Damini: A story that was destined to move an entire nation

Arjun Raina (UWCAC '11-'13)(India)

On 16^th December 2012, a medical science student pursuing physiotherapy in New Delhi, India was barbarically raped and beaten up by 6 young men in a public bus – An unfortunate incident that stirred the entire nation, alongside alarming the rest of the world. Nine days before Christmas, this female became a victim of what was one of the most brutal rape cases ever witnessed by a country where rapes are more pervasive than air – Also a country that, on better days, claims to worship women. “Damini”, as media decided to name this girl, was soon going to get married to her friend who was also travelling with her that night and was beaten by those six men after which Damini was raped.

Winter Journal of Yokoyama 2013

Erica Yokoyama (UWC AC ’11-13′)

2013 winter break; following the last winter break in Netherland, Italy and Turkey, I enjoyed one-month travel to Belgium, Norway, and Macedonia, visiting my friends. Here, welcome to my travel journals.

The jade seal of a Chinese emperor

Ruyi Shen (UWC AC’11-’13)

Victor Hugo wrote a letter to a lieutenant named Bartlette, condemning the invasion of China in 1860: “…one brigand named France and the other named Great Britain…Against both I protest…” He also suggested: “France…quite naively … thinks herself the rightful owner of the property…I can only hope that…France…will cleanse herself of the crime by returning to China all the spoils taken from the Winter Palace. ” All these can be related to a recent auction of a Chinese seal.

Arab Unity – still relevant?

Emily Cunniffe (UWC-AC ’11-’13)

Arab nationalism, an ideology born in the 19^th century among Arab intellectuals, aims for the creation of an Arab national identity. Today, the Arab League can be seen as a result of such nationalism. The Arab Spring launched a new phase of Arab unity and also discord; the domino effect which was witnessed throughout the Middle East shows a common discontent among the Arab peoples. In today’s political climate, is Arab unity, such as that intended by the Arab League, as relevant?

Cricket this Christmas

Tariq Abid (UWC-AC ’11-’13)

There are few international sporting events that create as much hype as that created by Pakistan versus India cricket matches. Well, at least for the almost billion people living in the subcontinent.
Starting from Christmas this year, the national rivalry shall materialize in the form of 20-over and 50-over matches (cricketing jargon) played in India. The significance to this is not just the thrilling sports that this event promises, but also its political significance.

The famous UWC experience

Itamar Carrillo, UWCSEA (Mexico, ’13)

“I came here to enjoy the UWC experience” I remember that those were my first few words when I arrived to UWCSEA. At that time I did not realize how much those words truly meant.  Now, after 1 year of living in Singapore, I am going to try to ‘evaluate’ what I have learnt.

The “UWC experience” is a phrase that is often repeated among UWCers and often generates discussions and conversations about the significance of the time spent throughout this experience. We have 12 United World Colleges on the face of this planet and as an individual undergoing this ‘UWC Experience’ I can say that it will be hard to find anything as great as that. They are not just another international schools.  They are not just part of the Round Square Movement (even though the Round Square Organization was founded by Kurt Hahn as well). They are not just other school that offer the IB program … so what are they exactly?

What makes these colleges special? Does UWC actually have an impact on you? More specifically: What is the UWC experience?

Lets compare it to love. It is something abstract that people talk about. Nobody can see but everyone thinks that they know what love is. No one knows how the UWC experience should be; there is no  “10 things to do in UWC” list, no guidelines or mark schemes to follow. Hearts from different backgrounds represent ideas, traditions, and ways to face problems. They all meet in this utopic place to share their stories at UWC. Although we do not choose our classmates, or teachers and the people that we live with; they are strangers in the beginning, and end up as part of our lives. This makes the years at UWC the great experience it is.

UWC is for example, going to geography class, where there is at least one person per continent, and where one discusses the sustainability of the cities, from different points of view. The amazing thing about UWC is that it is not necessary to attend a lesson in order to learn; little talks at lunchtime, during activities, during the rehearsal for a dance, these are just some simple examples. 
For some of us it is a great opportunity to become aware about global issues; for example to know what is happening in the country where your roommate comes from; to be critical in terms of global concerns through the simple bonds that UWC is able to make. Indeed UWC is the place where great friends are made, and where there are endless chances to broaden your horizons.

UWC could be different for each one of us: “It is a life changing experience”, “My time here has been the best of my life”, “I have been studying in UWC for 5 years. I’ve been here since middle school”, “UWC changed my perception of life”, ”UWC keeps me apart from my family”, “UWC is asking me to commit and I just want to study for my SAT’s”. There are many more examples that can be given to represent how UWC could different for everyone.

The UWC experience is the result of our work. We choose how to manage our relations with the annoying classmate or how to deal with the adversities of your college (whatever they are). We adopt how to appreciate our colleges; for example the sunset in Costa Rica, the castle behind the mist in the Atlantic, the bicycles lined up in Maastricht, the contact with the nature in New Mexico, the aurora borealis in Norway, the sustainable campus in Singapore, the amazing view in Li Po Chun, the tree house in Mahindra… and so much more.

Every single college is unique their needs and their facilities are different; hence the UWC movement becomes extremely diverse. Students and staff should reflect and appreciate the great opportunities that are given; but do not conform! I agree (until certain extent) that we should commit to the movement as a whole, stick to the values and forge the UWC experience.

Instead of asking: What experience is UWC giving me? I suppose we should ask: What am I doing to make UWC a worthwhile experience?

-United Words Team-

Student Perspective American Election 2013

Lukas Hager (USA) (UWC-AC ’11-’13)

2008 was a simpler time.

On the first Tuesday in November four years ago, I stayed up late to watch the Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, get elected. As a liberal from a very liberal family, the future seemed incredibly bright with the young, energetic senator from Illinois promising change and a new direction for a country that had been a source of embarrassment me for eight years under George Bush now in office. To boot, Obama had an unprecedented democratic majority in Congress, thus ostensibly making it easier for him to pass new laws. As a 13 year old, I envisioned a huge upswing for America in all respects. I bought into his message of hope, like many of my peers.

Four years later, I found myself sitting in the library watching coverage of President Obama’s race against Mitt Romney at three in the morning. The last four years hadn’t turned out exactly the way I’d expected them to. While managing to pass a monumental healthcare bill, Obama’s perhaps naïve insistence on bipartisan cooperation resulted in much less progress than many anticipated at the beginning of his term. I sat in that library, still an Obama supporter, but much less hopeful than I had previously been.

“I am in pain…”

Jason Georgiadis (Greece) (UWC-AC ’12-’14)

A lot of people today speak of Greece and the on-going crisis. Even those who admire Greece’s contribution to Europe’s history in terms of political institutions, philosophy, theatre, poetry, sciences and mathematics think today that Greece has become the black sheep or one of the P.I.G.S.* (a term that insults the one who says it rather than the one who is targeted). A while ago it has become obvious that the whole Europe is in crisis. Countries like France and Italy are already in the middle of deep crisis.

Protests and Disturbance in the South African mining industry

Karabo Mokgatle (South Africa)(UWCAC ’11-’13)

On the 10 August 2012, miners under the employment of Lonmin plc, most prominently those at Marikana mine just outside of Rustenberg, South Africa began demands for a salary increase to 12 500 ZAR per month. This would triple their earnings from approximately 308 GBP to 924 GBP. The Demands quickly took the form of a strike and signs of underlying tension between the trade unions involved began to form. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has historically been the most influential and prominent advocate for the rights of miners at this specific mine but has recently lost its organizational rights due to a heavy drop in membership (66% to 49%) and the growth of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU). NUM has been accused of ‘being too close to management’ and the their close partnership with the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), has until now been an advantage; however, the recent loss of faith in the party has further damaged the NUM’s standing among those it seeks to represent and opened the door to the tensions that have resulted in the deaths of 36 mine workers, two police officers, four unidentified persons and the injury of 78 more.

Two UWC Campuses in the same city: UWCSEA

 Celine Rendboe (Denmark, UWCSEA 2013), David Widder (United States, UWCSEA 2013), Rachel Tan Wei Fen (Singapore, UWCSEA 2013), Itamar Carrillo (Mexico, UWCSEA).

Staying true to UWC values while being one of the biggest internationals schools in the world is not easy. With over 5000 students, our numbers eclipse those of other UWCs around the world. But we are different in more ways than one: we are the only UWC to be split over two campii, the old Dover Campus, and the shiny new East Campus. This was not always the case, as the East Campus only opened its doors in 2010. This attribute has added an interesting dynamic to life at UWCSEA, as well as raising some intriguing questions. Will we participate in UN night together? Will we be competitors in local sporting leagues? This question of competition was the subject of a recent UWCSEA Dover production, where East’s students were portrayed as a haughty collective dressed in gold sequined waistcoats, and Dover’s students portrayed as a band of sleepy, slouchy students with an ‘old hat’ campus. Being a satirical production, it was all in good fun, but it begs the question: what is the state of UWCSEA’s inter-campus relations?

United World Cuisine

There are well over six thousand languages around the world today, but only one is spoken across every national border, religion, and social class. The universal tongue of food has the power to elicit a memory or emotion, to cure, to warm and to cool, to bring people together. Mealtimes are unquestionably at the heart of every society, of all social relations, and are amongst the most intimate things people can share. In fact, the art of food making and sharing is an integral part of being human. No matter how different we may be, an empty stomach will always welcome a serving of freshly home-cooked food.

The United World Cuisine cookbook has been compiled, edited and put together by UWC students with contributions from the wider UWC family. 50 mouth-watering recipes from all around the world, with colour photos and original introductions to each world region by UWC alumni, lie within the 70 page hardcover book. All profits from this project will go directly to scholarships for UWC students.

The United World Cuisine cookbook, only £15, is now available for pre-ordering with worldwide delivery on Amazon and FREE shipping in the UK. If you buy 2 books or more, you’re eligible for Amazons free shipping to several other EU countries.

Click HERE to order your copy now.

Every Medal has 2 Sides-London Olympics Criticisms

Erica Yokoyama (UWCAC 2011-2013)

On July 27^th 2012, the London Olympic kicked off with a  glamorous opening ceremony, including a 2.7 million pound of budget, 15 thousand of volunteers, and 70 sheep, a lot of appealing materials were prepared for that moment. The 30^th summer Olympics in London seemed to be amazingly cool.

Not only London, but also the whole world was heating up as the competition progressed. The marathon in the streets of London, tennis matches in Wimbledon, exciting games captured audiences’ attention.  However, unfortunately, this London Olympics 2012 also became famous for so many troubles which happened during this period. I would like to criticize about several things which occurred in the hottest 19 days in the summer of 2012.

BLASPHEMY ! This is madness……..

Tariq Abid (UWCAC ’11-13)

More news from Pakistan, this time the on-going trial over alleged blasphemy committed by a young Christian girl.

Political Saga

Tariq Abid (UWCAC ’11-’13)

Quite recently there has been a lot of controversy in Pakistan’s politics over the ‘contempt of court’ issue. The struggle over this issue tells a sad story of an administration buried in legal and political jostling, as the more core issues in policy making get brushed to the background. This, I would say, is a fundamental cause of alienation of the predominant part of the electorate from the political system and political parties within it.

Environmental Faculty Camp in August period

Erica Yokoyama(UWCAC 2011-2013)

Since coming back to Wales after 2 months summer break, AC students have been working for each faculty. Now, our new ‘faculty’ system has just begun. We used to have 9 ‘services’-Life guard, ILB, Social Servic, Performing Arts, Atlantic Outdoor Centre, Estate Service, Media Service, Art centre, and MEMS for years at AC. However, from this year, new system called ‘faculty’ starts. There are 4 faculties, Outdoor, Social Justice, Global Justice and Environmental Faculty. We will introduce these faculties in detail, later through this blog.

Then, now in August period, we have just started working under new organizations. I used to belong to MEMS, Marine Environmental Monitoring Service, and worked for saving oceans. But now I am a member of Environmental Faculty and working for all kinds of environment. We still clean beaches, while we make a forest garden.