Gwynedd Heroes

Here is a fantastic video made by my co-years at AC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJZ83NvHC4Y


Happy Holidays!

Speech

Here is the speech I gave to the Crown Prince of the Netherlands and his company:
(This one is for you, Mom!)
____________________________________________________


The year starts with painting faces, banging pots and pans, blowing the conch, and shyly greeting the next year group. What is to be said in an introduction? Eventually we tire of “Hello, my name is ___ and I am from __”. The question morphs into “What house are you in?” followed by “What service are you doing?” It is already a year of questions, and while the small talk gets stale we all know it is the roots of something special. The only thing we have in common is a renewed sense of optimism in the form of Moroccan sweets, Latino hugs, and the singing of the World Cup song.

Then we start the IB, the bane of our existence here at AC. And while the IB is the only tangible we can walk away with, it doesn’t even begin to define the experience. Most of my learning has occurred outside the classroom, and it hasn’t been all been easy. For the first time in my life, I can be proud of my own nationality. What started out as a simple defense of the United States in politics class had turned into a deep and true national pride. And with that national pride I’ve discovered so much more about myself. And with that has come incredible frustration.

Frustration at wanting to do so much more than can be done in a small castle by the sea. But it is this frustration that feeds me, this pure desire to make a difference-no matter how small-that keeps me moving. Constantly moving.

Moving towards a lifetime full of service. Whether we are training as lifeguards, caring for the castle grounds, helping the elderly, manning lifeboats, or in my case-cleaning up beaches we all seek to impact our community. I am a member of the Marine Environmental Monitoring Service-MEMS. Between educating local children on marine sustainability, getting our scuba diving qualifications, or caring for lobsters-we stay involved. Our service helps define us and gives us a medium to give back.

Yet the most incredible thing about Atlantic College (UWC) is way beyond the two years. The most inspiring AC experience was volunteering at reunions over the summer. I met alumni who came back for their 40th reunion and they were living our dream-they were making a difference. They were still passionate and they didn’t stop caring. Euphoric. That’s only word to describe how we felt after reunions. All that I dreamed-all that we dreamed- of doing as future leaders was really possible. We will make education a force. I won't let the little things get me down, we will continue moving. AC provides the kinetic energy to get us started, and once we start we don't stop.

The year will end with goodbye hands, salty faces, and big dreams. But we won’t stop. We won’t stop loving and living and laughing and learning and changing the world around us. There is still so much I don’t know, and so much more for me to learn. But know this: We could, We can, We will.

Snow

Between having an incredible Thanksgiving (my friends and I made over 10 pies!), giving a speech to the Crown Prince of the Netherlands (will post that soon), it snowed at AC making it all a bit more magical.
It was really was the frosting on the cake, and now with only 10 days left until I return home, I know it's going to be something to remember.


Me, Olorato (Botswana), Adrian (Hong Kong)

November 10th

Here is a short update on my life at the moment:

-I make homemade granola every sunday that lasts for the week
-I got chosen to give a speech to the Crown Price of Holland-wish me luck!
-Operation Smile ran "Cinderfella" (a male beauty paegent) this weekend and raised over £600
-College essays are consuming all my free time
-I finally watched the movie "Kill Bill"
-www.kigu.co.uk (yes-I will become a giraffe, and yes-I do plan on wearing my kigu on the flight home)
-In my service-MEMS-I am partway through completely my PADI Rescue scuba diver course. Good fun
-Saturday we will be simulating a refugee camp on campus.. brrr

I come home in about one month now.. and I have a strong feeling that the month will fly by

Alghero, Italy

Four days in Alghero (Sardinia, Italy) hardly seems like enough.

We started with an overnight stay in the London Stansted Airport (not something I highly recommend..) and taking an early flight to Italy. Much to our delight, it was sunny and beautiful when we arrived. We got upgraded to a nice apartment with a balcony that viewed the seafront. I really cannot complain.
We made incredible meals, walked everywhere, ate more pizza than was probably necessary-but we had to pack it all into four days! I feel in love with new type of fruit and got my feet wet in the mediterranean. Little did we know, but Alghero has a period of time called a 'ciesta' where everything closes between 1pm-4pm. Once we figured this out, we had very relaxed days.
It was exactly what my sanity needed.
I am currently in Norway staying with my good friend Diana, but I'll save that for another post.

Here is for the pictures, which can say much more than my words:


The view from our Balcony

It's been a full weekend to say the least.

Earlier today I participated in Amnesty International Street Theatre. About 70 Atlatnic College students took the streets of Cardiff in order to raise awareness about human rights. While nice in theory, people were a bit disorganized and shouted a lot and scared some of the passer-bys. This was when I developed my own rule about protests: If, at any point, you feel even slightly uncomfortable with the situation immediately leave. It seems like a very reasonable rule to me

Tonight was the North American Bonfire. I'm not sure I've had this good of a night in a while. We gathered anyone and everyone who had a slight relation to the US or Canada and we assembled around a big bonfire (thank you girl scouts for fire-building skills!) and talked, make s'mores, cooked bacon, played guitar. Just an all around feel good sort of night.

Tomorrow I will be making pizza from scratch, watching a South East Asian national evening, working in the coffee lounge, and catching up on work.

Never let it be said that AC is a boring place to be

What is America?

There is something new that I believe in: the power of cultural identity. My American pride gives me a real identity and there is so much more to be being American than big dreams.

Last night was the North American National Evening-a night where the USA and Canada gets to put on a show for the rest of the school about our culture. Jokes aside, the evening was fantastic. From reading the New Colossus to singing Wagon Wheel to introducing the audience to the monsters of America I think we really gave them a true taste of our beautiful country. Best of all, we ended the evening with a dance to the song 'Bad Romance' by Lady Gaga. To be frank-it looked almost professional. (I promise to put up the video of it soon)

Even better than ending the evening with an incredibly good feeling that we had done our country justice, I now have this bond with my fellow Americans. I have this second family here, and without them- I would be lost. Together we have all rediscovered what it means to be an American and that is a beautiful thing. We are a truly diverse group of students from all states and all walks of life-it's very American. Maybe in order to truly understand your own culture you have to leave your country.

Today, I am proud to call myself American.

Update

And routine has kicked in again. Academics are back on track and most of the august period and induction spontinety has dissapeared.
Already I've finished King Lear, visited the Globe Theatre in London (life really can be wonderful!), finished learning the basics of logic, and there is so much more to come.
Next week I will interview for US University, fast all day Tuesday for Doctors without Borders, talk, listen, and dream.
As a second year I somehow see AC a little differently than I did last year. I feel much more grounded this year and mentally more stable. Although it pains me to say this, this extra year of high school isn't so bad afterall. In fact, I think its done me well.
My roommate-Nicole-has been such a blessing this year. She is the closest thing to family that I have at AC, and I am so lucky to have her.
Again, I am happy. I try not to stress about colleges and work and focus on the more important things.

I say AC, you say Camp

Already it seems the year is underway. The first years arrived on Saturday and the day was spent painting our faces, banging pots and pans, blowing the conch, and shyly greeting the newcomers.

What is to be said in the introduction? Eventually we get tired of "Hello, my name is ____ from ____. Where are you from?". That question morphs into "What house are you in" followed by "What service/classes are you interested in?".
The small talk gets a little old, but its the beginning of a real friendship.

AC Camp was different for me this year (going as a peer listener, not a camper). Different yes, but just as enjoyable. This time I saw how much work the second years do to make the experience enjoyable for the fresh new faces. We all basked in the new pool of optimism that came from all over the world. We enjoyed the optimism in Moroccan sweets, and American hugs, and the singing of the World Cup song "Wavin Flag".

"When I get older, I will be stronger, they'll call me freedom, just like a wavin flag.."

This quickly became the camp anthem. I won't lie, the chorus is still streaming in my head.

At camp I did the walk-an 7 hour hike along the beautiful welsh coast. It provided a great opportunity to spare good conversation.
I lost my voice, I think I have the flu-but I don't regret it in the least. Cheers to my last year at AC-now back to the books.


"When I get older..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBD9h0jUq3w




ps. On top of all the first year excitement- I got my Advanced Open Water Scuba Diving Certification! And I learned how to use a dry suit. All together- a great success

August Period

Although our August Period (the ten days where it is only second years, my co-years) is halfway done, it feels as though everybody just got here. The canteen (our dining hall) is full of familiar faces and I like it. I feel as though my house is slowly but surely coming together. Powys is such a good place to be and we just got our new dorm mates and our new first years!
This year I will be rooming with:
Nicole (Malaysia- I roomed with her last year)
Eeva (Estonia)
Hangwei (China).
It seems as though it will be a dorm with a comfortable atmosphere. Having second year dormies won't be so bad after all!

On top of adjusting to life at AC again, we have been dedicating our time to service. Tomorrow MEMS (Marine Environmental Monitoring Service) leaves on a weeklong camping trip with ILB (the inshore life boat service). We will be getting our PADI Advanced Open Water and National Geographic scuba diving certifications. Needless to say, I am very excited. We tried out our dry-suits today and they were more trouble than I was expecting. Wish me luck this coming week!

My second year at AC is already flying by a little too quickly. New friendships are forming in fears and excitement of the incoming first years. But most importantly, I have a very good feeling about this.

Here is a photo from our Powys 2nd Year girls bonding session:

Walton-on-Thames

Thoughts from my 5am walk into Llantwit Major on my way to Walton-on-Thames:

I feel lovely when that
first sliver of sunshine hits my face

the only one to see
my smile is the starling

and together we illuminate the sky




I am staying with my Aunt Chantal, her husband Matthew and her son Benjamin. All together, and incredibly fun and friendly family. I've even been mildly successful in forcing myself to work on things such as homework and college applications. Although nothing eventful is taking place, I am very much at peace with this family, England, and my work.
Best of all, I had a good meal! After eating the canteen food at the castle, any type of food is welcomed with a parade of enthusiasm. School starts up in.. 4 days now.
I think I'm ready.

It's good to be back

Reunions have been going smashingly (seeing as none of the people have arrived yet).
It falls so normal to be back at the castle and with these people again, besides the jet lag is was a though I never left.
The food is still miserbale, the people are still wonderful, and the campus is right out of a fairytale book.
I already know that I will be leaving a little piece of myself here in Wales (not literally). Something about being back is so comfortable and it really makes me smile.
Needless to say, I am happy. The reunion folks arrive in a few hours, and we are going to get very busy very quickly. I can't wait to meet these people, hear how their lives have changed, and hopefully have a good laugh.

Ready for Round Two

Although I got pretty bad with updating this blog, It's a new year and I plan to start afresh.
Tomorrow I board the plane which signifies the start of my second year at Atlantic College. Woah.
When I first arrive I will be helping out with reunions for old AC grads. I hope to meet some pretty interesting people and hear about how this college used to be. I am always up for a good story
After that, I get the chance to visit an Aunt who lives near London and work on the inevitable: US University Applications.

Thoughts on returning to AC:
-I'm not ready in the smallest sense of the word
-Summer has been too short (once again)
-I can't wait to see all of the strange yet incredible friends I made last year
-Will everything be so different?
-I sure hope it is beautiful in the summer
-Goodbyes aren't as hard this time
-No one can cook quite like my mother..


Goodbye Oregon, I will miss you..

Some more Fiction

Here are two very short stories I worked on for my class.

__________

champagne.

A sea of green helmets rolls over the landscape like a wave of destruction. Pulsing, pulling everything down as it goes by. This single entity of men is consumed with fighting, flowing, living, dying as one. Listen closely; you can hear their heartbeats. He hurts. He fears. He loves. He starts. He stops. This pounding echoes in their heads because wet heavy boots sink deep into the mud. With the glint of guns, is this garrison just a game? The pounding echoes.
Look there- a man breaks from group breaking the rhythm. A single smile spreads across his cracked dirty face. Anonymous, supposedly. The lone figure runs away from it all to the safe sanctuary of home. He’s broken away from the all-consuming monster of authority. That’s when the bullet hits him, plummeting deep into the flesh of his lower back. He is falling like rag doll to the hard ground. The ground is no man’s friend. Tides of consciousness and pain wash over his mind, balancing him on the brink. The smile strains to stay as the free blood pools out, seeping into the mud, staining it with hard earned liberty. The uniform is now matted with dark blood while he lies dying, life leaking from his core. His eyes can no longer focus on the gray morning. Another shot is fired into the mud man, the sound resonating in the cold atmosphere. Waves of human machines march on, forgetting the smiling, dying man.
His eyes are like champagne, they sparkle, bubble over, and in the morning all that’s left is a hollow, splitting headache. Rain


________

What I am about to tell you is a lie.
I don’t love her anymore. I’ve been staring at my blank computer screen for 38 minutes. My soy latte has grown cold. The thought of her face no longer lingers in my mind. The sound of her laugh no longer plays on repeat. She isn’t a part of my life. I am happily heartbroken.
Was it yesterday? A year ago? This year has been caught in still frames and pictures in my mind. Images of rekindled love, broken hearts, injuries, smiles, and second chances spin through my head. I don’t care. It’s a pleasant sort of pain.
Seated here at the gratitude café, it all feels so slow.
I was eleven when I first told her I loved her. All she said was “I know, silly boy”. Even then she was a beautiful disaster. She was the only girl who wasn’t afraid to dance in the pouring rain. She makes me feel alive, or she did.
But none of this is true. This is not reality.
Across the café a couple shares a mug of hot chocolate. I see a chance, a dance, a romance. Endless opportunities reflected in his dark rimmed glasses. I used to be him. The girl doesn’t believe in love, I can tell from her lopsided smile. He doesn’t know that yet, he is far too mesmerized by the little green flakes in those big eyes. And she just likes those dark curls. I just know.
I’d write love stories if there was a girl worth writing for. I’d write my story for her. Childhood best friends, in love with her for 15 years, she left. Dropping me to shatter on the floor as she fled. Doesn’t seem so romantic now. Good thing this never happened. Now she’s gone, I don’t want to write. Now love stories seem ridiculous. Silly games from when I was a boy. My soft skinned inspiration left me to grow dusty on the shelf next to old Josh Ritter CDs.
The whole time I just kept sipping her sweet lemonade laced with love and lies.
The couple across the café finished their hot chocolate. Now they sing the tune of goodbye, dance the rhythm of farewell. I laugh at them, gleefully grieving. It’s all marvelously masochistic.
My soy latte is now icy because I don’t love her anymore.
Truth be told, I’m not a very good liar.

Bonfire

Last night was one the best nights I have had here at AC.
Some friends and I went down to a place called The Valley to build a bonfire. Thanks to my girl scout skills (log cabin anyone?) I knew how to build the fire. Once we got the bonfire going, some more students came down with a guitar. They played and sang around the fire, under the stars. To make things even better, we had brought along marshmellows to roast and popcorn in a pan. I felt like I was camping. Things calmed down after a while, and there only three of us left aroudn the smoldering fire, and so I told stories. It's hard to descibe exactly how wonderful the whole atmosphere was. Needless to sat, it was an amazing night, and best part of all... when I woke up this morning my hair still smelling of bonfire.

Fiction

This is a short story I wrote for my writing fiction class. The poem at the end was written by my cousin Francis. Enjoy:


Prompt: Two people meet in a park and sit down on a bench. After a brief conversation one of them discovers a dead bird.

I feel numb. At this point I don’t know if it’s the cold outside or inside that’s slowly breaking me down. The numbness is spreading from frozen fingertips deep into my chest. I ache. The waves rush onto the beach and my mind is flooded with memories. The way the light caught his hair, golden, framing his face. I try to forget the pain. The way his carefree laugh would escape those lips. I can’t let go. I can’t let the tides of time sweep him away.
A bitter sun rises, illuminating the park on the seaside. It’s all too familiar, except for the lone silhouette sitting on the bench. I had hoped to be by myself this morning. I can feel the water soaking into my worn tennis shoes as I continue down towards the bench. I’ve never been here alone before. The figure on the bench doesn’t seem to notice me. I dare a glace at the face. He’s old, with sad eyes, and weathered wrinkles. He sees me staring and slowly lifts a bony hand, beckoning me to join him on the bench. I can feel the pounding of my heart against my rib cage and my feet are suddenly stuck to the ground. Next thing I know I find myself seated alongside the leather-faced man. I have nothing to lose now.
The water is rhythmic and seems to stomp rather than dance when it greets the rocky shore. Shivers trickle down my spine as I feel an icy stare. I turn to face the forgotten man. Even his eyes are cold, bluer than the swaying sea, brimming with countless stories. His piercing blue gaze robs me of my secrets, so exposed in my broken eyes. He must know somehow. Discomfort lodges itself in my throat and I quickly look away. The cold is creeping up my legs, chilling me more than before. I remember that everything is real.
Waves of relief wash over me as the man hobbles up from the bench. I venture another peek. He is stooping over something very small. I notice that he is all skin and bones as he turns back towards me, catching my stare. He has something cradled between his fingers. The man stretches out his arms and opens up his palms. I feel pain. A dead bird is nestled between his hands. It could have been sleeping if it wasn’t for the broken wing. I should be repulsed, but it’s beautiful. The morning light catches a feather. It’s the same golden color of the hair I once knew so well. Neither of them were ready to leave this world.
The weathered man smiles at me with his leather lips and sad sea eyes as he turns to the waters edge. Loss is wrenched between my lungs. It makes it hard to breathe.
My eyes remain locked on the strange man with the dead bird. I catch my breath and I forget the cold for a second as he lifts his aged hands to the cloudy sky and opens them wide. Life rushes back into the broken body and, in flurry of feathers, flies away. Disbelieving, I blink my salty eyes and look again. My mind must have been playing tricks on me. The old man must have gone off into the fog and the tiny bird is nowhere to be seen.
I’ve heard that grief can do this to people. Play mind games with them. Make them see things that aren’t real. I think it’s cruel. I trace my way back home as the disillusioned sun rises in the sky. My thoughts mix with the damp air, torturing me with the memory of loss.
When I get home, there is a small folded piece of paper on my doorstep. My numbed fingers unfold it to find a golden brown feather and small cramped writing that reads:

Light gone from eyes
That lovingly held the world
Shining now elsewhere

Beautiful bird has
Flown to heights unimagined
I hold this feather.

Update

Here is short update on what's been going on:

(My dorm. From left to right: Marieke (Germany), Me, Kim (Gibralter), and Nicole (Malaysia)

-I spent a day raising money to send to Haiti, and as a college we raised over 2,000 pounds!
-I built a bonfire with some friends, one of the best nights at AC so far
-A bunch of us stayed up all night until 6am writing letters for Amnesty international
-I had a really fun dorm meal at the seafront
-I will be representing France in the Model United Nations conference this week in the Security Council
-Tomorrow I get to go teach girl scouts about the marine life in Wales
-I've been a bit overwhelmed with too many options for our service week and for the summer, so many choices!

Sending some welsh love!

Seaside

Seaside
22.1.2010

I put pencil to paper
To try and share with you
The magic of the seaside
It’s far too simple
To simply say the sea sways me
Or that I want to fling my soul
Into a passing seagull
You won’t believe me
When I tell you
The joy it brings me
The comfort in the constant change
Of waves on a rocky shore

I put pencil to paper
To try and show you
How the gold on the
Cliffs reflects itself on
My glowing face
You and I
What fun we’d have
Here by the seaside
Tides sweep away worries
Warmth of smiling strangers
I need to be bold
Jump in the cold water

I put pencil to paper
To try and bring you
The secrets of the ocean top
The things I need to say
Share my truth
Alive with the leaving light
Perspectives of indescribable perfection
Water singing to me
My forecast is changing
Goodbye stormy Sundays
Good feelings, keep rolling in
See smiles coming my direction
I have no other
Friend like you

I put pencil to paper
To make you understand
I still don’t know my heart
It belongs somewhere between the
Water and the shore’s edge
No lover can give me this
Warmth, beating down
Thawing out stress and unwelcome feelings
The only place where reality meets
My expectations, seaside
Escape. When I can’t be found
Check by the water’s edge

I put pencil to paper
To say
The silhouettes on the horizon
Are as they should be.
Dreaming with big brown eyes
Cool kiss, bring me back to life
Birds fly by
Taking no notice of the girl
With the notebook
Trying to capture the wonder
Hidden within the waters
Patterns in the sky are picture perfect
Pools of light
Come back yesterday, always tomorrow

I put pencil to paper
To tell you
All that’s left is footprints
Raw in the sand

I put pencil to paper
To let you know
I’m here. I’m alive.

New Term, New Changes

I have now officially been at AC for over a week, but it feels like I never even left this place.

Today is blue skies and sunny, which is a dramatic difference from the snow we had earlier on this week. Just goes to show you how unpredictable Wales can be.
I gave more castle tours to potential students, and giving those tours makes me remember why I love AC. It really never gets old walking through the main gate into the castle. Or seeing the seafront, which the sun sparkling off it's waters.

A couple very amazing things have already happened:
1. On weekdays, I've been in bed before midnight every night. So proud of this!
2. I go to breakfast everymorning. Breakfast really can change your life.

We got to sign up for new activities this term, and I am very pleased. I will be doing callentics, which is a "radical and relaxing fitness". I will also be doing a writing fiction activity, and I am really looking forward to that. It will be wonderful to have stories that I've written here at AC. I also plan on joinging the acappella choir, and improv theatre. I know it's going to be a good term.

Starting next week I will have a 7th class, Theory of Knowledge (TOK). Not only did I get the best teacher for this class, but it looks like something I am really going to enjoy. We get to talk about questions like how do we know what we know? And it seems more like a philosophy class.

So here I am, happy as clam and ready to go do some exploring.

This one is for you Grandpa Frank

As some of you are aware, my Grandpa passed away this December and this blog post is for him:

About Angels and About Trees

Where do angels
fly in the firmament
and how many can dance
on the head of a pin?

Well I don't care
about that pin dance
what I know is that
they rest, sometimes,
in the tops of trees

and you can see them,
or almost see them,
or, anyway, think: what a
wonderful idea.

I have lost as you and
others have possibly lost a
beloved one
and wonder, where are they now?

The trees, anyway, are
miraculous, full of
angels (ideas); even
empty they are a
good place to look, to put
the heart at rest- all those
leaves breathing the air, so

peaceful and diligent, and certainly
ready to be
the resting place of
strange, winged creatures
that we, in this world, have loved.

Return to AC

After a short plane flight and a very long train ride, I finally arrived back at Atlantic College! Much to my extreme delight, the castle and the grounds are covered in a soft blanket of snow. What a sight.

Yesterday was filled with enthusiastic hugs as people arrived from all around the world. I even stayed up into 2am waiting for my Malaysian roomate, Nicole, to arrive. She brought a 20kg box of food, so I know this is going to be a good term!
Waking up this morning was a treat, I slept in and when I woke up it was lightly snowing outside.
International students+snow+free time= tons of snowball fights!


My friends and ventured down the seafront to discover that the outdoor pool was completely frozen over. Then we discovered some sleds, and had ourselves a real blast. Hot chocolate followed and thawed our frozen figners.



Needless to say, but I am VERY happy to be back! Even though classes do start tomorrow..

Amsterdam

What a beautiful city.

Here is short summary of Amsterdam:
1)Lots, and by lots I mean LOTS of bikes
2)Really nice photography museum, Anne Frank house, etc.

3)Cozy little cafe's with warm tea,
4)Snow! (apparently this is not the norm..)
5)Good ol' fashioned jazz cafe
6)Lovely Dutch People
7)Yummy cheese
8) Dankjewel
So far, I am enjoying the Dutch people and their country very much! Turns out they aren't all exactly crazy for windmills and tulips

The Netherlands

So maybe it's been a long while since I've updated the blog.. oops.
Anywho:
Current Location: Laura Brouwers house in the Netherlands
Current Weather: Beautiful and Snowy
Current Feelings: Absolutely loving it!
I arrived in the netherlands yesterday after one of the most uncomfortable flights I've been on in a long time. I'm staying here with my friend Laura, who is another girl from my house. She lives in this picturesque little Dutch village with a great house full of tiny staircases. It's snowing outside, and looks right out of a fairy tale book. We are hopefully heading into Amsterdam today to do a little sightseeing.

Yesterday we toured around Utrecht while I attempted to get over my jet lag. We stopped in this really cozy cafe and I had the most amazing dessert I've ever tasted. It was an apple, covered in some sort of dough/candy-ish substance with marzipan in the middle. Incredible. I'll be sure to put up some of the pictures I've taken.
Originally, Laura and I were supposed to head over the good ol' United Kingdom on Wednesday to stay with a dear friend, Jessie. But unfortunately, she has swine flu and the roads are expected to be bad, so her family told us not to come. That just mean I'll be in the netherlands until Saturday morning. This means maybe two days in amsterdam, a quick visit to my german brother, Nils and lots of Dutch culture. Keep you updated!