BC students (PC years 35 and 36) at RaceRocks, taken by Mark Kelsey. Spring 2010.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Winter Break

I'm deeply sorry for the lack of recent posts. I think I just got swept away by block week (exam week before break) and a host of other things, and before I knew it - I was back home with no blog posts for a few weeks!

Before I begin, I just wanted to thank you again for reading. Recently, a couple people whom I thought would never be keeping track of me said they had been reading this blog....and it made me so happy! I partly do this for myself, but I think this could be a medium for anyone to get a taste of the wonderful world of UWC. Also, if you know any student in grade 11 who is actively and passionately trying to create a better world PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell them about the extraordinary experience Pearson has to offer. Forward them this blog address or to the www.pearsoncollege.ca and click on "apply." Applications are due in February I believe.

Here are some of the events that occurred before I left:

- Our house (like the other 4) had a secret santa thing going on for a couple weeks and it was plain astounding to see what kind of surprises were in store. People left sweet notes for each other, hung signs/poems/posters around campus about their buddy, left candy and chocolate, made people's beds, did their cleaning duties. Some people went above and beyond the call of a Christmas buddy. Some made videos in dedication of their buddies, some held a candle-lit dinners, some made scavenger hunts. I was blessed with an AMAZING buddy (who turned out to be Rita from Portugal) who among other things: Hung a mobile above my head with a picture of me saying I was beautiful, hired someone to walk in my room wearing a santa hat while I was sleeping and proceed to dump hundreds of Hershey's kisses on my bed, and THEN hang the HUGEST sign across the whole math room window saying,
"EMMY, WHO CAN'T LOVE YOU?" with balloons over my name. To say the least, I was in awe and helplessly grateful. I really appreciated everything she did for me.

- We had a delicious house dinner full of multicultural food that we all made ourselves. It was a really cozy evening, we sat on the floor and talked and laughed and ate.

- After House Dinner there was a night skating trip for anyone who wanted to go. It was beautiful to see people who had never skated before learning from Canadians and those who live in colder climates. Some students improved immensely. We all had a blast - holding hands and playing tag and falling on our faces.

- Block week consisted of 2 classes a day for 2.5 hours each for 1st years. In all my classes except for 2, we watched movies, so it was exceedingly relaxing and enjoyable. In my Marine Science class we went on a fun expedition in the Bay and I had a math exam. However, for second years they had some serious examinations and they were more than relieved when the week was over.

- On Friday the 18th, everyone packed up their bags, woke up at the crack of dawn, and jumped on the bus/ferry/airplane for our 3 week Winter Break.


It is a delight being home. The word "home" now has double meanings. I miss everyone at Pearson - but I'm enjoying the space, quiet, and family that I can experience here. I am looking forward to chillaxing and reading lots of books and doing a minimal amount of work. I really appreciate certain aspects of a home now. For instance, a kitchen. Or a queen sized bed to myself. Or being 10 minutes away from a grocery store. Or being able to drive around town with my Mom.

Warmest holiday wishes to all of you.

Lots of cyber-love,
Em

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Change of Pace Day & Christmas
























So to switch up the pace on our beautiful campus, we occasionally have "Change of Pace" days or special topic days. Last Tuesday we had our first one of the year and it was quite enjoyable!


The theme was sustainability and the environment so we heard presentations from BC Hydro, the water supplier, and our natural gas supplier. In addition we had group discussions about several issues. I participated in the renewable energy resource one. We also had a garbage audit in each house and separated everything that could have been recycled, this being a bit of a messy endeavor. In the afternoon, we created promise flags inspired by prayer flags and wrote down a pledge. Those flags are now fluttering beautifully in the wind, taking our words with them.
In other news, McL's dayroom is looking flashy and awesome with all our Christmas decorations up. It was a great bonding experience and I'm looking forward to our house breakfast, house dinner, and cookie making.

Three girls' rooms in McL received a wonderful surprise yesterday. We were all sent little Christmas presents and cards from the Zonta Club in Washington State. Everything was personalized and ever so sweet....thank you Zonta club! You definitely brought some huge smiles to our faces!

Holiday smiles to you all,
Em

PS: Happy belated 16th birthday to my awesome brother, Danny.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Makyla


My dear friend Makyla from Ontario recently got quite injured and broke her ankle in 3 places. Subsequently she had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night and get surgery... she is one of the bravest people I know and I know she will recover quickly! I visited her in hospital and am trying to help her hobble around campus now. It's so awesome to have her back. She is very spirited, determined, and beautiful!

Go Makyla!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Asia-Pacific Regional Day













It was a delightful Saturday regional day featuring: delicious food, fascinating workshops, beautiful costumes, a music-award themed dinner, and a video-game themed FABULOUS show!

I was a server at the dinner and loved the beautiful Kimono Maki from Japan leant me.
It was also really nice to have my parents come and visit on the regional day and see the awesome show that Pearsonites have been working on in a few short weeks.

Enjoy the photos! I wish I had more!