As I'm sure many of my fellow zero-years (or previously zero-years) of any UWC that is or has gone through this experience can relate - I. Absolutely. Cannot. Wait.
Through the course of the past (wait it's only been a month but it feels so long) - weeks, actually, since I received my acceptance, I've gotten less sleep thanks to anticipation and imagining what it'll be like, thankfully not much stress since I couldn't be anything less than eager, but fed up with how, whilst I'll have to savour the last few moments spent here in my school, the home I've known for so long, I still have my mid-terms and finals in front of me. To be finished in less than two months. Argh :((
Every day now I open my countdown app and check how many days there still are before I embark on my journey - which will start a little earlier than most. In mid-July, two and a half months, I'll be leaving home for California, where I have a summer course, then slowly driving up to Vancouver with my family. It'll probably hurt quite a bit knowing I'm leaving earlier of my own free will and have less time to spend with my friends, but I'll be going on knowing that I have full support from them behind my backs... which I'm exceptionally grateful for.
Oh, and I'll be checking off quite a few items on my bucket list, including flying solo, which, tbh, seems to wreck my nerves more than what's going to happen when I arrive at my destination. I'm praying that I don't lose my boarding ticket or passport or anything... fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly...!!! But on the bright side... I'm more than excited, and I'll have to do it soon eventually when I come home next, so why not now?
Ever since I received the news, time seems to pass by ten times slower than usual. I'm in constant awe and shock at the reminder that this is reality, this is real, this isn't just a fraction of my imagination, and I get anxious at how long there still is until we start. On the other hand, there seems to be so little time left, and I'm hanging on to every remaining second I have. There seems to be so much to do: study for my tests (despite not wanting to I mean why though), pack, get supplies, organise my stuff, medical appointments, and worst of it all - learning how to bid farewell to the place I've grown up in, and majorly the people that are in it. I'm thinking that you've been eager to leave for so long, wanting to do something for so long, that it is only when you have it in your grasp that you start to realise how much you'll miss what you did have.
It still feels like I'm dreaming. I think the news won't actually sink in until I start putting my things away one by one, cross the border to Canada - maybe not even then, but probably when I come home next. Then I'll see how much my life has transformed, and maybe, maybe just then, it'll sink in. Can I just mention how I'm already dreading this time two years later?
It's April 22nd today. It's been exactly one month and a day since I received my acceptance. And I marvel at just exactly how much my life has already changed since then. What's going to happen next?
And now back to studying. I have three tests tomorrow that I'm sure to be flunking :(
well hopefully not so signing off for now, lena.
p.s: so glad to have gotten in contact with a few of my co-years both from and outside of Pearson; everything's starting to click into place and it's so surreal! Feel free to get in touch either through the comment section or contact me directly through sending me a message in the 'About Me' section if you haven't already; I'd love to know your stories!