8.54am- This is it, well almost. Tomorrow night I will be packed and ready to leave this castle that I have called home for the past 10 months. And what a 10 months it has been. So much has changed since the day I arrived as an excited but slightly unsure first year student. Lifelong friendships have been formed, along with many memories which will also last forever. There have been ups and downs, real pangs of homesickness and wondering why I ever came. Of course I know why I came, but at times it can be easy to forget when lost in the chaos of this AC bubble. Overall however, life in the bubble is one of daily excitement and discovery. The blurry faces which were just nationalities back in August now have names, personalities and many of them are now my friends. The violence in the Middle East, the earthquake in Japan.... these global events now feel like one small step away. Of course I love the castle by the sea, the interesting lessons and visiting speakers but AC wouldn't be anything without the students. Sadly, it is impossible to find out every reason why people come here, everything that happened in their lives that made them want to come here, but every day there are glimpses, indications, that reveal the often incredible life stories. Never before have I witnessed so many people from so many different cultures and religions living with each other. Among my friends are an Arab and a Jew, a Japanese and Chinese, a Catholic and a Muslim. I have learnt a lot from these people, but coming here as only taught me that I know less about the world than I thought, that there is so much more we need to understand before there is hope of a more tolerant and peaceful world. Yet I am determined to continue on this journey next year, and after AC too. This journey will last for my entire life, but it is one that I am willing and want to take.
Tomorrow I will say good bye to second year friends, to people with whom I have shared many laughs and many tears. AC will be different next year and I will miss many friendships. But those friends will have moved on to the next stage in their lives and there will be new faces to meet once again. Yet this time next year I'm sure those faces will be friends. All that remains to be said is thank you. Thank you to the people who enabled me to come here and to the people who give me so much every single day.
Until August, good bye.
