVID-19 healthy community. It was an emotional night, containing beautiful speeches in English and Spanish. I remember one staff member said: “every day I see the trees and the herbs, but now I see the people.” This phrase hits home. If you think about it, this experience is a blessing, for when we are normally in school, with over 200 people on campus, we lack the intimacy with staff members because of IB workload and many other school events. During these four months at school, we (staff members and students) developed an unbreakable bond.
As time went on, the number of students on campus decreased little by little, from more than twenty to nineteen, then to seventeen. Seventeen is an unpair number, composed of ten 2020 alumni, 7 second years, and, most importantly, it is the number of the bravest. If, in the beginning, we were anxious and worried because of travel restrictions, as time passed by, we started to try to make the best out of quarantine. One of the special memories I have from this quarantine is Ramadan - the 9th month in the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast for a month. It was my first month fasting Ramadan away from home, and I felt a bit down during this time. However, having three Pakistanis waking you up at 3:00 AM to eat before sunrise and praying in groups gives you the will to fast the whole month. This might sound cheesy, but it is this sense of community and togetherness that made my days brighter, even though I am living away from home.
Indeed, after the COVID-19 outbreak, all the girls staying on campus moved to one residence called ‘Hermosa’ (beautiful) and, from now on, I will consider myself a ‘COVID-19 Hermosa Girl’: I remember how boredom had influenced us to throw a party at Hermosa with lights and music in the middle of the night, everyone was dancing during that party. It is while living in these tough times that you learn to appreciate the small moments with your co-years and second years, even if it is an Uno game, a ping pong tournament, going to the classroom to study, or even a session of poker with fake money. These are some of the enjoyable moments that make you realize how, during the school year, you sometimes miss these special bonding moments. One anecdote that I distinctly remember is when we were sitting in the cafeteria terrace after dinner discussing everything and nothing while amicably teasing each other. It was as if we were in a laughing bubble, which nobody could burst. Time stopped. There was no worrying about COVID-19, or the IB, and, instead, more jokes, more laughter.
The COVID-19 UWC Costa Rica generation is the bravest group of people I have met during my UWC journey. They have found the courage and strength during these hard times to replace the empty UWC Costa Rica campus with smiles and positive vibes. We are a social bubble that defies the laws of nature. We have been able to keep ourselves safe, and not even the harsh realities of COVID-19 have been able to break the bonds that keep us together in this amazing environment.
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