Jean Tertulle Nivrose, Grade 11
UWC Maastricht
It is a very natural tendency that people always think about a new life as of when a creature is born, however, when we come to a deeper reflection, we realize that the life in that new creature has been there prior to his coming to the outer world, perhaps since the first moments of its conception but who knows? The only certain thing is that life, seen as an essence or energy, was there before the creature saw the light first. According to their ways of transmitting that life and introducing the new creature to the world, animals, humans included, have been separated into viviparous and oviparous (or ovoviviparous). While in the first category, the future newborn is being protected and carried by his natural guardian for a certain period of time until he can make it outside, more interestingly, in the second category the future newborn needs to find the tools and the strength necessary to break his egg and come to light.
Metaphorically speaking, the meaning associated with an egg can vary along a spectrum. It extends from the noblest role of carrying and protecting a treasure of a new creature, to the darkest perspective of being a dark and narrow cell where the creature is stuck up and from which he needs to escape as soon as he is ready and finds the necessary strength to break it and rise. Although none of these meanings can be denied, the second one better suits this story.
Before I came to UWC, I was not so passionate, not to say not familiar at all, with many of the values that I carry today. Although I cared, my actions were not in line with what I unconsciously believed in. I believed in peace and sustainability, but I could not advocate for them, neither could I claim that my actions and decisions were promoting sustainability. My international and intercultural understanding was weak beside the celebration of difference which was not developed even if I adhered to it. I even lacked the sense of duty that we have when we feel that our voice can be heard and that we need to use it for good. To summarize, I was not the person I am now.
UWC became for me that life-changing experience where I got immersed into those simple but amazing values. The community’s impact on me is immeasurable. This is the place where I can have a taste of my full potential; it appeals to me to rise, by giving me the opportunity to make decisions that are in line with my beliefs, stand and answer for them. The community, students, and staff, from all over the world, have shaped my understanding of the world and different cultures. Different perspectives heard from interesting debates with friends from all continents have widened my open-mindedness. I finally feel that I have a voice and that it can be heard and starting from that thought, I assumed all my personal responsibilities, broke the barriers which have kept me close-minded and careless about the fate of our world. I am glad that I can now stand with my friends and fellow UWCers among the caring people and leaders for peace and a sustainable future.
I was a treasure, a tender creature, but stuck up inside the egg of relatively close-mindedness and inaction for what I believed. I needed to find the strength to hatch that egg and to come to light, the open-mindedness, intercultural understanding, and personal responsibility and action. Just as the hatching of any other egg requires some ideal physical conditions, UWC has given me the ideal community to empower me with a voice able to be heard, so I can provoke the hatching of my egg.
Metaphorically speaking, the meaning associated with an egg can vary along a spectrum. It extends from the noblest role of carrying and protecting a treasure of a new creature, to the darkest perspective of being a dark and narrow cell where the creature is stuck up and from which he needs to escape as soon as he is ready and finds the necessary strength to break it and rise. Although none of these meanings can be denied, the second one better suits this story.
Before I came to UWC, I was not so passionate, not to say not familiar at all, with many of the values that I carry today. Although I cared, my actions were not in line with what I unconsciously believed in. I believed in peace and sustainability, but I could not advocate for them, neither could I claim that my actions and decisions were promoting sustainability. My international and intercultural understanding was weak beside the celebration of difference which was not developed even if I adhered to it. I even lacked the sense of duty that we have when we feel that our voice can be heard and that we need to use it for good. To summarize, I was not the person I am now.
UWC became for me that life-changing experience where I got immersed into those simple but amazing values. The community’s impact on me is immeasurable. This is the place where I can have a taste of my full potential; it appeals to me to rise, by giving me the opportunity to make decisions that are in line with my beliefs, stand and answer for them. The community, students, and staff, from all over the world, have shaped my understanding of the world and different cultures. Different perspectives heard from interesting debates with friends from all continents have widened my open-mindedness. I finally feel that I have a voice and that it can be heard and starting from that thought, I assumed all my personal responsibilities, broke the barriers which have kept me close-minded and careless about the fate of our world. I am glad that I can now stand with my friends and fellow UWCers among the caring people and leaders for peace and a sustainable future.
I was a treasure, a tender creature, but stuck up inside the egg of relatively close-mindedness and inaction for what I believed. I needed to find the strength to hatch that egg and to come to light, the open-mindedness, intercultural understanding, and personal responsibility and action. Just as the hatching of any other egg requires some ideal physical conditions, UWC has given me the ideal community to empower me with a voice able to be heard, so I can provoke the hatching of my egg.
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