Birthday Mania

A few weeks ago it was my 18th birthday. Yes, yes, I know. I'm now officially a grown up. What does that even mean? Anyways, it was a most spectacular day and I will always be grateful for all the people that worked to make it so lovely.

Here's a brief timeline:
midnight - woken up by the brilliant BCers for a bowling bonanza
afternoon - walk to Matheson Lake & have picnic with friends
dinner - close friends surprise me with fancy dinner in the caf
after dinner - find ENORMOUS AMAZING fruit basket from my family, call home
8pm - everyone visits and shares fruit
10pm - I'm getting ready to go to bed when Sune comes into my room and asks if I want to watch a movie. I agree....only to find out it's a ploy for a surprise party my roommates and house arranged!!!!!!!! Not only that but they all came up with beautiful inspiring words to share with me.

Three cakes, lots of hugs and kisses, and lots of happiness after...I reflected on a wonderful day.

I have pictures of the amazing fruit basket and the bowling bonanza. I will post them soon.

Thank you so much everyone again.

Love,
e

Otter

This a river otter. There are many of them around here. I saw one the other day in the parking lot by the pool. It slithered away. They kind of scare me when they're on ground.

Negative and Positive

If anyone knows me, I think I'm a bit of an over-optimist. Maybe you can tell. I am a firm believer in positive thought, positive self-image, and positive language. It was a major struggle for me in the past to deal with constant negativity and apathy. Hitting brick walls feels familiar. Bang. Bang. Bang. I've realized I can't make people happy, and I shouldn't really try. All I can do is control my own behavior.

Anyways, last night at the house meeting (forgive me if you're from my house) I brought up an issue that I had felt very strongly about. Pearson College is most definitely a very academic place. Whenever you have the IB, dilligence and hard work is required. I'll be the first person to say that school is important. But so are other skills.

Not to start a tangent, but I came across an article the other day where the writer was saying that she spent all these years getting degrees and fell into a depression after she finished school. Yes she could write an A+ history paper but she didn't know how to pay her bills. I feel the same way. I'm perfectly content working and having a family instead of getting my PhD. That's just me, I digress.

The issue arises because a LOT of people here are planning on getting their PhDs from Harvard. And now is a particularly stressful time (exams coming up) so lately everyone is walking around complaining about how much work they have and how they's so tired from staying up all night, etc. Now if you look at the below post I have been blessed to have the opportunity to escape to my "host family." I came back to McL and in the span of 90 minutes 8 different people had complained about schoolwork. I was feeling great having finished everything and all of a sudden, like a wave of nausea I was hit with dread and worry. I started to feel stressed, even though I had nothing to be stressed about . Stress is contagious and why are we spreading it everywhere we go? Isn't more productive to just do our work instead of saying how much work we do? I don't think it does us any good. I mean, I'm totally down for venting sessions and talking to someone you trust for a good conversation. But why are so many people going around daily telling this one sentence to everyone they meet?

In the house meeting, I got cut off and people started saying that explaining their misery is therapy. Yes I understand it was a bad time to bring it up because I was speaking with stressed people. Nevertheless, I could not believe that people wanted to complain! We discussed earlier how house meetings shouldn't all be complaints (and I tried to phrase mine as a suggestion to have more compassionate speech). Maybe complaining is cathartic. But ask yourself, does it really help? By dwelling on this big pile is it going to go away? Or is it going to get bigger?

No one agrees with me, but I say STOP. Think about how your words affect other people. We don't need other people's stress on top of our own. Maybe this could be different. Maybe we could all have a supportive home where we all just tried to do as much as we could. Maybe we can approach our work with acceptance and maybe even enjoy it? I found the other day that writing my essay was actually fun. Maybe I sound like a dork and all of this is crazy.

Just PLEASE don't tell me you have so much work. We all do, and we will ALL get through this.

Sincerely,

Em

PS: Sorry if this is too strong.

Home

It's nearly midnight and I'm sitting on my comfy red couch. Who knew that after living at Pearson I would see couches as well as countries in a whole new way? List of things I now have renewed appreciation for

1)My family
2) Cooking and beautiful food
--> Livingrooms, kitchens, single person bedrooms, and couches
3) Personal Space
--> bathrooms that lock
4) Getting up in the middle of the night to eat
5) Getting up in the middle of the night/morning and realizing you don't have to be too quiet because there's no else in the room
6) Time alone....did I already say that?
7) A select few TV shows
8) Reading the local paper with my breakfast
9) Looking out of my kitchen window in the mornings
10) Driving anywhere with my mom
11) The radio dial that has more than 2 stations
12) Being separate from school (like not living and learning in the same place)
13) Lingering over my food and eating when I want
14) Walking around wearing ugly clothes. Wait I still do that on campus.
15) Just being in the place where I've lived since I was four

It has been a challenging second term. A close family member of mine has been ill for several months and is only now recovering. It is an enormous relief to see that person back and ready for life. I elected to take this weekend off and spend some time with my family, alone. It's one of the best decisions I've made. I feel recharged and renewed. I am comforted that I still feel completely at home at either place. I am so happy.

I am so happy going back to Pearson, and I am so happy coming back home. It will be hard leaving my friends in a month, but there is something so beautiful about an unconditional welcoming, arms spread wide open, and a house full of love waiting on either side.

Today was great.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

In peace,
e

Dead Whale

About 2 weeks ago a dead grey whale washed up on shore at East Sooke Park, about 20 minutes away from campus. Our magnificent Marine Science teacher, Laura Verhegge, took us on a field trip to see it and learn about marine mammals up close and personal. Pearson College is one of the very few (if not the only) place in the world where Marine Science is an official IB science course (Laura developed the curriculum). It's a wonderful class full of hands on learning in this unique environment.

http://www.timescolonist.com/health/Beached+whale+might+have+been+killed+orca+attack/2766680/story.html

Tango Protest

A couple weeks ago, Nanu (a second year from Argentina) took tango to the Inner Harbour of Victoria in an effort to raise awareness about cuts to arts funding in BC. It was a great success!

Here's a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W0f21HHFWE

An Everyday Reflection

On the bathing-tub of King T'ang the following words were engraved: "If you would one day renovate yourself, do so from day to day. Yea, let there be daily renovation." ~Confucian Analects

I think I like Confucius' take on daily renewal. It's something that I've found particularly true here at Pearson. Every day I think I grow a little tiny bit, learn something new, feel something different, and appreciate something else. I'd like to keep doing that every day in my life, reflect on the adventures of the day and be ready for the next one. Coincidentally we talked about Confucius's Analects in English today when Vikram Seth alluded to it in his travel literature From Heaven Lake. One really cool part of the IB is the diverse and fascinating literature we read in English. From Heaven Lake is about travels through Tibet and Sinkiang province of China!

I'm sorry I've been absent lately - homework and life in general can be consuming ( I know I said I would stop apologizing about that, but I can't help it!). But it's great to be back and blogging! How are you doing, my dear reader? I hope Spring has turned up in your life. Unfortunately this morning I'm pretty sure it nearly snowed on campus. Speaking of the weather, we had an EPIC power outage last weekend (Easter weekend). The power was gone for about 1 and 3/4 days and it was a most enjoyable adventure! We played Hide and Seek in the Max Bell Building and built campfires...we watched movies on our dying laptops and huddled close together for warmth. The wind howled, we didn't scowl. It was a great opportunity to put our laptops down and actually look at each other in the eye and connect. Every now and then I find myself sucked up by day to day survival and then something magically appears to remind me how lucky I am to be here. I think the power outage was a message to never lose track of that.

Okay so let's rewind the adventures a couple weeks, to one fantastic night where the Vic High R & B Band came to Pearson and played some INCREDIBLE live music! http://www.sd61.bc.ca/vichigh/band/index.htm Their impressive repetoire had us on our feet for hours and grooving to the beat. It was a party to remember.

Easter Weekend provided a much needed break. Block Week required a lot of studying and since we are completing our IB in less time than usual, academics here are quite rigorous. I decided to stay on campus for the 4 day weekend to spend some valuable time not doing much except chillaxing. It was wonderful. One day my good friends Juan Manuel from Panama, Eric from Alberta, Kay from Ontario, and Khalid for Ontario went into Victoria. We had a magnificent brunch at a really hip diner called Floyd's and then headed into the trusty Chapters Starbucks to get some internet (no internet during the power outage) and reading time. I have this lovely memory of all of us just hanging out at the tables or reading by the window on this cold, rainy day, enjoying each other's company in such a beautiful place. Maybe sometimes that's all we need: good company, good food, and good books.

The next couple days I hung up my beloved hammock on the East House lawn (pictures to come) and spent some quality time with friends. On Monday I took my first sailing trip off the docks! It was a gorgeous day so Techi (my roommate from Uruguay), Anwen from Wales, Chris our Director of Operations, a guest named John from UWC-USA, and I headed out on the boat Wings for an afternoon sail into the bay. It was a very cool experience, listening to the captain giving orders, pulling ropes, tying ropes, and bringing up sails.

On Wednesday we had a village meeting - our first in a while. Often, village meetings renew my perspective on being part of this UWC network. No matter what happens, what controversy arises, what is said, I always see friends leaving arm in arm after. It is so inspiring. Kay read a beautiful reflection about how our village meetings often revolve around small things (10:30 rule, spoons in the cafeteria, new furniture) but the hope is that if we can solve these day to day issues, one day in the future we`ll be able to help solve global crises and emergencies. By recognizing our common humanity in this unique village we are developing strong ties across oceans and mountains. When I hear the news, I hear it differently. If there is a bombing in Israel or Palestine I immediately think of my friend who lives across the hallway. I want to make sure she is alright. If I am shopping in a store and pick up and item made in Nepal, I think of my Nepali friend and how he is doing. I feel a completely different connection to the world.

I thought I would end with a transcript of the end of Abiodun Williams' - a PC grad and world leader in his field - speech from a particularly memorable International Relations session. I hope you find it as poignant and moving as I did. For more info about Mr. Williams - http://www.usip.org/specialists/bios/current/williams.html

My friends,

Some of you will acquire wealth, some will acquire power, and some will achieve fame. Wealth, power and fames are not ends in of themselves but means to ends. If you acquire wealth, I hope you will remember that it is a gift, however hard-earned and therefore it must be shared with those less fortunate. If you acquire power, I hope you will remember that it gives you a tremendous opportunity to serve the powerless. If you achieve fame, it gives others, including the less fortunate to get to know you and seek your help.

You’ve earned on merit a special kind of education. It is my hope that what you’ve learnt about human values and human relationships in the international and multicultural environment of Pearson College will be a life long influence on your judgments and attitudes.

Pearson College has changed since I arrived here as a student in the fall of 1977. But the spirit of idealism commands the shores of Pedder Bay today as it did three decades ago.

You must never trade idealism for cynicism, and never confuse cynicism with wisdom. Cynicism corrodes, idealism strengthens. Cynicism imprisons, idealism liberates. Cynicism destroys, idealism builds.

May the idealism of Pearson College serve as a continuing source of inspiration, and spur you to build bridges of understanding throughout your lives. And wherever your paths may lead, may you always work for a better world.

Project Week Spring 2010 Photos

The Rose Garden at UBC - we went exploring the giant campus one afternoon.
I think the small town people found UBC a tad overwhelming (very understandable)
One day we had a wonderful lunch at the beautiful Kits beach (Makyla, ON, me, and Francis from Tanzania below)

Enjoying our tasty food from Capers - Sam, Lara's friend from Montreal, Emma from PEI, and Lara from Montreal at Kits beach.Our group at Eagles Estate after a morning volunteering in the beautiful heritage garden. It was good to get our hands dirty.