An Awesome Weekend

This weekend, I think, has been one of the best here so far. After school on friday, we made mudcake (again)... and took it outside to enjoy the rare sunshine. We talked and just did nothing during the afternoon, which was nice after a busy week.

Cake!

At 7 pm there was World Today in the auditorium. We discussed Roma People and minorities and over all it was very nice to hear what different people had to say on issues concerning how minorities are treated.

Then, at midnight, Peace One Day started. It is a 24 hour day when we think about peace. Funnily enough, UWC day was on the very same day, which made it extra special.We started with a midnight assembly, where different quotes about peace were read in different languages, and some songs were performed. We also were asked to write, on a scrap piece of colourful paper, who we wanted to make peace with. The papers were then put around a tree that we pass everyday and they will stay there to remind us of our wish for peace. After the assembly, we were all given a candle and we walked through the campus in silence, a long row of students and candles in the cold darkness. It was beautiful.

During Saturday there were different activities concerning peace. We had vegan brunch, meditated, wrote and painted post cards to the UN and wrote letters for Amnesty. In the evening, there was an amazing cafe with goodies such as spring rolls, pretzels and soy milkshake and we danced Norweigan, Greek and Scottish folk dance.

Colourful and peaceful postcards

Beautiful braided bracelet

At midnight, a small group of us walked through campus with candles again and ended with placing them outside each of the student houses. Although it was very cold, it was incredibly rewarding to actually get a chance to think about myself, people around me and the world. Until two, a group of us just sat in the day room. We threw pillows at each other, told nationalistic jokes (why Norweigans/Swedes, etc are stupid) and had chocolate cake (again...)

Mud cake <3

 Today, I've slept, written half a lab report, an English essay, done maths, and had two huge cups of tea before dinner. After that, Mady (Belgium) and I went to TSK, and although I have a beautiful picture of her as we tried to work out, I will spare her the joy of seeing it her. Maybe another time...

As it is Elizabete's (Latvia) birthday tomorrow we surprised her in the day room of our house at ten tonight. There was amazing chocolate cake (even better than the two I'd already had this weekend) and lots of birthday songs. I participated in the Norweigan, Swedish and French, but it was also sung in Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Hindi (not so sure about that, they might have faked it), Chinese and Spanish, apart from everyone singing in English. People gather around the birthday girl or boy and jump around them in a circle, clamping their hands and singing as loudly as they can. It's so much fun, and definitely one of my favorite parts of the birthdays here. After that, at Elizabete's second year's insistance, she was put on a chair that was heaved high in to the air eighteen times. She yelled, we laughed, it was great, even when she came a little too close to hitting the ceiling.

Now I'm off to bed, a little later than I had planned but very happy and definitely ready for another interesting week.