I was re-reading my blog entry back from October and as you all noticed I was very happy back then. I was glad I came to UWC. I'm still very glad. Not exactly happy but you know, we'll all get there eventually. The thing I want to pass down to y'all is this: don't let first term fool you. Quite some second years told me that things change a lot during and after winter break and I can confirm this. During winter break, if you'll go home, you will have some time for yourself and only yourself - after months of constantly being surrounded by people. As an introvert I can tell you: winter break is freaking amazing to get your shit together! Not academically though. I had a shit loads of homework but I barely did 10% of everything. Laziness, my old friend, was nice to hang out with after 5 months of not seeing each other. But anyways, I'm getting off the track here. What the point of this ''short note'' is that winter break, the time for thinking over the past months, will reveal to you the flaws and good things of UWC. You'll most likely realize that not everything is so amazing as it seemed to you in October and November. Not everyone is as awesome and cool as you thought as the naive firstie who just joined the community. Not everyone is worth trying to become friends with. You're not on amazing terms with all your co-years? Good, stick to the group of people you know you can trust and who will be by your side no matter what. There's just five of them? One? Twenty? Good! You found them! Stick to them. Failed to find your squad before winter break? No worries! A lot of people will come back different persons you got to know in the first months (I'll be one of them. Finding myself n' shit). Everything will be different after winter break. I can feel it. More school work, less time to chill but also you will already know, at least partially, who your friends are. You will know who to call when you'll be going through mental breakdowns (yay!).
So just remember: first term doesn't define how good or bad your UWC experience will be. I'm going back on Friday with a new mentality, with a different values and different goals for my life after UWCiM. And all of this will help me to either finally fit in or accept the fact I can't fit in and continue my UWC experience as a misfit. All good to me. I've always been the weird one anyways.
Lots of love, eat your vegetables, drink loads of water, stay healthy and happy!
Zala
So just remember: first term doesn't define how good or bad your UWC experience will be. I'm going back on Friday with a new mentality, with a different values and different goals for my life after UWCiM. And all of this will help me to either finally fit in or accept the fact I can't fit in and continue my UWC experience as a misfit. All good to me. I've always been the weird one anyways.
Lots of love, eat your vegetables, drink loads of water, stay healthy and happy!
Zala