Thursday 6 September 2012

Goodbye, and thank you!

A few months have now passed since I finished the IB and graduated from Atlantic College. Ever since then I have been meaning to write a final post on here but only now have I found the time to sit down and do it! The final weeks and days of AC have by now blurred together in my memory as mixture of exhilaration (finally finishing the IB!), happy moments spent with dear friends and the great sadness shared by everyone as we packed everything away for one last time. After my last exam (French Paper 2) I returned to the chaos on campus as First Years prepared to leave that night and Second Years started to comprehend that their AC days were truly numbered. I cannot begin to explain the number of different emotions I felt in those last days. From the tears as the First Years’ bus disappeared into the night to the party-like atmosphere of Second Year Leavers Dinner the following day, the roller-coaster of emotions experienced during the two years continued to the very end. The utter pain on everyone’s faces as we bade each other goodbye was visible for all to see. The intensity of those last days and hours was unlike anything I have ever experienced before. We laughed and had fun whilst knowing that things would never quite be like this again. The urge to cry was countered by a determination to cherish every second possible. I have spoken to many of my friends since then and everyone agrees that no one was quite sure what to think or do during those last days. In the midst of it all, sleeping and packing seemed both inconvenient and entirely unimportant. Consequently, I barely slept and left packing until I absolutely had to do it. As I had often thought during my time at AC, I was very lucky to be a Brit because I didn’t have to fit everything into a couple of cases, or catch a bus on time. I could instead spend time with the friends, housemates and co-years who had been such an important part of my life for the past two years. UWC students tend to be very well travelled and many of my co-years had amazing itineraries for the summer break, often visiting the homes of AC friends. After AC I spent a week in London and then three weeks traveling around Turkey with my Japanese dormie and Turkish friend. We stayed with friends and relatives of our Turkish friend and encountered incredible kindness and hospitality wherever we went. En route we also met several UWC friends and co-years and took every photo opportunity to brandish the UWC flag with pride! Since arriving home I have been kept busy doing things around the house and caring for my Mum. In the past few weeks she has improved and so I am now busy preparing for Uni and catching up with friends and family before I leave once again. I’ve just realised that I haven’t said where I’m going to university! I am heading off to St.John’s College, Durham University in a couple of weeks!!! This was my first choice uni and I cannot wait to embark on this new chapter and adventure in my life. I’m going to try to write a blog once I’m there. The address will be www.lifeatjohns.blogspot.com if you’re interested in following my life after AC. The past two years have been a truly incredible experience, and I have tried to give you all an insight into AC life through this blog. I hope I have managed to share with you the wonders but also the ups and the downs that were my life at Atlantic College. My life has been enriched by the people and the experiences which I’ve been privileged enough to encounter since I started this journey back in 2010. I have made incredible friends and learnt a lot about myself and many other aspects of life. I will always be grateful to the people at home and at AC who made this journey possible. I hope to show them my gratitude by continuing through life on this journey of discovery, with my eyes open to the world and the people who make it so special. Someone wrote in my AC yearbook that the end of AC is just another beginning. I may have officially become an alumnus of Atlantic College but that opens up another world to explore, one of UWC alumni. We awoke on the 26th May to see the campus shrouded in mist, a grey scene which seemed to mirror how everyone was feeling. As I walked through the impressive castle doors, ate breakfast in the Dining Hall, gazed out at the sea and returned to PK for one last time as an AC student I realised just how much I would miss it and everything about it. As we drove off from PK, passed the now empty student houses and away from the castle, I opened my yearbook. For the entire journey home I read wonderful messages from friends and co-years, tears streaming down my face. My life at AC may be over but the memories mentioned and feelings shared in those messages will never disappear.