Guiding questions:
How did you find out about UWC?
How did you apply?
How was the feeling of getting accepted?
Why did you decide to come to India for project week?
How did UWC change your life?
What are the differences between UWCSEA and UWC Mahindra College?
Relate your experiences in Project Week and how do you feel about it?
Ludmila
I first heard about UWC through the Internet while looking
for job opportunities. I applied because I fell in love with the UWC values. I
still think that it is a dream, to get accepted in a UWC college. Project Week is
a very important aspect of UWC life, and it would be even better if we could take part in an action part of a UWC college such as the Akshara Foundation during Project Week. UWC is still changing my life. It makes me realize that things
are possible, and that we can make a difference. It is just like coming out
into the light after spending a long time in a dark room. People are amazing.
UWCSEA and UWC Mahindra College are different in many aspects such as localization,
facilities, and number of people. This campus is just unbelievable. The views,
India is unique, people here are just so nice and friendly. But actually, both
our colleges are UWC colleges. Both of them have this feeling of union between such
different cultures that makes me believe even more that we can do big things
together. What I saw this week, and what I have experienced, is something that
I did not believe could be possible. With the support and help of our
friend Rahul, we actually did things that may not last forever
but it is something; it will help in some way and nothing would change if
nobody does anything. People in the villages are so strong and so nice to
us. The children at the schools that we have visited and played with are so
smart and so independent. I just wish more people could know more about the
situation of people there – something I had never seen in my life, about the Akshara
Foundation and the amazing job they do. And how UWC is once more making things
that seems impossible come true. I love UWC.
Amirah
I knew about UWC when a UWCSEA graduate from my city
came to my school and gave us a talk about UWCSEA and how it is such an amazing
school, and since then I just decided to apply even though I had to wait for 2
years since I was not old enough yet to apply. After waiting for 2
years, I was finally able to apply through the National Committee selection
process. At that time I did not expect to get accepted at all because I just
wanted to gain more experience through applying to UWC, but deep inside there
was a big hope in my heart that I would be accepted in this amazing college. Fortunately, I was accepted and finally my dream to go abroad to study was
achieved. I always had motivation to study abroad, because my mom went to
Canada when she was in college for a student exchange program, and that made me
want to go abroad to study too. There are absolutely no words to describe how I
felt when I got accepted; it was just so many feelings of pride, happiness and amazement
at the same time, because getting accepted in this college was one of my
biggest dreams that I started having since I was very little. Being the only
person representing my region in Indonesia to go to UWCSEA made me feel very
responsible, and since I got accepted, I always try to share the UWC values
when I go back to my hometown and also at school through some activities. Project Week is one of the most amazing things offered by UWC colleges, in order for students
to gain more knowledge and experiences. Project Week is probably one of
the most awesome activities that UWC created, which allows the students to
arrange their own travel and be independent.
After realizing that we have
friends that came from Akshara Foundation in UWCSEA, and that we had heard quite a lot of
amazing stories from them about Akshara, we decided to come here to do our Project Week and, at the same time, visit another UWC college. UWC has
taught me a lot of things
such as how to be respectful towards the others even though you come from
different backgrounds, how to think critically, and how to become more aware of
the world. UWCSEA and UWC Mahindra College both have UWC values that are amazing, both have
amazing people in them; people that support the values, even though both have also
quite a few differences, such as the location and also the way of studying.
UWC
has changed my perspective in looking at the world, it has opened my eyes and mind
more, and it has made me a more open person. Being in UWC Mahindra College and working
with Akshara has given me one of the best experiences in my life that I will
never forget. This project brought me to a place that I have never visited
before, it increased my awareness and also gave me more idea about
the world around me. In this project we all worked as a team to help make a difference
for people, and we have had a lot of fun
doing our work in the villages, with our team and also the Akshara Foundation
team, Rahul, Asmita and the rests.
Jeronimo
Some years ago I was talking with my sister’s friend about
the world, cultures and societies. She told me about a number of colleges
dispersed throughout the world which were as interested in the same
things as we were. One day she told me to participate in the selection process to try to get in
one of those colleges because they offered scholarships to many countries,
including mine, Uruguay. At that time I felt too young to leave my county
alone, therefore, I decided to wait for some years to apply. I applied in 2011. The selection process took more that one month. Finally, I
won a scholarship. They selected me to go to study at UWCSEA, in Singapore. I really could not
imagine how much my life would change from that moment to now.
My first emotion was happiness because I knew that if I wanted
to know about the world and inform the world about my country, this was
one of the best ways to do it. After that, when I could start thinking in more
detail I realized that it was a large responsibility to
represent my country. To show who are Uruguayan people made me feel anxious
and nervous, because I knew that many people who were looking for the same
experience could also do this well. Therefore I had to be good or even
better.
We were looking for a Project Week that would make us feel that
we are changing something, make something improve, at the same time a learning experience. We remembered that two girls in our school come from an
organization in India, which helps people in villages get a better standard of living.
They helped them by providing education and sanitation and discussing values with them.
We decided to come here because we saw it as being an experience where we had the
opportunity to share our knowledge and also help out with other
problems in the villages. Those were our principal objectives.
I think that the main differences between the Indian college and UWCSEA
is the physical structure and the location. UWCSEA is in the middle of a city and UWC Mahindra College in the middle of nowhere. In one college it
is possible to see amazing views, surrounded by nature. In the
other it is a beautiful experience to go walk around Singapore, learning
from the four different cultures, which make up the country's main population. On campus, it is similar. As we are both UWCs we have the
same objectives and values. We see people socializing, sharing cultures,
organizing events, helping each other, working together and discussing about
world problems in both UWCs. Those characteristics are the ones which make this organization different from other internationals schools, and they happen as much
in UWC Mahindra College as in UWCSEA. Both schools have the same passion and maintain an international community that shares knowledge and ideals. I really love
it.
This Project week made me see the world from a different
point of view. I never imagined how life in an Indian village is. To see how
they live made me realize that not having much means it is still possible to be as happy,
or even more, than those who think that money is all.The best experiences that I have ever had were at the primary
school we visited during the week. To see children having the key to their own
classroom, going to the school without losing their smile and happiness. I am
really fascinated with their attitude to understand five new people who came
speaking a new language with them. It was an amazing experience to see how they
wanted to learn what we tried to teach them. Also their need to show
us their own culture, singing national songs, games, teaching
some Marathi to us. It made me see that they love their own country as much as
I love mine.
Jordy
It was 2 years' ago when I was living in an environment of
drugs and poverty in one of the most dangerous slums in my country. During that
time I always had a strong motivation to become an agent of change. So I
devoted my time to organizing activities and conferences for my city’s youth, and
then a guy who knew me told me about this incredible global movement called
UWC. When I heard about it I didn't want to apply because at that time it was
totally unknown to me. Therefore I took an entire year to research and get to
know more about UWC and the more I knew, the more I identified with the movement
and its ideology of improvement and change through education and cultural
diversity. I applied to UWC the following year and got accepted. I could not
believe it when the National Committee came to my house to give me the
news. However more than feeling excited and happy, there was a strong feeling of
fear because I knew from the beginning that once given a place, my
life would undergo a huge change. Nevertheless, I realized that this would be the
beginning of my journey to become an agent of change in the future.
I have been in UWC for 8 months and my life continues
to change dramatically each day. UWC is making me more realistic and determined when
it comes to making decisions and actions. I realize that to be able to achieve goals it is necessary to have a good plan. This is something that I learnt
in my Project Week, when I came with friends with the idea of supporting
and contributing to initiatives such as the Akshara Foundation which I feel so proud
of. This Project Week was based in UWC Mahindra College which was amazing because that also
meant we had the opportunity to share UWC values with other UWC students.
Being here during my Project Week made me realize that there is a lot of
differences between the two schools. It was amazing for me to discover these
differences, for example how the location can affect the style of the college in
many ways or also differences in economical conditions and the way of teaching.
However the most amazing thing is that despite the many differences, both UWCs
follow the same ideology though it is developed in different
ways. This Project Week has helped me view the world from a new perspective, become
more aware of how different the ways of living can be. And I can definitely say
that this experience was a unique lesson that has contributed to my journey of
becoming the agent of change.
Chi
I was just a normal
student in a high school at the beginning of 2011. I was active in a lot of different things and was considered a good student, but I did not have any specific
goal. I only knew that I wanted to do something good for society. A senior in
my high school, who is now a second year in Pearson UWC in Canada, told me
about UWC. I did some research about the school since my teacher also
recommended the scholarship to me. By doing research I realized that it is
such a good place for me and helps me to understand what I can do in the future for the good
of the people. I applied and got accepted to UWCSEA. Since then, I have matured
a lot and I believe I will grow even more in my 2 years in UWC.
I am always curious
about how different UWCs are like and how we uphold the UWC values, which is
why I plan to visit as many UWCs as possible in my two years of IB. As I heard
from Kanchan and Vydia about the Akshara Foundation and UWC Mahindra College, I was very
excited to come to to India for my Project Week. I was also excited because it
would be the first time for me to come to India, a place that I have always
wanted to visit. One fortunate thing after another and I am here without much
trouble with my four friends who are also UWC students.
Being in UWC Mahindra College made
me realize how different our colleges are, though I do not really enjoy
comparing them since they are both very awesome in their own ways.
While UWCSEA is located in a very modern country where you can get a lot of things
very easily, MUWCI has this very peaceful and environmentally friendly style that
makes people fall in love with the campus. I love the scenery of the campus very much and also how nice people here can be, yet I also love very
dearly how convenient, busy and crowded UWCSEA campus can be. To me, seeing
another UWC just makes me love the UWC movement more because I realize that each
one is unique and cannot be replaced.
This Project Week experience is a very good and special one for me. In this one week, I have done
things that I would never have imagined myself doing and I enjoyed it very much.
Collecting plastic, making water channels, playing with school
kids etc were all very fun to do and rewarding when looking back. I got to see people in an environment that I never saw in real life. It made me
appreciate my life more and be more motivated to make a contribution to the society
in the future.
UWCSEA students on Project Week on the MUWCI campus
No comments:
Post a Comment