The Psychology of Solitude

William Holt (USA, AC 09-11)

It seems to me that introversion at Atlantic College (and thus introverts as well) are criminally undervalued.  Now, I make no contention with socializing or with keeping active in the company of others; in fact, I believe that these are essential components to  personal health and happiness.  Emotional growth through such interaction is one of the most profound things that one can take away from these two years and I strongly feel that I have already benefitted.  But what must be dispelled is the misconception that introversion in this environment–and in any environment for that matter–is something to be rejected.  Western cultures constantly misjudge the merits of solitude; to set oneself apart from the collective is to be seen as socially inept, as someone whose personality is maladjusted and unhealthy. Introversion is instead something to foster, something to celebrate.  To know oneself is to gain the most vital knowledge one can have.

SATS: You fill in the acronym

Alexandra Sánchez (Bay Area, California, AC 08-10)

 

If “all that is gold does not glitter,” than SAT scores should not amount to the categorization of an individual. In fact, any United States student will tell you the countless times she or he may have heard the famous comfort: intelligence also rests outside standardized testing, some people are just good test-takers, not doing well on a standardized test does not imply any stupidity. But in the rat race, in the path well-travelled on to be accepted into a “good” (which may not even be suitable for an individual) school, all this may be left by the wayside and the mad credit card pumping for Barron’s, The Princeton Review, The Official College Guide, Fiske, etc. guides becomes a sore yet acceptable action in our society. My upbringing may tell otherwise to my current stance. I will explain some of it in terms of how many Exam Prep books I bought. But I understand that an SAT score should not become a matter of pride, of ego, nor will it hopefully be the only worthwhile accomplishment others or I do in our lives.

Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize “what the world seeks for”

Diana Huynh (Norway/Vietnam AC 09-11) 

The beginning of October brought the announcement of the annual Nobel Prizes, and among them – perhaps considered the most significant of all – the Peace Prize. The prize has been rewarded for over a hundred years to men and women for their efforts working for peace and justice.

Recollections of a Project in South America

Dylan Hitchcock- Lopez (USA, AC 08-10)

The first thing any Chilean will tell you upon arriving in their country is to watch out for Chileans. According to Chileans, Chileans are very dangerous. They will- they say -rob you blind and leave you to die in the gutter without a moments hesitation. Indeed, It might have even been as dangerous as they said, only every Chilean I met was so busy trying to look out for me that they hardly had time to do me bodily harm. The greatest heist I suffered in my entire five weeks in their fair country was the extra gringo surcharge of a hundred pesos (about ten pence) or so on the odd pack of roasted peanuts. I had never been warned so heftily about the dangers of a country, and yet I had never felt so safe in any metropolis as I did in the dirty, polluted streets and shantytowns of Santiago, swept along with the tide of its seven million inhabitants as I tried to do my little bit for humanity. How could I have anticipated how what paltry glimmers of idealism I may have dragged with me across the Atlantic paled in comparison with the veracity of that which they already possessed. Whatever I might have had to give the people of Chile when I stumbled onto their soil after 48 hours, three continents, and an ocean’s worth of travel, it was nothing next to what I took back with me on the return trip.

No “further dawdling” on US health care

William Holt (USA, AC 08-10)

 

Almost everyone is in agreement that something is ailing the American health care system, but no one seems quite sure what to do about it.  On one side of the debate, the left calls for the implementation of universal coverage styled after numerous examples in Europe.  Conversely, the right descries the public option as unfettered socialism (a screaming taboo for Americans) and insists that such a plan would infringe upon private insurers’ independence and thus upon the very nature of a free market economy.  Personally, I believe that the public option President Barack Obama has been espousing in town hall meetings across the country for the last few months is our only viable, sustainable solution.  Many of my compatriots would disagree.  The sound and fury that Mr. Obama has been met with have been edging toward anarchy–the reaction his policies have received has been, well, frightening.  Protesters have arrived at these meetings armed with shotguns, while congressman Joe Wilson ventured so far into insubordination as to denounce the President directly on the senate floor.  You would think, with all these accusations and mounting lawlessness, that we were living in the Wild West where problems would be solved by whomever shouted the loudest or carried the biggest gun. 

 

AC survey: ‘wide range of opinions’ on homosexuality

Platform 6 Activity (AC)

This year, as always, didn’t disappoint in giving a voice to a wide range of opinions about the issues Platform 6, the college gay-straight alliance, discusses on a regular basis. Unique to this year was that the staff were also invited to participate. A total of 104 people responded to the survey.

36% of people who replied considered themselves religious, and 52% identified themselves as nonreligious. The remaining 12% labeled themselves as “other”. Before coming to Atlantic College, 28% had never met a homosexual male, and 61% had never med a bisexual male. 50% of the respondents had never met a homosexual female, and 41% had never met a bisexual female. A full 81% had never met a transgendered person.

AC environmental focus week: “Climate change is not an essay you can delay”

Assi Askala (Finland, AC 09-11)

 

As all the UWCs are full of active and globally concerned young people, so is Atlantic College. Due to that, we have large number activities, and every single week we have a focus on one theme. We all know that climate change is a crucial issue, so it is not a wonder that the environmental focus week was a big event. The whole week was full of various activities connected to the environment. There was bike-fixing, a capture-the-flag game, tours around campus, a dark hour with all lights out, a pumpkin competition and movies shown every day. We had experienced speakers and climate activists from all over the UK giving presentations. The aim of the week was to give students a possibility to get to know more about different prospects of climate change and to make them more familiar with are surroundings and sustainable living at AC.

 

“Make the country safe – Kick the black sheep out”

Carolin Steindel (Switzerland, AC 08-10)

 

 

Switzerland- a country known for its banks, mountains and chocolate. It is considered a peaceful place, hardly ever mentioned in the news and politically absolutely uninteresting. It is considered the “country of neutrality “, always managing to keep out of every conflict or scandal – apparently.

But Switzerland has always been good at keeping secrets. It is hardly known, that Switzerland collaborated with the Nazis during the 2^nd world war, profiting of the Jewish workforces from the concentration camps. It is also not widely known, that Switzerland might have one of the strongest right wing parties in central Europe.

Its name is SVP Schweizerische Volkspartei, Swiss party for the people, does not sound as shocking as it should. According to Wikipedia it is a “populist, national conservative  political party in Switzerland”. Surely true. Conservative in the way as that they pledge to abolish the freedom of religion. National in the way that they fight the Anti-racism law, demanding the right of racist comments.  And popular- well the SVP holds 23% [1]of the popular vote. Strangely enough, officially of the 7. Mio people living in Switzerland, 2000 are considered conspicuous  in terms of right wing politics, less than  0.03.% but 23% vote for a right wing party. Why most participants of a party claiming that Switzerland should be kept “pure”, are not considered right wing? – Good question.  

Ramadan, The month of Fasting

Zainab Syed (Pakistan, AC 08-10)

“O you who believe! the fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al Mutaaqun (the pious). (Fasting) for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days. And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g., an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a Miskin (poor person) (for every day). But whoever does good of his own accord, it is better for him. And that you fast is better for you if you only know. The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong) So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first of) the month (of Ramadan, i.e., is present at his home), he must fast that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number (of days which one did not fast must be made up) from other days.” (2:183-185)

The Muslims conform to the lunar calendar for their religious festivities. Ramadan is the 9^th month on the lunar calendar. It is this month the Quran (the word of Allah) was revealed through the angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The prophet, born in Mecca, Arabia was 40 years old when the first revelation came to him. He was known widely among his people as Al Amin( trustworthy) and Al Sadiq( truthful). Perturbed by the immorality, injustice and degenerate practices of his time, he would often retreat to the cave of Hira, meditating and reflecting. It was on one such night in the month of Ramdan which was revered even then that the holy angel Gabriel came to him. Muhammad (p.h.u.b) was frightened by the unexpected sight of the angel who urged him to recite the first letter of Quran, ‘Read’! In the Name of the Lord Who Has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, Who has taught by the pen. He has taught man that which he knew not.’ (Surah Al-Alaq)

“No room in this melting-pot of culture to be overly-sensitive”

Wonga Andrew Ndopu (South Africa, AC 09-11)

For those who live under rocks and might have missed developments in pop culture in recent history, Mariah Carey has become the artist with the most number-one singles ever after releasing her eighteenth chart-topper, Touch My Body, last year. Divulging this trivia has less to do with the success of the over-achiever-diva and more to do with the theme of the song title which ostensibly explores the expression of love and affection in a physical form.

The Change I Would Like To See In My Country

Hannah Friedland (USA, AC 09-11)

 

I want to see my country throw off the shackles of relatively recent precedents, such as a century of staunch interventionism after an equally extreme century of isolationism, and act not upon the confines of antiquated doctrine but what is right for the people of our country and the world. I want my country to stop its attempt to remake the world in its own image, an image that is still evolving, and remember that lasting political change must come from the people, a truth my country’s founding can attest to. I want my country to challenge its definition of patriotism and learn to redefine its identity in an age when new countries are taking the mantle of superpower. I want my country to see the possible pluralism of being a citizen of America, of the world, of a religion, of a race, of a history other than its own. I want my country to care for its land, to treat it as a national treasure like any other and not as a divine right. I want my country to stop focusing on the differences of parties and remember the uniting miracle that both sides believe in the constitution, a stronger tie than varying interpretations. I want my country to marvel at maps. I want my country to remember that we were once all immigrants.

Ted Kennedy “last politician with truly firm convictions”

William Holt (USA, AC 09-11)

 

To the believers, he was the liberal lion of the American senate; to his detractors, a bawdy caricature of the left wing. After dismissing these partisan divisions for simply what they are, petty divisions, one can’t deny the presence, the sheer command over politics in the United States, of Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

 

On May 17, 2008 Kennedy suffered two consecutive seizures at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.  He was air-lifted to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.  There, the diagnosis turned grave.  Teddy, the last of the Brothers Kennedy, the last standing patriarch of America’s Camelot, was dying of a brain tumor.  The best doctors in the country, in Boston and at Duke, projected him to last only another year.

“China has every reason to be optimistic”

Floria Hau (Hong Kong, AC 08-10)

I still remember the time when the US complained about the Chinese government for keeping the Chinese currency (yuan) artificially weak, to give its exporters an unfair trade advantage, when China had already allowed the yuan to strengthen by about 20% against the dollar since loosening its fixed exchange rate system in 2005.

Ironically, now it seems that China is the country most likely to lead the world out of this global economic recession. There is much faith in China’s growing recovery. In the first half of this year, China enjoyed a relatively high growth rate of 7.1%. The Asian Development Bank recently forecasted that China’s economy would grow by up to 9% in the coming year. Such optimism is not without reason, as the Chinese government had made some very wise moves both prior to and after the financial crisis.

“No concept of past, present or future”

Beth Green (UK, AC 08-10)

As I sit here trying to write my UCAS personal statement, I am finding it hard to explain why I want to study the course. It is horrible to think that in just a few months time someone will be reading these words and judging whether or not I deserve to go to university. I want to study Linguistics, and to be honest I’m not so sure why. I love words, but that doesn’t sound very convincing on a personal statement, does it? I love how in Khmer there is no concept of past, present or future tense, how ‘ph’, ‘gh’ and ‘f’ can sound the same, how in Turkish a pause or hesitation such as ‘umm..’ might cause serious offence, and how a poem could mean a thousand different things depending on who interprets it. How do you put that into 4,000 characters without sounding a bit dramatic?

Six Days before going to RNC: Excitement and Fears

Angelika Benz (Germany, RCN  09-11)

 

My name is Angelika and I’m attending Red Cross Nordic United World College from this summer on. The opportunity to get in touch with various different cultures, people from everywhere is a great chance and I’m glad I can take it.  Since it’s only six days to go until my big move I’m getting exited about what is going to be different from my ordinary life in a German city.

Prisoners of State: Would what worked for the U.S. in Pyongyang work in Beijing?

 

Jennifer Leong (Hong Kong, AC 06-08)

 

“Is it naïve to talk to despots like Kim Jong Il, or is it worse to ignore them?”[1]

 

This is a question asked by many across the world following the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling, two American journalists sentenced to hard labor in North Korea for entering the country illegally. Judging by this incident alone, the answer is clear: dialogue (or at least mutual acknowledgement) beats isolation. The journalists’ release was secured on August 4^th after the surprise visit of former US President Bill Clinton to the North Korean capital, meeting with Kim Jong Il and occasioning official portraits of the two leaders sitting side by side, thus giving Kim the international press attention and acknowledgement that he so craved. Some condemned the visit as humouring the tyrant and abandoning principles, but should we be more worried if Kim one day didn’t want to talk to America? Should we be glad that the Western world still yields some influence on North Korea? And here’s the surprise: isolating despots, like ignoring terrorists, does not make them go away. Sometimes, it doesn’t even weaken them one bit. If diplomacy is all about getting what one wants, then Clinton surely had achieved his objective to free the two journalists by talking with Kim. It can hardly be argued that just because her former President was seen sitting side by side Kim, America is endorsing Pyongyang’s acts and policies in any way.

To a time, engraved in memory.

Zainab Syed, Pakistan (AC 08-10)

To say that this place doesn’t change you, that the friends you make weather over time, that this isn’t one of the best times of your lives, to say any of that, would be so far from this reality that is ours.

Twenty, Thirty and even Forty years later, older and maybe even wiser people walked through that main gate, once again. And as I sat at the registration desk, they transformed before me into those seventeen and eighteen year olds that didn’t realise what an impact this place would have on them. Decades later, they were returning through those very gates they left to come back to a place that still pulled them in. And though the first set of greetings were restrained, one realised that this castle and its people are bound by a special bond that time does not weaken.

On education and intercultural understanding

By Ken Corn (teacher, United States, AC) and Lodewijk van Oord (teacher, Netherlands, AC)

 

Introduction

Amidst the burgeoning literature on the role of culture in human affairs, it is possible to identify a dominant perspective which appears to accept the inevitability of cultural difference in the realm of human thought and behaviour. Within this view, cultural heritage plays such a decisive role in our thought and action that it determines the boundaries of the imaginable. In organisational and educational studies, this approach is often associated with the popular work of Geert Hofstede, whose multi-dimensional model has been used extensively as a framework for cultural case studies.

 

Within this mapping of culture, ‘intercultural understanding’ facilitates the bridging of the gaps between relatively isolated cultural islands. Fostering such intercultural understanding has often been adopted, in itself, as a noble and worthwhile goal of international education. The Fourth Biennial Alliance for International Education conference held in Istanbul, Turkey in October 2008, for instance, took as its theme, International Education: A Bridge to Intercultural Understanding. The building of bridges is a pleasant and convenient metaphor in education; a vivid image of what genuine intercultural understanding might be able to do. It is a metaphor that is hard to disagree with, and even harder to refute, yet this image can be constricting by its necessarily binary nature.

 

In this short paper we argue that this dominant perspective towards ‘culture’ is too limited to be effectively utilised by educators with an overtly internationalist agenda. We hope to untie culture from its essentialist and stereotypical shackles, and move towards a more profound understanding of how to approach human difference. As we will argue, helping students to discover their multiple group allegiances and how pluralistic and permeable identities can be, will prove a more fertile breeding ground for genuine human understanding, as opposed to a deterministic focus on reductive impositions of ‘culture’.

‘Hasta la victoria siempre!’ – impressions of Cuba

Hannah Smithies (UK, AC 08-10)

Cuba is at an interesting stage of its history. With Obama’s election coinciding with Castro’s decline, there is potential for great change on this controversial island. Although officially Fidel Castro is still in power, he hasn’t been seen in public for some time and as one woman we met said, “He’s gone already.” Fidel’s younger brother, Raul Castro seems to have taken over position of leading figure.

Bermuda – a small island is celebrating 400 years

Thilo Roth (Germany/Bermuda, AC 08-10)

 

The Tall Ships left Europe taking course in direction of the new world, full of ambition and hope for good winds to fill the sails. This was in May 2009 but could as well have been centuries before. The only difference from the old days, the new world has been discovered and the crew is planing to make a stop on a small rock in the middle of the Atlantic.

 

A rock which was discovered in a stormy night around 1503 when Juan de Bermudez first set foot on the shores of an unknown and unpopulated island. He did not stay for long on the islands he called the Isle of Devils, which later got known as Bermuda one of the richest, most beautiful and most important offshore islands in the world.