Maia Abroad: UWC Waterford

When first got to Waterford, I was deeply confused by all the acronyms and slang that people tossed around - a mix of IB acronyms, Southern African slang, and Waterford idioms. Mostly, this was because I hadn't read the handbook that the school emailed and honestly didn't have much of an idea of what IB consisted of, let alone the acronyms used. I got most of the Southern African slang, but Waterford slang took a bit longer. In the hopes that some incoming first year might find this blogpost, I've compiled a short list of WK vocab. IB acronyms: EE or E squared - the Extended Essay every IB student has to complete as part of the diploma TOK - Theory of Knowledge, a mandatory philosophy type course for IB students CAS - Creativity, Activity, and Service. The three central components of the IB IA - Internal Assessment, essays that are graded by your teacher, rather than an IB examiner Additional slang: Guans - I'm not sure if this is how it's supposed to be sp...

Written roughly 12 hours ago  I'm on hour 13 of my trip back to Vancouver, and I haven't left the ground yet. It started this morning, loading the crowded school bus at six in the morning. The mood was strange. On the first way to school, the atmosphere was nervy and excited - new students tentatively testing the waters with each other, and IB2s reuniting with friends. The buses for midterm were relaxed and low-key; people teasing each other about their plans for break, glad to have a rest for the five days, happy to spend time with each other off of the somewhat restrictive campus. People were quiet this morning. It started to hit me that while two years is a long time to be away from home, it's an incredibly short time to accomplish all that you need to during the IB, and an even shorter time to forge the friendships that UWC alumni describe as some of the most meaningful of their life. It must have been even harder for the IB2s. First term break is a chance...