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

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Life Goes On


Today a comment on this blog brought a giant smile to my face. Thank you Danielle for the kind words, you really inspired me to write more frequently on here.

Okay so I will make it my goal to write at least every two weeks!

Well, it was Latin American Regional Day yesterday. Regional Days are days...well devoted to a region. The meals were from Latin America, we had workshops from Latin America, a great Latin American dinner and show and party! Oh and how could I forget? Infections salsa and reggaeton music all the time. You know, in my next life I really hope to be born a Latina. These folks really know how to have fun. It was a purely delightful day and I learned a lot about the unique culture this group brings to our college.

Besides that, many of us have been overloaded with work. Being at Pearson isn't all fun and games, there's a lot of dilligence required and sometimes I find that hard. Sitting at a desk for extended periods can drive me insane so today I took a much needed to break to play badminton with my lovely first year, Emily. I love the spontaneity we sometimes express here. The time is always now to have a tea party, play tennis, go swimming, jump in the bay, talk about politics, watch a hockey game, play cricket on the path....sometimes this type of education seems slightly unreal.

The other day in my Marine Science class we went on a field trip to observe a kelp forest. A couple students went scuba diving and took some video footage while the rest of us on the boat took various measurements and learned about the eco-system. There we were, sitting on the ocean on a sunny day learning about bull kelp. This is what school should be! The world as our classroom.

What does an education mean? To me, it's learning about yourself, about others, about the world. It's a lifelong mission. I hope I never stop learning. I think education isn't what we sometimes imagine it to be: doing homework, writing exams, getting diplomas. I think an education can also teach you how to love. It can also teach you how to work with people. It can teach you to appreciate nature. I look around at the magnificent douglas firs that I have the privilege of waking up to each morning, and I can't help but feel grateful.

Speaking of gratitude, it was Canadian thanksgiving a little while ago! I had a beautiful weekend at home with my family. Even though our house was getting painted, it was nice to have some time to relax and rejuvenate. I heard someone say that gratitude is the highest level of thought. I think it's true. Being grateful can shift our attitude in a moment. Oprah recommends keeping a gratitude journal. As well as writing on this blog every two weeks I am going to start naming a few things I'm grateful for each day.

It is one of my roommates birthdays tomorrow so I'll tell you a bit about her. Antsa is a wonderful person, full of kindness and generosity. She is from Madagascar and is hoping to go to the US for school. She has really beautiful curly hair and likes to go to bed early (like me). She speaks 3 languages. She takes Marine Science. She is best friends with Thao from Vietnam. She is a delight to have as a roommate and is a great person to watch Friends with. I love Antsa.

Speaking of Friends (the TV show), it is all the rage at Pearson!! It's rare to find a show with such universal humour appeal! Seriously, one day I couldn't stop laughing because people from Switzerland, Brazil, and Thailand were all singing, "I'll be there for you...when the rain starts to fall...." in their various accents.

My dear readers, please know you are dear to me. Thank you to people like Danielle who take time to see what's happening at Pearson. It means a lot to all of us. UWC is an incredible organization that is offering us the opportunity of a lifetime, and in return, we hope to serve the world with what we learn.


Lots of love and appreciation,
Emmy