The first years all arrived safely and were welcomed warmly, and it's hard to think of this place as UWCCR without them! They're so adventurous and seem to radiate energy, which is exactly what we need as stressed second years!
Trimester four is over- the most important trimester for those applying to study in the U.S or Canada (like me.) It has been an exhausting term, full of surprises on the way. Nonetheless, I managed to trudge through it, with only the thought of what exciting adventures were to come ahead once work levels subsided.
I will fill you in on what's happened so far this year..
Roblealto
Each year, all of the students and many of the staff attend camp 'Roblealto'. It gives us time off campus to reflect on our decisions so far, and to create a bond with those around us. The camp is located high up in the mountains, and so it's very cloudy and gets rather cold during the nights!
I must admit, it's one of my favourite times of the year, because it gives me a chance to get down in the dirt (quite literally) and have fun.
The camp only lasts for two days, but we make the most out of it! Each day is jammed full with fun activities, as seen in the pictures below!
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| Generations 15'-16' |
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| Big Fat Pony! |
Costa Rica's Independence Day:
Shortly after we arrived back on campus, after an exhausting but fantastic time, UWC Costa Rica lead Costa Rica's independence parade around Santa Ana- the town where the school's situated.
It was such a beautiful day full of cultural sharing, as the students paraded the streets holding their flags high, whilst wearing their national costumes with pride!
It's a little unfortunate that my Welsh national costume is made of wool, and so it was rather challenging to walk under the blazing 30+ degree sun, while essentially wearing a sheep!!
Here are a few pictures of the day!
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| Europe! (and Sudan haha) |
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| My Buddy Diego (Mexico) |
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| My roomates! Yifei (China) and Mona (Norway) |
Here are the times that weren't listed on the school's calendar, but nonetheless were important to me:
On this day, we celebrated Diwali with our friend Amiya from India! It was such an important day for her, as it is considered the biggest and most important holiday of the year in India, which signifies the victory of light of darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and victory over despair.
It was really interesting to hear about this wonderful holiday, along with its traditions!
Each year at UWCCR, an event called 'Blind Date' is held. This entails a second year to go on a 'date' with a randomly selected first year, in order to get to know someone you haven't talked to yet. This was a fantastic incentive, as the night proved successful, with many students walking away with smiles on their faces after making a new friend.
The way that this worked, was that second years were given a first year each by drawing from a hat, and the second year had to keep it secret. The second year would then send the first year an invitation to go, with a dress code and a place and time to meet. In my case, our dress code was 'masked ball attire'. My blind date was Cruz from Guatemala and the U.S. We had a fantastic night full of great conversations and great food. I hope that there will be another event like this sometime again this year.
Welshies
It's so nice to have someone from the same country as me here. It's crazy how well we get along! The best part is the fact that we can speak Welsh to one another, which is a great comfort considering we're both so far away from home.
Whenever I speak to Morwenna, I feel that I'm in Wales again! She reminds me of me in my first year a lot, and everybody says so too!
Here's a picture of us below!
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| My Welsh First Year, Morwenna! |
Service Day
Tomorrow, on Thursday the 13th of November, I will be volunteering in Poas national park alongside 20 other students. Our aim is to maintain the paths and rid the area of rubbish, so that the area remains completely natural, causing no disturbance to the biodiversity living in the area. I am looking forward to doing this, as I will be able to see Poas volcano once more!
It truly is a wonderful place, and I hope to gain a lot from the experience tomorrow!
Coming Soon..
The students have a break coming up soon, and so many of us are heading to the southern, Caribbean side of Costa Rica, to a place called Puerto Viejo. I have been there once before, on a short trip at the end of last year with my friends, but did not get to explore all of the white-sanded beaches.
This time, I hope to snorkel, and see more of the biodiversity that Costa Rica has to offer!
Hasta luego!
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Keep Reading!
Dilly Hoyt
