Passports, Packing and Paperwork

Since being accepted, there seems to be a never-ending list of things to do. To begin with there is a vast amount of paper work needed for going to school abroad. Parental consent forms need to be completed in two languages, forms need to be stamped by a public notary and to top it all off an Apostille stamp is required. Then you have to prove that your not a criminal! As well as several medical checks. You get stabbed with needles endlessly and both arms are subject to this torture not just one poor victim. You have to be weighed, measured, prodded, poked and generally pulled about to ensure you are healthy. It's surprising how much monetary value is given to these pieces of paper! Also needing to be done is the setting up of a bank account, or two in my case. Another pile of forms needs to be filled out.

It doesn't finish there. Of course there's the planning of transport to get there. Plane tickets need to be bought, but worried parents don't want you travelling alone so you have to coordinate with your co-years. Even that's not simple as your co-year may live on the other side of Britain or there may be no direct flights. You also have to get to the airport and know what your doing once you land. In short it is a difficult, expensive and complicated process!! Thankfully, that's all over with...for now!

Now I face the challenge of packing. Trying to fit everything you want to take into a suitcase is impossible!! You force items into every gap and sit on top but still it does not fit. I seem to be taking only a fraction of what I need. However the opinion of what I need is very different in my mother's eyes. Unfortunately, she will probably win this battle as I am not even close to getting everything in! It doesn't help that Bosnia has very diverse seasons. Hot summers and cold winters result in nightmare packing. And you can't just have a suitcase full of clothes! You need toiletries and stationary. Packing truly takes determination!

Another completed mission of the week was having an article on me in the South Wales Echo. (http://www.walesonline.co.uk/cardiffonline/cardiff-news/2010/07/29/jessica-aims-to-be-first-welsh-girl-at-college-91466-26952505/) I approached Media Wales as I hoped getting some publicity would help me to raise funds. It was easier than expected, providing you a nag a little. Firstly, I sent Media Wales an email outlining my story. I then received a phone call. I had a quick over the phone interview and then the next day a photographer came to take a picture. It was very bizarre. Posing for a picture amongst the flowers in Roath Park. Then the next day I appeared in the paper. Hopefully someone will see it and offer some help.

Orientation

I'm back from Orientation. An overnight stay at Atlantic College (AC) with all the other first years (all the other students going this year to UWC) , some second years (the students that have been for a year) and the facilitators (alumni ready to provide advice and organise the event) . It gave us the chance to ask questions and get to know each other. As well as giving the parents a chance to talk and meet each other.

We got there Saturday morning, parents and kids split to greet those known and unknown. Then we were taken off to dump our overnight bags in our dorms (I don't know what happened to the parents). Then after a bit of chatter we had some lunch. Not the best food but edible. After devouring our food we played a few, very fun, games. Ninja and Hwauh were particularly good.

We moved off to the hall to have a talk about the academic side of UWC and the International Baccalaureate (IB). The IB is an alternative to A levels. You take 6 subjects from different columns and also have to complete Theory of Knowledge (TOK is a philosophy class), Extended Essay (EE) and CAS (creation, action, service). You have to fulfil a certain number of hours of CAS to complete it, and take part in a range of activities.The service is particularly big in UWC and depends upon the college you attend. For example in AC you can work on the life boats.

Splitting into Overseas, AC and parent groups we talked about fears and expectations. The biggest fear for us, unsurprisingly, was missing people and losing contact with friends. For parents it was health care and the distance. Expectations were more diverse, some were excited at the prospect of meeting people, of making a difference, going to a new country and learning from such a unique position. Parents took to the more academic side of things by being excited at the advantages it provides for University. The second years were great at calming our nerves as they offered us advice from there own experience. Seeing how happy and enthusiastic made it all feel a lot more real and more enticing.

Following this was more chatter, more messing about and more advice. We headed down to try either archery or rock climbing/archery which was great fun. As the weather held up pretty nicely we had a BBQ, and yet again the food wasn't brilliant but everyone socialised. A nice lie down and a lot of laughing was also in store for us. More talking, and by now we were all very comfortable with each other so there was a lot of laughter and messing about. We headed down to the beach where we had a great bonfire. Marshmallows were toasted and some of second years played guitar as we all sang an danced. As the night drew on, we had to head up to our house called Gwynedd. More talking as well as table football and the construction of a fort. After figuring out what time it was on the backwards clock we had to head up to our rooms for a good sleep.

The next day we arose nice and early, and ate some more 'tasty' food. We had a talk on life at UWC and plenty of opportunities to ask questions. A few more talks and then it was lunch. We had to write letters to ourselves about what we wanted to get out of the experience. They were difficult to write and very cliché but it will be interesting to read them again when they get sent to us at the beginning of our second year. And before we knew it orientation was over. Everyone said goodbye and headed in their different directions home. Everyone having new contacts and friends. I got to meet my co-year, Megan. It was really great, resulting in many tired teenagers :)