Today officially marks the one-week mark! I have now been a UWC-USA student for a week. It seems like such a strange feeling though--each day seems to pass so slowly, and so much happens! Today was a VERY quiet day, so I explored campus a little bit. The UWC campus is so big...it's easy to get lost. Below, I've enclosed pictures of two important places on campus: The Dining Hall and the Dwan Light Sanctuary.
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| The Lobby to the Castle--Grand indeed! |
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| One of the two (controversial) centerpieces to the Dining Hall |
The Dining Hall is one of the most impressive rooms on campus. High ceilings, beautiful woodwork, and enormous pieces of art (see above) give the room a spacious, yet elegant feel. It is certainly a very nice place to eat on campus!
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| The approach to Dwan Light Santuary |
The second place we visited today was the Dwan Light Sanctuary. This is probably one of the most unusual buildings on campus. Officially, it's a secular place where anyone can go to worship or meditate. The approach to the building is very interesting. The building is located off a dirt road on the far side of campus. After climbing up a long, winding path, the entrance is guarded by two huge wooden doors. Entering the building, one must take their shoes off, to preserve the peaceful atmosphere. After walking around the "lobby" area, one arrives in the sanctuary proper.
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| One of the enormous prism sets |
Inside the sanctuary, the incoming light is refracted by a series of prisms, creating a beautiful colored effect throughout the building. The building itself is a huge echo chamber, so one must be quiet when walking around!
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| Refracted Light!! |
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| The whole building is curved...very few straight lines |
The building is really unusual, but truly beautiful...it's a great place to go when I'm stressed or just need a break. It's so peaceful and quiet, something that is somewhat hard to find on this campus!
For the next 5 days, I'm heading off to Ghost Ranch, a huge retreat located in the heart of New Mexico. I'll be out of cellular/internet range during that time! Hopefully, when I get back, I'll have many beautiful pictures to share...after all, it's where Georgia O'Keefe got her inspiration!
Pictures are wonderful, H. And for the record I like the chandelier. Seen something like it elsewhere. Who is the artist? Hope your retreat is fun.
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