Tag: boarding school

The Right Stars

indigoshellLeave a comment

Up on a large hill, or a small mountain (wars have been fought), you would expect the view to be utterly amazing.

And it is.

The mornings can surprise you; you may walk into a cloud of mist with the sun shining through powerfully and cloaking the campus in gold. Some days the sky is a magnifying glass to a sun, blinding white, and permanent sunglasses are needed by everyone.

Nighttime is difficult. The campus lightly shines in yellow, star-like lamps that scatter almost randomly across stairs or walkways, and often overpower the stars.

To stargaze on campus means you must search high and low for the best, unlit spots. There are two areas that I have concluded to be the best spots for the right stars.

The first spot is the lower field, or the big field, while we’re playing glow-in-the-dark capture the flag. I have found out that, if I just stop what I’m doing and lay down on my back, the rest of my team will follow. If you lie down on the right spot the campus lights will not hinder your eyesight, and the stars will shine to their full extent.

The second spot, an easier spot to reach, is the newly built staircase. At night when the sun has fully set and things are quiet, perhaps at 9pm or so, there is a particular step on the staircase that you can stand on and the trees around you will block out the campus lights. Then, if you look up, it looks like the stars are framed by the trees.

No I did not sneak out of the dorm at 9pm to watch the stars.

Too Far Away

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

One of the downsides of going to a boarding school so far from home is that sometimes you feel that you’ve been left out of the family. Sometimes when I’m talking to my dad or brothers on the phone they talk about things they’ve done, and I get to feeling a little bit left out.

I realize that it comes with living away from home. I would not trade my amazing life here at OVS for going to the punchbowl or Smash Burger back home. But hearing about it does make me miss it.

Another thing I miss is making decisions with the family. Over the past four years we have moved three times, and all three times I have not been able to choose my room, or the furniture that goes into it. The result? Home doesn’t feel like home.

I know that I am far away, and that I have another life here at school. And it’s a life that I love and would not trade. But I do miss home. I miss being able to relax all the time. I miss designing my own room and being excited about where we are moving. I miss my family. I miss my dogs. I miss not being there to watch my little brothers grow up. And sometimes it all makes me feel like I am too far away.

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Finals-Honestly, kill me now

backinphillyLeave a comment

So now the end is near huh? The semester is ending and people are cramming like some hung over college kid for the bar exam. It’s chaos on the hill, and really it all begs the question, “Who are we kidding?”

There’s no way in hell that this weekend is enough to prepare a student for an exam based on an entire semester’s information. People think that studying this hard for an exam is going to help them.

I’ve got news for all of you. You’re better off not studying at all at this point rather than try and cram. You’re just going to confuse yourself with facts. There IS such a thing as too much studying.

Some guys have been holed up in their rooms this weekend in order to study, only coming out to use the bathroom. They even bring their books in the bathroom to study some more.

Dude, seriously you’re not gonna learn anymore by taking your textbook into the bathroom. Give yourself a minute and a half to use the toilet and go back if u wanna.

I just don’t get the obsession to study like a maniac.

My roommate just told me a saying that his region of China lives by.

“If you have a small test, have a little fun. If you have a big test, have a lot of fun.”

Words of Wisdom from OVS.

Everyone just needs some time off.

To The Best Man I Know.

yrreskrapLeave a comment

This picture says it all.

I love my dad.
I don’t know any other immense, bottomless love.
During times of difficulty, he has been my rock and laid out the foundations for a secure home.

The only thing that scares me is how old my father is.
I mean, I am in no form ashamed of his age. My dad is 80 and he hasn’t failed to love me for a single day.

However, I do get worried.
Sometimes, when he does certain things, I feel a little tug on my heart.

For example, his once steady and strong hands tremble. His fingers move very slow and systematically.
He cannot stand for over 20 minutes at a time.
His sight is slowly slipping away; He can’t drive after the sun begins to set.
He gets sick more often. My father, man who hadn’t caught a cold in so many years, finally caught one this year and he is still trying to recover.

I know these are all natural, especially for someone so elderly. However, he is my father, and I can’t help but get a little sad to see him slowing down.

However, none of these symptoms of old age make me love him any less. Although I have been attending a boarding school 2 hours away from home for the past 5 years of my life and I don’t talk to him nearly as much as I should, he still remains number 1 in my heart, my blessing from God.

I hope that everybody gets to experience such a love. It is overwhelming and wonderful. It motivates you and places you on the right path. It lifts you up and betters you. It moves you without words. It is so powerful and definitely one of the greatest emotions God has given to his people.

My father allowed me to be the person I want to be. When I am older, I want to be able to give the same selfless, unconditional love to my children.

I love you dad, always. I will continue to try to be the best me I can. Hope your cold goes away soon!

Quarters!

r3t5nomLeave a comment

To the average human a quarter is just another way of saying 25 cents, or is seen as just another coin in the pocket. In the boarding school life that is definitely not the case.

This is what a quarter looks like to the those in boarding school
At a boarding school a quarter has a higher value, a quarter is considered to be gold. Not the kind of gold that is worth hundreds of dollars, but more along the lines of it being the main currency for both the laundry rooms washer and dryer, as well as the soda machine. Both of which are to many seen as necessities.

On a nightly basis you can hear as the students seeking quarters rummage through hallways stopping room by room in search for those 25-cent coins. And the cries of happiness and satisfaction when they find a fellow student willing trade a dollar for quarters.


It’s funny to me how such a small thing could be such a bigger part of ones life when they have to do their own laundry and better yet pay for it. If there is anything I have learned from being at a boarding school it is that when I go off to college, quarters are going to be a dear friend.

what do you think?

Life’s A Beach.

yrreskrapLeave a comment

Usually I have an undeniable, irresistible desire for Korean food or home.

But this time, it’s the beach.

The weather has been beautiful lately here in Ojai. I mean, how lucky are we to have summer weather in the end of January?

It started with the semi-annual sale at Victoria’s Secret.

Discounts on swimsuits and free shipping on orders over $25!!

So I bought one and it arrived last Monday but since I was unhappy with it, I sent it back. Now, I have to wait until February for the new one!

NOW ALL I NEED IS SOME SAND AND A LOT OF OCEAN.

But I must have patience because being at a boarding school, I don’t have many chances to leave and head to the beach whenever I want to.

I JUST WANT SUMMER!!

Sometimes life’s a beach.

Sigh of Relief

yrreskrapLeave a comment

If there is one thing that I can tell you about colleges, it is this:

BE ABSOLUTELY SURE BEFORE YOU SEND OUT ANY EARLY DECISION APPLICATIONS.

This was my problem. I thought that I was absolutely sure when I applied to a binding agreement to Williams College and Amherst College. However, after I submitted my applications on September 30th, I visited Massachusetts and toured the campus of Williams. That was when post-application remorse began to settle.

The four hour bus ride from Boston to Williamstown scared me. My fear was being isolated for my college years and reliving my boarding school life not being to leave campus when I wanted to.

As the notification deadline drew closer, I grew more anxious, my confidence wavering in the two schools I applied early for. Soon, I was hoping I’d be rejected.

And here I am. My first two college notifications were rejections, but they were the greatest rejections I have received as funny as that sounds.

What I realized after being rejected was that more than the isolation, I feared the binding agreement the most. I wanted to be able to have a choice and sort through my different options instead of being bound to a single school. I wanted options.

My experience brings me to another point. College tours. Do them.

Even if it is an unofficial tour where you are walking without a guide or fellow student, I cannot stress how important it is that one grasps the vibe of the school you might potentially attend. More than the name of the school or the prestige, it is ultimately your happiness that will bring you success and a great college experience.

So, apply to many and choose. Don’t limit yourself to one school unless you are absolutely true.

Stolen

yourgingerkidLeave a comment

It’s almost ironic that last week I posted a blog about how incredibly fantastic the iPhone 4 is. At the Best Day Foundation, another post of mine, my iPhone 4 was stolen.

MEEP

It was sitting in my beach bag, inside my small make up bag, and underneath all my makeup; somewhere I thought no one would look.

I honestly have nothing to hide on my phone, or on any other electronic item for that matter, but it’s still a bit nerve-racking to have something of yours stolen.

My iPhone was the first item to ever be really stolen from me. I’ve had people “borrow” my things and not bring them back. I’ve have lost things and just assumed that I have misplaced them. Never has someone directly taken something important from me. It’s like your privacy has been invaded.

Which bring me to to the topic of privacy.

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