Cassandra Wilson
March 31, 2019
London A-Term Reflection
Awake in a Dream
As I am writing this, I can not believe that I am already back. What happened to time? Why did everything race by so quickly? Was this all just another one of those nostalgic dreams, and have I just woken to another day in Houston? No. This was not a dream. This was real. This actually happened. I was there with my school, alongside my friends. We worked so hard for this reality, a reality we achieved. Yes, we were in London! I am thankful for every single moment of it.
It has been four years since I lived there and things have changed. I remember four years ago I was running down the staircase of ICS, too happy to slow down and appreciate anything, and too happy to say goodbye. I was happy because it was the last day of school, we were out for the summer of 2015. This meant that my family and I were going back to Houston. As I bursted out those doors, I was unaware that I would not be returning that fall, and in fact, I would not enter that doorway again until March 2019. Perhaps this was the last time I will go inside ICS in my life, but this time, at least, I got to say goodbye.
When I walked through those doors (less than a week ago!) a rush of distinct emotions and memories flooded through the front of my mind. Happy ones, sad ones, stressful, scary, and funny ones. They all came back as I looked around the room. Time has passed and things have changed, such as the students, the teachers, some of the furniture, the way things were arranged, and even myself. However, the building remained the way I left it four years ago. Every door, every wall, every stair was exactly the way I had seen them in countess dreams. It was as if nothing changed at all. For a few heartbeats, I was the same person I was four years ago. I became a part of the dream, and as I sat in the lobby my mind drifted back in time. But then the moment passed, and I turned back to myself in the present, no longer a part of the dream. However, I feel like ICS did not jump forward in time along with me, and I was awake in a dream.
I am so grateful to have meet with the students and teachers at ICS. After spending six months scheduling a visit, it was a remarkable getting to walk through the familiar rooms of the school, exchange presentations, and sit in on one of their classes. It was incredible getting to compare and contrast ICS and Post Oak. I found it astonishing to see how many similarities there are between ICS and Post Oak, since they are both IB schools which have TOK class, the extended essay, and community service activities. When we sat in on their literature class we got to see some of the students give final presentations for IB. Looking back, both ICS and Post Oak have played a major role in my life. Going to my old school in London along with friends from my new school in Houston, seems like something that would only happen in a dream, but this was real. I am still getting over the fact that this actually happened, and my memories still cause me to smile! ICS was definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip, and I will certainly remember this unique experience for the rest of my life.
Another unique experience was walking through a protest in opposition of Brexit. This experience was amazing as we encountered the protest on the same day that we toured Parliament and saw Churchill war rooms. For this reason, the whole day revolved around a theme of politics. This was important to me as last semester I gave a global politics presentation about Brexit, so it was remarkable to witness something I have researched first-hand. Again, it is still hard to believe that this was real, since this is something that usually only happens in a dream!
Initially Brexit was supposed to take place on March 29, 2019 (the day after we got back from our trip), however, it recently got postponed to a later date this year. At the protest, we got to walk alongside thousands of people who disagreed with Brexit, many of were holing EU flags and signs with anti-Brexit messages. This was the first protest I had ever walked through, and it was moving to feel the force of energy exerted from each participant. I have seen many photos of protests before, however not picture could rightfully capture this energy. It can only be felt first-hand. People of all ages were walking together in the same direction, from babies being pushed in strollers to an elderly woman blowing a horn. All ages, all races, all genders, together as one, marching onward. They chanted, they sung, they clapped to the beat of a drum, and music rang though the air.
Out of everything I witnessed it the protest, what stood out to me the most was the fact that they were smiling. They were happy in the fact that they are not alone. In hard times, it is easy to think you are alone, and that nothing can be done; but marching together gives them hope. Hope that walking together upon Parliament, will provoke change. The energy felt like a fire burning on top of water, although it seems impossible, if there is enough fire, nothing can put it out. The people's energy was used to provoke change despite the challenge. If there are enough people, unity will prevail. To me there is some sort of beauty within this energy, and it felt like a powerful movie scene where people come together and fight for what they believe to be right no matter the cost: they're beliefs run too deep for consequeses to even matter. Together they are strong, together nothing can stand in their way. It was almost as if I could hear some kind of heroic music playing in the background as they marched. Witnessing a protest changed the way I think of protests, as I now see their strength and beauty.
Dreams take you back to places you miss and wish to see again. But there was no need to dream this time. This was a dream come true. We got to experience nostalgic places from the past, and had the opportunity to say a proper goodbye. We got to experience so many places which added to my expanded knowledge and respect for London. I had never had an experience like this ever before, and I am extremely grateful that Post Oak gave us the chance to make this massive dream a massive reality. I hope, someday, I find myself once again awake in a dream.
March 31, 2019
London A-Term Reflection
Awake in a Dream
As I am writing this, I can not believe that I am already back. What happened to time? Why did everything race by so quickly? Was this all just another one of those nostalgic dreams, and have I just woken to another day in Houston? No. This was not a dream. This was real. This actually happened. I was there with my school, alongside my friends. We worked so hard for this reality, a reality we achieved. Yes, we were in London! I am thankful for every single moment of it.
It has been four years since I lived there and things have changed. I remember four years ago I was running down the staircase of ICS, too happy to slow down and appreciate anything, and too happy to say goodbye. I was happy because it was the last day of school, we were out for the summer of 2015. This meant that my family and I were going back to Houston. As I bursted out those doors, I was unaware that I would not be returning that fall, and in fact, I would not enter that doorway again until March 2019. Perhaps this was the last time I will go inside ICS in my life, but this time, at least, I got to say goodbye.
When I walked through those doors (less than a week ago!) a rush of distinct emotions and memories flooded through the front of my mind. Happy ones, sad ones, stressful, scary, and funny ones. They all came back as I looked around the room. Time has passed and things have changed, such as the students, the teachers, some of the furniture, the way things were arranged, and even myself. However, the building remained the way I left it four years ago. Every door, every wall, every stair was exactly the way I had seen them in countess dreams. It was as if nothing changed at all. For a few heartbeats, I was the same person I was four years ago. I became a part of the dream, and as I sat in the lobby my mind drifted back in time. But then the moment passed, and I turned back to myself in the present, no longer a part of the dream. However, I feel like ICS did not jump forward in time along with me, and I was awake in a dream.
I am so grateful to have meet with the students and teachers at ICS. After spending six months scheduling a visit, it was a remarkable getting to walk through the familiar rooms of the school, exchange presentations, and sit in on one of their classes. It was incredible getting to compare and contrast ICS and Post Oak. I found it astonishing to see how many similarities there are between ICS and Post Oak, since they are both IB schools which have TOK class, the extended essay, and community service activities. When we sat in on their literature class we got to see some of the students give final presentations for IB. Looking back, both ICS and Post Oak have played a major role in my life. Going to my old school in London along with friends from my new school in Houston, seems like something that would only happen in a dream, but this was real. I am still getting over the fact that this actually happened, and my memories still cause me to smile! ICS was definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip, and I will certainly remember this unique experience for the rest of my life.
Another unique experience was walking through a protest in opposition of Brexit. This experience was amazing as we encountered the protest on the same day that we toured Parliament and saw Churchill war rooms. For this reason, the whole day revolved around a theme of politics. This was important to me as last semester I gave a global politics presentation about Brexit, so it was remarkable to witness something I have researched first-hand. Again, it is still hard to believe that this was real, since this is something that usually only happens in a dream!
Initially Brexit was supposed to take place on March 29, 2019 (the day after we got back from our trip), however, it recently got postponed to a later date this year. At the protest, we got to walk alongside thousands of people who disagreed with Brexit, many of were holing EU flags and signs with anti-Brexit messages. This was the first protest I had ever walked through, and it was moving to feel the force of energy exerted from each participant. I have seen many photos of protests before, however not picture could rightfully capture this energy. It can only be felt first-hand. People of all ages were walking together in the same direction, from babies being pushed in strollers to an elderly woman blowing a horn. All ages, all races, all genders, together as one, marching onward. They chanted, they sung, they clapped to the beat of a drum, and music rang though the air.
Out of everything I witnessed it the protest, what stood out to me the most was the fact that they were smiling. They were happy in the fact that they are not alone. In hard times, it is easy to think you are alone, and that nothing can be done; but marching together gives them hope. Hope that walking together upon Parliament, will provoke change. The energy felt like a fire burning on top of water, although it seems impossible, if there is enough fire, nothing can put it out. The people's energy was used to provoke change despite the challenge. If there are enough people, unity will prevail. To me there is some sort of beauty within this energy, and it felt like a powerful movie scene where people come together and fight for what they believe to be right no matter the cost: they're beliefs run too deep for consequeses to even matter. Together they are strong, together nothing can stand in their way. It was almost as if I could hear some kind of heroic music playing in the background as they marched. Witnessing a protest changed the way I think of protests, as I now see their strength and beauty.
Dreams take you back to places you miss and wish to see again. But there was no need to dream this time. This was a dream come true. We got to experience nostalgic places from the past, and had the opportunity to say a proper goodbye. We got to experience so many places which added to my expanded knowledge and respect for London. I had never had an experience like this ever before, and I am extremely grateful that Post Oak gave us the chance to make this massive dream a massive reality. I hope, someday, I find myself once again awake in a dream.
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