The real UWC... (Days 18, 19 and 20)

The inevitable has finally happened--I now have enough homework to make me forget about my blog! Monday evening, I had a lot of work--something I'm not used to after nearly 3 months off. It wasn't until I was lying in bed when the thought flashed into my mind: I haven't posted on my blog! By that point though, I was already in bed, and there was no way I was getting out of it again!

Why was I so tired? An excellent question. I had gotten plenty of sleep the night before, and all I had done on Monday was go to classes. There's something about being here--the constant energy--that manages to exhaust you. Each day, when I climb into bed, I'm completely exhausted. It's an unusual feeling, but a good one!

Monday was a fairly normal day, with a schedule similar to the one I had last week. Tuesday, however, was totally different. After waking up at an nightmarish 545AM, I dragged my semi-conscious self over to the field house for my first CAS! CAS is an IB requirement, and it stands for Creativity, Action, Service. Basically, the IB requires you to get out and do something creative, something physical, and some sort of community service. UWC usually easily surpass the IB requirement, and CAS is a huge part of the UWC experience. In the first semester, I'm doing Admissions Internship, Castle Tours, Grand Canyon Prep, Red Cross Emergency Response Training, NAD (North American Day), Casa de Samaritan Shelter, and Theater Lighting. (As each CAS starts, I'll explain them in more detail.

On Tuesday morning, my 6 AM CAS is Grand Canyon Prep. It's a physical CAS designed to get us ready to hike in (and out) of the Grand Canyon. So far it's been grueling, but I hope it will be worth it! Tuesdays are my toughest day of the week. After Grand Canyon Prep, I have a full day of classes 8AM-3PM, with no breaks or free periods. After classes, I have another CAS--Red Cross Emergency Response Training. The idea of the CAS is to get us certified in three Red Cross Certifications--CPR/AED, Oxygen Administration, and Emergency Response. It's really long (3.5 hours each Tuesday), but we're going to learn a lot, and it should be a LOT of fun! Finally, at 6:30 PM, I finish for the day! That said, I usually have a delightful little pile of homework waiting in my dorm room. When I finished on Tuesday, I wasn't just exhausted, I was dead on my feet!

Wednesday, by contrast, is a very pleasant day. I only have two classes and one CAS (Grand Canyon Prep at 6 AM). When math finishes at 11 AM, I'm done for the day! It's very nice to have some time to unwind and relax (especially mid-week). Once I finish writing this post, I'm heading into town to pick up stuff for Buddy Dance (more later). Basically, over the last few days, I've begun to experience the REAL UWC!