Lucas Salaberry, Grade 12
UWCRBC
Aliens, unseeable colors, and other organisms. I long feared the unknown and still very much do, but in many aspects am glad to not be sure of everything because as the saying goes “if you know everything, you know nothing”. I used to always at night turn off the light in my bedroom and immediately dash into bed so that no monsters under it or on the other side of the door could get to me in time. It was a nice adrenaline rush and forced me to be comfortable being uncomfortable, well I am still very much working on that fear… I just changed from sprinting to jogging to my bed.
I’m grateful for my pink Hershey’s bear stuffed animal because it brings me comfort as a piece of my childhood especially when I am detached or simply a bit lost. I am also grateful for its fluffiness and bright color making it comfortable to snuggle and make sure it's harder to misplace.
Random moments of vulnerability. We are constantly surrounded by thoughts of how others perceive us and we ourselves display a persona whether we notice it or like to admit it. Taking the time to detach ourselves from our normal environments both our physical location and most importantly the people we surround ourselves with allows us to start fresh with no prior expectations. Often especially in diverse spaces on the situation and intellectual level, opens up new perspectives. During UWC, I was thankful enough to experience one of these moments at 2 am in the common room cooking alongside a housemate with whom I did not share many surface-level political or life experiences. This didn't stop us from talking for hours about love, death, and conflicting culture. If it were not for the random environment and our mutual vulnerability to talk about these deep issues, it would have never happened.
Of course, no matter how abstract I can get I will always be grateful for my family and the includes chosen family. This is simply because they have shaped who I am, provide unconditional support, and given me the opportunity to truly have wholesome platonic love for other people.
There never being silence in this world may sound initially like a bad thing because its quietness is synonymous with peace and tranquility, but I would argue the opposite. I think of wind flowing through branches and birds chirping with these words, not an abyss of nothingness. That's scary and empty. On the other side, constant movement in a city context may be seen as overwhelming and even maybe in a remote one as well, but the difference is that there is more control over how you respond when you are alone than with the added pressures of society.
Image Courtesy: https://unsplash.com/s/photos/meadow
I’m grateful for my pink Hershey’s bear stuffed animal because it brings me comfort as a piece of my childhood especially when I am detached or simply a bit lost. I am also grateful for its fluffiness and bright color making it comfortable to snuggle and make sure it's harder to misplace.
Random moments of vulnerability. We are constantly surrounded by thoughts of how others perceive us and we ourselves display a persona whether we notice it or like to admit it. Taking the time to detach ourselves from our normal environments both our physical location and most importantly the people we surround ourselves with allows us to start fresh with no prior expectations. Often especially in diverse spaces on the situation and intellectual level, opens up new perspectives. During UWC, I was thankful enough to experience one of these moments at 2 am in the common room cooking alongside a housemate with whom I did not share many surface-level political or life experiences. This didn't stop us from talking for hours about love, death, and conflicting culture. If it were not for the random environment and our mutual vulnerability to talk about these deep issues, it would have never happened.
Of course, no matter how abstract I can get I will always be grateful for my family and the includes chosen family. This is simply because they have shaped who I am, provide unconditional support, and given me the opportunity to truly have wholesome platonic love for other people.
There never being silence in this world may sound initially like a bad thing because its quietness is synonymous with peace and tranquility, but I would argue the opposite. I think of wind flowing through branches and birds chirping with these words, not an abyss of nothingness. That's scary and empty. On the other side, constant movement in a city context may be seen as overwhelming and even maybe in a remote one as well, but the difference is that there is more control over how you respond when you are alone than with the added pressures of society.
Image Courtesy: https://unsplash.com/s/photos/meadow
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