Christmas Crackers and Confusion

After a week of being home, with things to do and people to see, I'm caught up on my sleep and enjoying myself. However, some things not quite right. I love seeing family and friends, even though I worried about things being awkward between us, it has been natural as ever. It is really great but I have this growing unease at being back. I have been warned by several different people that it is hard to come back and of course I didn't really believe them but now I think I am beginning to understand. Its not easy coming back and even harder staying. I love these people dearly and whole heartedly but I find myself torn between my new life and my past. It is a strange state of being! Life is complicated, that is a fact. At the beginning of this journey I made a promise to myself to learn something new each and everyday. At the moment it feels like I'm learning a lot more!

Christmas has passed by, I've seen friends and family and now what? I feel like I'm waiting for a train that will inevitably come to whisk me away, maybe its delayed by the snow!
Ok, enough philosophical pondering!

End of Term One

So here we are, almost four months later, and soon I will be heading home. On Wednesday night we had our Winter Gala, a ball/dance or whatever you want to call it. It marked the end of this term and it was so nice to see everyone dressed up and looking beautiful. It was a lovely night with performances from the Ballroom dancers and the school band. But the Gala means that soon it is time to go home, or at least to our other homes.

It still hasn't sunk in that I will be coming back to Britain in just a few short days, I've been gone so long now and it will strange to come back to a place that I left knowing that very little else has changed. But, seriously, I can't wait to get back and see friends and family, to see my pets and go riding again, to visit the places I used to go. At the moment I am in a state of trepidation with the fear of a cancelled flight hanging in the air. Fingers crossed it will be ok.

So term one is over and it has been incredible.The biggest thing in my life so far and I hope its changed me for the better. I have learnt so much and done things I had only dreamed about. It has provided me with so many opportunities. So again, a huge thank you for everyone who has helped me get here and to the people I have found here.

The Talent Show

As is the tradition in UWCiM our second years put on a variety show for us firsties.

Basically, it was hysterical and we love our second years lots and lots. They made our night. We all arrived at a local theatre where we took our seats and waited for the show to begin. It featured the Kamate dance, Backstreet Boys, Lady Gaga and many other creative songs. We were treated to an awesome dance routine from Selmir and Anna, many awesome adaptations of well known songs and funny sketches. The second years decided to imitate a few first years!! It was a really great night. So thank you second years!

"Oh What is this IB"

"The humans are dead"

Kamate

Thank you

There are several different ways to say thank you. You can say it in different languages, with gestures, with different words but at the end of the day does it really matter how you say it?

We are taught from a young age to mind our manners and to say please and thank you. So it is something truly engrained within us. It is something we never forget. But can these simple words be enough. Two words, that is all they are; and they are the same for every situation.

I've been thinking recently about what I am thankful for. The Americans celebrate thanksgiving giving those two words a day of their own but why is it only one day. They can mean so much and show the true gratitude of a person. I think it is easy for me to quickly rattle of things that I am thankful for but once I really think about it, it comes down to the major things that have shaped me. That sounds selfish and rather corny but oh well.

So what am I thankful for?
Firstly, my wonderful parents. They were there through thick and thin, supporting me in everything. Without them I couldn't have got to where I am today and where I will go in the future. It is down to them that I am the person to them and I could never thank them enough.
Secondly, to friends and family I am grateful. For those who have stood me year after year, put up with me and shown me laughter. Again I could not be who I am without them.
Thirdly, I am thankful for my experiences. Good or bad they have allowed me learn something new. Without these experiences I would have no good memories to bring me joy or bad memories to make me sad. It is only through these experiences that I have grown and will continue to grow.
Finally, I am thankful for where I am now. That I am in Mostar, that I have found people all over the world, that I can travel, that I am doing something worthwhile. I feel torn between places and people but it's worth every second.

So, what more can I say but thank you. Truly and utterly, thank you.

Ich bin nach Deutschland gereist ...

This week was the second Bajram break so I went with my friend to stay at her house. The first day was a long day of travelling. A bus to Split, then on to the plane then another few hours from the airport to her house in a car. Greeted parents and quickly hit the hay.

The next day we had toast for breakfast something you cannot get in Mostar, it felt like a luxury. Afterwards we went to Castle Frankenstein which was cool especially our descent home down the mountain along a mountain bike trail. When we finally reached the house we made pizza and relaxed in the evening with a Macdonalds, another item foreign to Mostar. It's amazing that not being able to get something even if you didn't particularly like it makes you crave it!

On the third day we travelled into Darmstadt down town, on a tram!! We did a bit of sight seeing, visiting a beautiful Russian chapel and seeing a lot of Jugendstil style architecture. I tried some traditional German pastries which were very yummy. We then went back to the house and watched a film (in german). We attempted to make a gingerbread house.... without ginger bread. We met another old friend and had a nice meal.

We then went to Mainz, a very pretty city. Again more sight seeing and a little bit of shopping. Home and too bed. The nest day we headed back in to Darmstadt down town, went sight seeing, shopped, met some old friends and then back to the house.

All the time we were there we tried some really good food, a lot of it traditional and all of it very tasty!!

On the sixth day we went to Frankfurt. Again more sight seeing and shopping and another friend to meet. Then we went to the zoo, it wasn't too bad but still a zoo is a cruel place. Home, eat, watch some German films and sleep.

The final day before we left we went to my friend's old school to give a presentation about UWC. Afterwards we went ice skating and in the evening went to see the new Harry Potter. It was all in german with no subtitles so I had to concentrate a lot to keep up!

The next day we travelled back to Mostar. Slightly stressful as our plane was late and we thought we would miss out taxis but luckily they waited and everything was fine. It was nice to arrive back in Mostar!!

Really loved the trip, learnt a lot about Germany and improved my German.

The Dom

Cathedral

The Russian Chapel

The Treacherous Mountain Bike Trail!

Castle Frankenstein

Gingerbread House.....the attempt

Frankfurt

Turning Seventeen

On Sunday I turned 17 but what made it even more memorable was the fact that it was the first time I had not spent my birthday with family and friends at home. Instead I spent my birthday in a strange city and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I had a brilliant day. Playing rugby in the morning, eating lots of nice deserts and hanging out with friends. In the evening I was blindfolded and taken down to the canteen, which was decorated with balloons and filled with people, where my friends had thrown a surprise party. I had an awesome cake, my own personalised party hat and some presents. My presents had been confiscated and saved until this party so I was finally able to open them! But one of the best things was a video from most of the students in the college. All wishing me happy birthday and with many very funny bloopers. It was amazing and it was a moment that makes you realise how welcomed you really are. Thank you everyone for everything. The night was spent procrastinating and having a laugh :D

2 Months

It's really amazing to think that I have been in Mostar for 2 months. It feels like I know the place so well, but it also feels like I only left home last week. It's not a holiday any more! You keep so busy with work, travel and every other thing under the sun that you don't really have time to think about time. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world, it is to incredible. I have learnt more here in 2 months than I would have any where else. I have met some brilliant people and befriended the best of them. My life has changed so much in just 2 short months. 2 months in comparison is nothing, could be classed as insignificant but not these 2 months. I think I am rambling on and on in my own contemplative thoughts so I will go and do some more work.

Project Week ...

So I have had a couple of projects in the last week.

First, was "project", a young kitten. So the story is that a few students found a very young kitten when walking to the rugby field, they decided to bring it back to the residence. The kitten, known as "project", was harboured in a suitcase. But the main problem was that the kitten had an eye infection. I seemed to have the most experience so became residence vet. Over the couple of days I was around there was a big improvement in the kittens condition but then I had to leave for project week. I came back to find out that whilst I was away that the kitten escaped from the suitcase and is found by the house mum who throws it out. So hopefully someone else has found "project" and is taking care of him.

Me and "Project"

Project



And the second project was a project week in Srebrenica. On Monday Detmer, Becky, Samia and Me, as well as our supervisor Laila set off for Srebrenica. After 9 hours on a bus we reached the town. It was not what we expected at all! We spent the day relaxing and eating and seeing a little bit of down town. Our hosts were some lovely old ladies who spoke no English so communication was ... interesting but we learnt some more words! Super, dobro, da da da, ne ne ne, chai, hvala, molim were particularly useful!We spent Tuesday we met a youth worker and then we spoke to a teacher of a university faculty. It was amazing to see the views of people today about something that happened only 15 years ago!

The next day we went to the memorial centre. It was shocking, truly horrible. You could see rows and rows of names on a marble wall that went on and on. There were rows and rows of white pillars marking graves of those found. Our guide had lost his twin brother and father, it made everything so personal. He told us his story and the general story of the war. We saw a photo gallery and visited the Dutch base. Inside the armament factory was 2 black boxes. One contained personal items and stories of victims and the other a documentary. It was difficult to watch with dry eyes!! The rest of the day we remained catatonic! It was too hard to just continue with a normal day.

On Thursday we went to the municipality and spoke to the head of education. After speaking to several authorities we noticed a trend developing, the government needs to change! We then had a 10 hour bus trip back to Mostar today!

Even though some parts of the trip was hard but it was truly important to make us realise a lot about some things in this country and about the events at Srebrenica! But we also had a lot of fun and we got a lot closer as friends! It was a great, beneficial and worth while project!


The Graves

Making the Most of it ...

A piece of advice I was given before I came here was to embrace the opportunity and make every second count. I really think I am trying to achieve this.

This week has been pretty hectic. I have had school during the week apart from Friday when I went on a physics field trip to a power plant on the Neretva. Then I helped out with the Flea Market which was raising money for the refugee camp. Congratulations go to all involved as we raised a nice sum of money for the camp.

Saturday I visited the refugee camp for the first time. I was preparing myself for the worst, I expected to be treated with coldness and to face destroyed people. I am so glad I was wrong! The people were welcoming and kind, they are so resilient. Their homes were run down and all of the facilities were poor. To begin with there weren't many people around and as a non-native speaker I was going to work mainly with the kids as there isn't so much of a language barrier. Me and Maja found to young girls, they were very shy. After a long time we managed to get them to draw and play, a truly amazing feeling. As time wore on more people arrived and the camp seemed to come to life. I ended up juggling for a little crowd, playing football and being chased around by kids with water balloons. It was very fun but so tiring! Time flew by and it was time to return to Mostar. The kids are waiting for our return... with more water bombs so I'm told!

Then on Sunday I went on a hike, the first of the year. It was a very tiring climb but well worth it. It took us 4 hours to reach our final viewing point. It was breathtaking, truly breathtaking! We spent a while at the top before descending the mountain. We sang silly songs, pretended to be Indians charging down the mountain and decided to see how many UWCers you can fit in a tree. It was an awesome day that left us all very tired but very happy.

Survivors ...

How many UWCers in one tree?? 13 and counting ...

View ... WOW

At the Top :)

Water Bomb!!

Attack!

The Camp

One Month On ...

I have been in Mostar a month, where did the time go? It feels like just yesterday I was walking to Llanishen High School with old friends, but now I'm walking to Mostar Gymnasium with new friends. Every night I said good night to my mum or dad, now I say good night to my room mates. In some strange way, I think I'm growing up.

School is hard, I'm getting used to the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the work load. School doesn't seem to end it just merges with my day, the only difference being if I have a teacher or not. Sleep is something everyone needs more of but won't give up anything to get it. The decision between school work, socialising and sleep isn't a hard one.

This week has been a pretty regular one. I had a really nice lazy weekend! Just relaxing with friends and watching films. There have been several monsoons so instantly feel like I'm back in Wales! Then on Sunday we played an epic game of rugby! Due to all the rain and lack of drainage the pitch was a swimming pool, I'm sure you can guess the rest. Crazy teenagers + Rugby + Muddy Field = A LOT OF FUN!!!
Although after 3 washes my top has still not regained it's original colour!!

Mud...


Mud


and More Mud!


One minute you can see the mountains...


The next thing there gone!!

Adventures, Experiences and Organisation

This week has been another busy week! On Sunday I went rafting! It was amazing. A small group of us travelled for about 2 hours to a small little village where we were greeted by the organiser who told us stories about his village and the history of the river. We got on the boats in the afternoon. We spent around 3 hours in the boats, travelling down the beautiful river through gorges and mountains. The weather added to the experience, there was a storm. Crashes of thunder and flashes of lighting were surrounding us. We were so wet! Most of the journey was quite calm apart from races with the other boats. But we did have some "adrenaline spots" where we travelled down rapids which were awesome and so much fun! When we had got back, got dry and warm we had a very tasty feast laid out by the family who had organised the trip. A very good day, a lot of fun and full of adventure.

Another event of the week was Plan Blind! Organised by Dani and Hillary we had a blind awareness day. Some of us tried to be blind for the day, for lunch or just for a few hours. What a challenge!!! It is so strange not being able to see and you really have to rely and trust a lot of people. It's a difficult thing to do and I have a much greater admiration for anyone suffering with a visual impairment! A really good experience and has given me a slightly better understanding of what some people have every day!

I have also been trying to organise project week. Project week is a compulsory part of UWC, students have to initiate a project that has a beneficial outcome. A small group of us want to go a small island off the coast of Croatia to volunteer in an ecology centre. It works to protect the endangered Eurasian Griffin and working to educate others. We will also be helping local inhabitants of the island and helping to maintain a clean environment. The only problem is we need to find some sponsors! We really need some money to make this project happen or we will have to do something less meaningful. So if you know anyone or can help yourself please contact me (jessica.chapman@uwcim.net)

Bajram Break

This week we had a long weekend for Bajram break. So it was time to explore the Balkans. I went to Split and Dubrovnik on the Dalmatian coast in Croatia. We caught a night bus on Wednesday arriving early morning on Thursday in Split. A short walk took us into the centre of the old town. It is a very beautiful city filled with many alleys. It is a labyrinth of streets so we often got lost. the architecture of a lot of buildings there is gorgeous. We explored the town and sat by the sea. Breath taking! We then hiked up a "mountain" which had so many stairs! From the top we could see the entire city. We headed down to the beach and swam in the cool water. I have never seen water so clean or been in water more inviting. We found a hostel to stay for the night and after a shower we went to see a bit of the night life. We didn't stay long but the atmosphere on the promenade was relaxing and intriguing. The next day after another walk around the old town we caught a bus to Dubrovnik. The bus station in Dubrovnik is quit a long walk from the station so we had a nice walk through the residential part of Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik has a lot of stairs! I never want to see a stair case again. But we managed to find our way to the old town. It was very busy. We explored the area and it is just as beautiful as Split. Sitting by the harbour was so relaxing. We then went on a hunt for a hostel which was difficult as most places were full but in the end we found somewhere. Another shower and we went out to see the night life in Dubrovnik. It was very quiet and really aimed at tourists so we quickly decided to get a good nights sleep. The following day we went to the beach. Wow. The water was so blue and clean. It was really beautiful and relaxing. Then we made the long walk back to the bus station where we bumped into some of our co-years. After a long bus ride we arrived back in Mostar. In conclusion a very good trip!

Split Coast

Dubrovnik Outside Old Town

Split Bell Tower

Just a few stairs that have to be conquered!

So Lessons Begin ...

Well this has been my first week of lessons. It is defiantly different from schools back in Britain. In German class the teacher only speaks in German and English classes are very different. I am enjoying my subjects at the moment and lessons are starting to get into swing properly now. I was also surprised by the need for a laptop in the school. Lots of text books are digital and homework and updates are sent by email.

I have also visited the old Bank this week. It's the ruin of a pretty substantial bank. It has the most powerful and overwhelming atmosphere inside it. In Mostar there are ruins on every street and bullet holes in most walls but the old Bank is different. I see it every day from school but only now have been inside. All that's left is the concrete structure. Glass and paper documents litter the floor, the remnants of cubicles stand weakly. You can go all the way to the top and stand on the roof, which gives the best view of Mostar and simply beautiful.

Another event of the week was the Gender Confusion Party where guys wear dresses and make-up and girls wear baggy pants and fake moustaches. It really was a lot of fun and we have proved to the locals that we are mad. But it was a really good laugh and everyone had a a good time.

On Sunday there was the first rugby match of the year. Musala against Susac. It was a great game with lots of people taking part and getting very enthusiastic. There was even an "ambulance" (a bike with a guy shouting neenorneenor) for those that got injured. Musala won in the end :D A few of went to the river afterwards to cool off in the cold waters.

An interesting and diverse week yet again :)

Rugby


The River


Gender Confusion

Induction

So I've spent a week in Mostar!! And so far I love it. It's a really amazing place and the people here are really great. Here is a quick summary of the first week -

Day 1
Woke up very early, then straight of to Gatwick. Checking in went fine except my hand luggage was to big, but it all got sorted. We touched down in Dubrovnik where we were met by Damir (a local second year). We picked up Claudia (a spanish co-year) and drove to Mostar. Dubrovnik is really stunning. We got to Mostar and were taking to our residences to settle in and unpack.

Day 2
We headed to the school and had a quick tour.Then we explored the to Abrasevik (a community centre) for the welcoming ceremony. A big thank you to the second years for what was an impression performance! Afterwards we went to sit under Old Bridge.

Day 3
Another early morning and a maths test. We also went on a tour of hotspots in Mostar, this took us to the Cave, which is a bar in a cave right by the river! Afterwards we went to the swimming pool! A lot of fun and so nice to get in the cool water. In the evening we went to Abrasevik for a party. Everyone was singing and dancing. The Brits sang Valerie!!

Day 4
things begin to get more serious as we have talks about the Code of Conduct. We then head to Old Man's (a cafe) for a barbecue. We also went to the river for a swim. Really nice jumping in to the cool water. We all swam across the river which was difficult because of the strong current but we made it! In the evening a few of us went to sit under Old Bridge before meeting people at Coco Loco.

Day 5
Another serious morning about subject choices. I have decided to take English A1 (mother tongue), Chemistry, Physics at Higher Level (HL) and Maths, German B (second language), History at Standard Level (SL). We all went to Susac in the afternoon for the "Youth Olympics", where we played a few games. After a bit of football we went back to Musala and I spent the night in the music room.

Day 6
Another morning spent in school as we had talks about CAS. Luckily we have a few days to make our decision as so many of them look appealing!! I had a lazy day and relaxed. In the evening there was a storm which was a welcome change.

Day 7
Today was the first assembly, and it was pretty dull. Then we had our tutor group meetings followed by a coach trip to Kravice. Kravice is a beautiful place, and we swam climbed and messed about in the water. It was really lovely. We headed home in the evening and spent the night relaxing as lessons start tomorrow.

So that was the first week! And really the only bad thing is the heat!! It is way to hot for Welsh skin. I'm getting more used to it but it is still too hot!

here are a few photos from the first week -

The Gymnasium

Room 5 - My Corner

The Goal