Fresh like lemon

Am I ready to go back?

Winter break was a time to resettle, and refresh. It’s 2019 already, and there comes more responsibility and commitment. When people start talking about New Year resolutions, you know it’s time to get back to work and starting thinking about he future, about 2020, and beyond. One term swiftly scurried past, but there’s a whole lot more in front, and I’m glad I took this break to refresh the drive, the motivation to strive. I like to think everything that I’m doing has a purpose, and that I amass my energy on a few things that I think I like, and would like to progress in. I judge and reflect on every decision I make: do I actually need it, did I consider all factors? Or at times, did I follow my instinct? Hopefully 2019 works out, in the sense that my drive can be carried forward throughout the seasons, only increasing, but not diminishing.

Am I ready to go back? Yes I am.

Incheon airport.

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Vendredi, 21 Décembre, 2018

Currently looking out of this gigantic window in Vancouver airport, observing the air traffic and the magnificent snow-capped mountains of Mt Seymour Provincial Park and Cypress Provincial Park, while listening to Canto-pop. I don’t know why but I always have this transcending experience of awe in front of snow-capped mountains. The airport is amazing here, with a sizeable aquarium, coupled with the beautiful sunrise.

**

Term one has been great so far. It feels so slow. Orientation week seems so far away from memory because there are just so many new experiences jam-packed in three months that make it seem like a long long journey. But it feels so fast. That’s one term already, and I just don’t feel the change that I expected to feel, and so many more things I want to achieve. But since the last time, everything seems to be on a better track, which is a fulfilling way to call it an end. Performed last night in musical cafe, amazing experience, working hard on this since 2 years ago, wow to the fact that I had thought about this back then. Intimacy is something I’ve been working on. I think such thing is I have never really experienced, never felt the immensity and pulse of such emotional subject. But I think I know what I want after winter break, and it is such a good time to reunite, reorganize my new year goals, and refresh my energy for the year to come. One more hour until I board for the flight back to Hong Kong, very much enjoying the time alone travelling long distances to feel vulnerability and ambivalence, a feeling hard to describe, almost like a slightly depressed feeling of separation or departure that excites me and leads me to a intensive long-hour reflection, internalization and future formulation. Chow for three weeks. Love Pearson.

Lundi, 10 Décembre, 2018

Currently in the common room, looking out at the already dim sky but it’s still only four – tres triste. So many thoughts are running through my mind now, too much for me to handle at the time, and I am so frustrated at myself not being able to deal with the small shits and overthinking. I have a lot of things that I want to achieve here, but I don’t seem to be capable of doing that, like how people praise our race as hardworking and smart, but never criticize our inability to do well in life, in relationships, in being honest and out spoken. My thoughts are running everywhere now, and I’m glad it’s after all the tests that I had if not I would be in deep shit. So many I want to achieve, so many things I want to see change in myself, but not many stuff are actually improving, and I’m not making the most proactiveness of my self. What was I saying?

**

Has been good times since the last time, finally went out diving in the ocean at Prison Rocks, first dive was awful but second one (the picture down there) was amazing, love the ocean, love life, love the silence that runs through my body when diving. Wish I can go warm water diving, wanna see the corals and clear water and sunshine, but can’t wait for winter break to end to start diving again. Went out sailing with the boys, was such a good day, the moon on one side and the sun on the other, Mount Olympics in the mysterious mist on one side and Mount Baker with snow caps on the other, US on one side, and Canada on the other. Beautiful day, beautiful wind and sun and people and Mark Banner Martin. Went to cougar ridge, super beautiful hike. It was a busy week in Pedder Bay, due to more sunlight and plankton boom, there was a fish boom, and so many great blue herring and gulls and birds and seals and CALIFORNIAN SEA LION feeding around the docks, beautiful traffic around and love the life and energy the school has, love Pearson!

**

It’s december already, 11 days till home, what did i accomplish? What change did I make? What did I improve? Very frustrated but also motivated to consciously to make something out of this, I feel like I’m not doing enough to make this experience amazing, and I need to do something about it.

Hike more. Know more people. Feel intimacy. Set goals. Get things together. Do sports. Perform more. Explore more. Talk to Adults. Get inspired. Start more projects. Don’t be too harsh on myself (sounds ironic).

Some More November Adventures

Yesterday at village gathering, me, Daniel Corredor LLorente from Colombia, and Ivana from Croatia presented the idea of a Global Student Council in front of the community. It was pretty nerve-wrecking, not knowing how the community will react to the idea and the fact that it is us three, random group of people who are quiet, the word I don’t really like but cannot deny. Just the usual me that always perceives what others perceive me that make me reflect and reconsider to extreme measures. It was a pretty good presentation I think, but there will be a lot of work ahead of us because we have to come up with the bulk of the model before Christmas, and there’s predicted grade to deal with as well

Starting a new idea with Yusef and Pietro on Humans of Pearson, realizing how our stories is so unique and so accessible by the community and somewhat underutilized, we decided to relaunch, re-brand the idea again on Instagram and Facebook. Looking forward to the reception of the community and the end result. Same for KULE as well, working with an alumnus Aziz Sonawalla on the new website, really hyped to manage one regularly.

Started my Gumboot core practice, really hyped for the two years ahead of me and have fun from the work out but really really rhythmic steps. Man!

In general, I just set some goals with myself, just want myself to be presented as vocal, and active, trying my best to at least say one thing in a lesson, or in a discussion, and participate as much as possible. Trying to work my schedule out and clearly track my goals. Really, and sometimes I feel I’m kind a boring person, never dress up for special occasion, never prepare a birthday party for anyone, never have anything interesting to offer. Working on this too.

Went to Charter’s Creek with Laura today to see salmon spawning. Saw A LOT of salmon working their way upstream, jumping up rocks and logs, which seems just almost impossible. A lot of salmon that didn’t make it though and laid dead on the side, and the fishy smell just makes it more like a salmon graveyard. Saw some salmon eggs too. Hoped for a bear or two to appear catching salmon, that would be so cool, but we weren’t that lucky. It was such a field trip man, honestly the moment I stepped into Laura’s blue bus, I really thought for a second that it was magic school bus, damn it’s dumb but it’s real. Hyped for the two years of marine science, that just solidified my love Pearson.

It’s been quite a month, diving is on progress, so. This post is rather informative, didn’t think through how I wanted to phrase it. But damn, what a life and experience here, not even noticing how am I even changing. Love this place, 40 years later, my son will be here. Until next time.

Exploring Suburb Victoria and CAS Week

 

 

 

 

Getting Started

I am Christopher from Hong Kong, Chinese name is 霍嘉強, currently studying in Lester B. Pearson United World College in Victoria, British Colombia. I never am really interested in writing or reading or anything related to literature/language, but I feel like the experience I will have these two years is worth recording down, just like how taking photos brings you back to a moment otherwise lost. My posts will probably be spontaneous thoughts and motivations that I have, which I think is a good way to record down my learning over the two years here, and maybe some ten years later, it would be a good past time activity – looking back to how I changed and grew.