Flag Photo Competition :)

There's a photo competition that is going on for UWC Atlantic College's 50th Anniversary.
I took a photo with my dad over the Christmas break when we went diving.

Check it out :)

http://www.atlanticcollege.org/50th/flag-competition/53/10/40/

Has it only been a week?

Just to confuse you I've written two blogs but am posting them in one post since this has been my first opportunity to move them from my USB to the school computers :)

Happy New Year!

First day of codes started back today and with that a new principal. The school went a year without a principal, my whole time at AC has been without and official principal, Nick Lush acting as the step-in principal. He lives right across from Morgannwg House in what Chloe told me is called the ‘Tardis’ or something of that manner, a Dr. Who reference that went right over my head.

Not everyone is back to school yet so the family isn’t complete, but to simply hear the bustle down the hallway as I type this makes me smile- there’s constant laughter.

We start Theory of Knowledge (or as the second years who are finishing off their essays in the subject say with a grimace- TOK) in the next couple weeks, takes away two of my free codes though! No!

I’ve signed down for my Activities. When I find out which two I got as my official ones I’ll write about them J  Service this week said Archery in the afternoon session and the start of our NARS pool lifeguard in the evening session. Looking forward to both!

Only been back for two full days now so will have more to say very soon – I’m sure of it.

Love, Abi

Okay one week back into at school and the list of things I have to type about is mounting! Need to stop putting it off! Where to begin- hmmmm.

Activities:

The two Activities I will be doing this term are:

Amnesty International

19.00-21.00 Languages upstairs.

28

3

Rebecca.B J, Kaylea K, Almog Z Amnesty activity works to promote and protect human rights around the world and at Atlantic College through direct and indirect action.

And a two Mission Based Classes, one in the first half of the term and another in the second half, the first half is:

History of Chinese Political Thought and Regimes

Lin Shi, Yuexin Zeng

A look at the political systems and regimes  in different eras throughout the 5000 years of Chinese history. This includes: B.C. 2070 (Xia dynasty) – A.D. 1840 (Opium War with Britain) We will focus on different political systems and the connections to cultural development throughout 21 dynasties in ancient China. This includes the introduction of the development of centralization, Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism. 1840 (Opium War with Britain) – 1949 (the foundation of P.R.C.)  In this specific time period, we will focus on different political movements and revolutions that carried out the development from Feudalism to Semi-colonialism & Semi-feudalism, and then to New Democracy. In further aspects, we will also discuss the origins and course of Chinese revolutions and the rise of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) 1949(the foundation of PRC) – present This will include a brief introduction of significant historical events (e.g. the Korean War, Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution, Opening up and economic reformation of Deng), as well as political thoughts- – the development in Communism in China (e.g. Maoism)

Really looking forward to both of them J

Service:  

Had my first pool lifeguard training session on Thursday! Was fun, nice to be in the water and knowing I’m learning something I’ll be able to use for the rest of my life. Next week we’ll be practicing a lot of techniques; this first session was simple assists for helping stressed swimmers to the edge of the pool and then how to safely get them out.
I was a lot better at Archery then I thought I would be! Think I’ll really enjoy leading those sessions in a few months with the kids J

Cambridge Law Conference

Congratulations! You have been allocated a place on the Cambridge 6th Form
Law Conference 2012. Just to confirm, the conference will run from the
afternoon of Monday 19th March to lunchtime on Thursday 22nd March. A
provisional programme is still available at www.law.cam.ac.uk/conference

Louis, one of my closest friends from Switzerland and I are both interested in studying Law at University and are thrilled to be given the opportunity to get to go on this conference in a couple of months!

Food

So this year I’ve decided to become more sustainable and stop eating meat. Not sure if I’ll make it throughout the whole year but I still eat fish so I’m a pescatarian.  I haven’t found any problems or cravings for meat yet.

Chloe, my lovely roommate is on a gluten-free diet which I find to be much more challenging though I really respect her for it. Her mum has Celiac disease it’s genetic, so though she hasn’t gotten her blood test results back yet she’s been supporting her mum and being on the safe side until she’s completely sure she doesn’t have it by not eating anything with gluten. (Celiac disease, also known as gluten intolerance, is a genetic disorder. Those affected suffer damage to the villi when they eat specific food-grain antigens that are found in wheat, rye, and barley.) It’s really opened up my eyes to having to be super aware of everything that goes into your body. I’ve always known people with certain allergies like nuts and shell fish but to the amount of food that flour is in has never crossed my mind before.

Extended Essays

We’ve had our first meeting of the scary topic of Extended Essays! Oh boy… Next week we’ll be having talks in all of our classes, seeing examples of past Extended Essays and able to ask our teachers questions on choosing their subject for this lovely 4000 word essay that makes up a point and a half of the 45 in the IB. Each teacher is allowed a maximum of 10 students for Extended Essays- and even that is a huge commitment of work.  I’m thinking of doing mine in either Geography or Environmental Systems, but we shall see.

Afro-Caribbean National Evening

Is in a couple of weeks! YAY! It’s going to be a lot of fun, when we have set plans on what we’re doing I’ll type it up. And the pictures too ;3

Bonding Session

Which brings me to my plans tonight! Amy from Barbados actually brought in her suitcase frozen fly fish and the 9 Caribbean people at this school are getting together for some good food. It’s going to be great.

Peace Conference

Lots of Diploma Periods coming up! Next Friday is the Peace and Conflicts Diploma Period run by my tutor! We had work to do over the holidays on finding out information of our own countries and the rights that we are given, so I’m sure everyone will be well prepared and have a lot to share (as always).

Friday Night Lecture

It’s such a shame I don’t have the notes I took last night with me right now but I went to the lecture which I found really interesting:

"Do we have a right to pornography?"

Loosely based around Dworkin's article. 

Lecture by Tom Theuns. 

Tom Theuns is a Dutch postgraduate student of political theory at Balliol College, Oxford. He did a Liberal Arts degree in Social Sciences from Maastricht University. And even before that, he was a UWC student at Pearson. He was involved in the initial stages and opening of UWC Maastricht.

When I get my notes I’ll tell you all about it.

MISC

Can’t write a blog without talking about the weather! Apparently this morning there was frost on the grass but I slept too late to see it. Chloe is being super optimistic and telling me that it’s going to snow. I really hope it does! It’s colder then when we left in that we can all now see our breath when we’re outside at any time of the day. And to think I still made a twenty minute walk to Marcross with Chloe last night for dinner. Where is the island-girl in me?

Also went swimming with a gang of Morgannwgs’ on Wednesday night and had the great idea of jumping into the outdoor pool at 9:30. BRRRR. I think Nick screamed ‘I now understand why they died in Titanic’. But you’ve got to do it once right? J

Also been running quite a bit. Trying to get into shape... Have ran three 5k’s this week and my nice slow pace on the treadmill in the gym while watching The Big Bang Theory. Could be worse right?

Quidditch

That’s right.  Muggle Quidditch is a real sport, and incredibly popular at American universities.

Have a meeting tomorrow on playing the epitome of all sports at AC. Just to make AC feel even more like Hogwarts.

**And I think that is all.

Love, Abi

So Fast

My first term is done. It’s crazy to imagine. How could four months of my time at AC be gone already? It seems like two weeks ago I was typing about first camp and the overwhelming mess of the first couple of weeks and here I am a quarter of the way through my UWC experience. Shock.

Today has been so bittersweet. We were woken up by the houseparents at 8:30 and had a house breakfast of waffles, croissants and fruit at 9. We then did house clean up where each of the dorms had a different area to tidy up for the winter break as well as our own corners of the dorm.

We then had a lovely Christmas lunch in the dining hall with the Christmas crackers and mince pies. From then on I chilled with some friends in their dorms until 3:00. I was the first of the group to leave so they all came down carrying my suitcase and carry-on bag to Main Gate. To simply come to Main Gate was an effort, the wind outside was crazy and it’s beginning to feel bitingly cold (well to me). We were joking around and waiting for the taxi and I realized how amazing these friends I have are, how lucky I am and how on earth was I going to go four weeks without them?

But then I remember that tomorrow, I’ll be home. Seeing my parents. Seeing my best friends. Being in the sun. How lucky am I to feel so comfortable and happy in two homes? Atlantic College has become that for me. And though I won’t write during my winter break I know I’ll think of school and the people in it every day of my break.

Merry Christmas everyone. We’ll have a hectic New Year.

Love, Abi

Christmas Party Photos! :)

 Erlend, the houseparents youngest kid :)

 Chiel! My tutor :) (the blonde)

 Dorm 12 <3 Chloe, Ruyi, Myself and Gabi

 Louis is practically our fifth dorm mate

 Vincent <3 and the remaints of our feast!

 Morgannwg second year guys

 Dorm 3 and Dorm 12

 Kristian, Albania

Sam and Hannah

 Chloe, Heidi (Norway)

 Vincent, Kenya

 Why it's turned this way I don't know... Nick was my date

 Christian and Carys singing

 Heidi!

 Morgannwg girls

 Morgannwg First Years!

 Gabi and I

 Hamdan, Abu Dhabi and Proma, Bangladesh

 Paula, Germany and Luke, USA

 Morgannwg is boss!

Hannah, Carys and Penelope

Some videos of AC (:

These are a few links to videos I saw today that were filmed this term of the campus, all with my friends and other students in them.

Because the IB can wait:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fZqQji8Dt4

Welcome from UWC Atlantic College
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDGiMUbgL24

Christmas Song (: Morgannwg Style

You better watch out

You better not cry

You better not pout

I'm telling you why

Jon Morten is coming tonight

He's checking his list,

Checking it twice;

Gonna find out who's here and who’s not.

Jon Morten is coming tonight

He knows if you are working

He knows if you’re up late

He knows if you've been bad or good

So be good for goodness sake

With Erlend beside

Hennie as well

Linnea’s not far

Synnove’s upstairs

Jon Morten is coming tonight

He knows if you’ve been drinking

He knows about your grades

He knows if you been nightriding

Stay in the house for goodness sake

Dorm 1 takes a nap

Dorm 2 is tidy

Dorm 3 is mental

Dorm 4 has Louis

Houseparents are checking tonight

Is Paul still around

Is James in his dorm?

Mary’s gone out

And Carys went too

Houseparents are checking tonight

Heidi goes on massaging

Yangchen is very sweet

Proma is always chatting and

Dorm 12 is very chic.

Students are boss

Houseparents are boss

Tutors are boss

Morgannwg is boss

Morgannwg is boss

*I'm in dorm 12 :D

Christmas Party

The long-awaited Christmas Party! Oh it was fantastic. Each house has it in a different place but I really think Morgannwg is the luckiest to get to have it in the library.

So this is how it went:

Finished my Maths exam at 5:30. Raced back to the house to start getting ready with my dorm mates, incredibly girly with the music blaring and comparing what to wear and what matches. At 7 all the house goes downstairs and Jon Morten’s kids hand each of the boys and each of the girls random halves of a Christmas card and we have to find out match. I was with Nick Olsen, a first year from Cardiff. It was really sweet he even had a yellow tulip for me.

We then take the walk down to the Library in our couple and once we are all there begin the paparazzi extravaganza while sipping on non-alcoholic champagne and eating the most yummy nibbles that Synove made. It was so nice to see all of the guys all dressed up in suit jackets and the girls in pretty dresses. We become so used to one another in pyjamas and at 7 in the morning, it was nice to see that everyone ‘cleaned up well’.

We sat on two long tables opposite our dates, our tutors were there as well as the house parents three kids. Synove made some amazing food. Pork, Salmon, Vegetarian Lasagna, Couscous – everyone was full by the end. There were also a few musical performances including a song rewritten by one of the second-years that I’ll have to get a copy of to put on here, it was hilarious.

After dinner we some students said speeches of how thankful we were to our tutors and house parents and then we exchanged our last Secret Santa gift. I had so much fun leaving gifts on Paul from Hong Kong’s bed every other day, and he seemed so happy to find out it was me.

Though I didn’t bring my camera to show right now how pretty everything was last night I’ll be sure to steal the pictures off of someone else’s camera very soon.  And the song. Can’t forget the song.

It seems surreal that in only five days I’ll be home. I’m incredibly excited I think about it constantly. But even now I can’t imagine not seeing my Morgannwg family for four weeks. Going away for a weekend seems like ages.

The next few days are winding down of codes, I do have one more French exam to go but otherwise it should be chill. We shall see.