The Telegram (Vol. 1)

CEDAR COLLEGE

the

telegram

Monday, 25th January, 2016

The new campus Zainab Jafri and Zainab Soni reflect on the new campus and what it means to be part of a school that is always growing.

Editor: Amna Chaudhry Photo Credits: Asad Hashamali, Zainab Soni, Abdul Hadi Khatri, Ryan D’Souza

Monday, 25th January, 2016

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Zainab Jafri

“when you come to a college like Cedar where the sleepless nights are not because you don't know what to do, but because you know exactly what to do and you can't wait to get it done.”

TH E NEW HO ME Zainab Jafri and Zainab Soni reflect on the new campus and what it means to be part of a school that is always growing.

Z A I NA B JAFR I You know how someone takes a temporary job as a cashier at some fast food chain till they graduate and then moves to the marketing department at a multinational company? The anticipation of moving on to a better, more glamorous place is amazing. It keeps you waking up to a new date everyday with such enthusiasm and excitement as you cross off the digits with a red pen edging closer to that one circled date- 11th January' 2016!

I look at all the planks of wood, unpainted walls, window sills and unbuilt rooms of our new campus and even though one floor is still not even complete, it seems so much like a home I've always wanted to build something and now brick by brick, wall by wall, its all coming together.

because you don't know what to do but because you know exactly what to do and you can't wait to get it done. I was homesick for this place and the feeling I get in this place because college isn't about losing yourself in the crowd, it's about finding yourself in the midst of all creativity and creating a masterpiece out of what you explore within yourself.

When I entered our new campus, suddenly the term 'Fernweh', one of my favourite German words, seemed to make more sense- being homesick for a place you've never been to. I think all of us as students and as teenagers were always homesick for a place like this.

This is a place where I don't feel alone, a place where I feel at home.

ZA IN AB SONI At Cedar, you find joy in little things like saying salaam to a perpetually cheerful

Bashir Bhai every morning or taking selfies with Sangeeta Baji who sits outside the girls’ bathroom and never refuses to help. Having random conversations about good noodle bowls with an amazing counsellor who is no less than a great mentor. Endless talks with Sir Yasser about everything (yet still about sociology.) Chasing your immature friends because they ran away with your bag. Having chai and samosas with new people every day. Getting the last roll from Azim Bhai. Photo bombing a selfie.

Sometimes, even the quiet library which a refuge from all the madness when you need to study!

The fact is, Cedar can never be just another school, especially not for the class of 2017. After all, we are the start of something awesome. We are living proof that when you work hard and believe in a dream you will find success after all.

It's incredible how I feel so attached to a place which is so new to me where, in fact, I have one more year left to be.

Perhaps it's because I feel myself changing and evolving - just like how Cedar has evolved before my own eyes.

As a better more accomplished, groomed version of myself that makes me aware of how much is going to change here and how much I am going to miss this.

You grow up to see your siblings and cousins having panic attacks and sleepless nights because their college putting them under pressure instead of building up with their confidence. And then when you come to a college like Cedar where the sleepless nights are not

Monday, 25th January, 2016

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Rahim Shah

We fittingly call it XL Math, because it is certainly ordinary math stretched to an extra large size!

NOT ES O N LU MU N

building to building wasn't enough to truly take in the beauty of the LUMS campus.

Hamza Abdulla

The afternoon break was the point of the day which could have made or broken all your efforts in the debate itself.

While some delegates ran to others to be diplomatic, the others ran to their teammates to discuss their strategies but, more importantly, their mistakes. Everyone sought a quick remedy before the 15 minute break ran out.

We arrived at LUMS on a gloomy morning and experienced a hostile welcome. We waited hours with a chaperone until we were shoved into a room not larger than an average classroom, with mattresses spread on every cubic meter of the floor. Morning by morning, waking up simply to go to the khokha was the purpose of each delegate.

Grabbing a chai and running to the committee session at one point became strategic and frankly those few minutes between running from

Hour after hour, motion after motion, topic after topic discussed and argued upon.

Every single delegate who had played their cards right could taste the nectar of victory.

Then began the real fun, debates concluded for the day and all that was left to look forward to was the socials but in most delegates' minds, bed.

As most ran to change so they could be early for an event that was to start 2 hours late, the others ran to seek refuge in their beds. The Cedar team was one that did both. We first slept and then went technically late but sadly still early for the event.

SSG Commandos of Cedar which really boosts our confidence. Our class is a mixture of fun and learning, with students passing hilarious remarks, and even Sir Sherry himself joining in.

As we have 7 classes a week, we have kind of become a family unit.

The environment in history is considerably different. Sir Farooq values earnestness in the class and has no time for frivolities. Discussions frequently delve interesting heated debates about politics, where he often draws parallels with our nation's own history. He is always ready to remind us of how difficult subjects like History actually are. Though this does scare us a little it also helps us realise that we need to toughen up for university life in the near future. 

I N T HE C LASSROOM Rahim Shah describes how he finds his A Level subjects so far I'll first talk about Accelerated Math, or as we fittingly call it, XL Math, because it is certainly ordinary math stretched to an extra large size! However, we do not feel that tense because of Sir Sherry's informal way of teaching. He often calls us the

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Saba Junaid

I never thought a day would come when I wholeheartedly accepted that being a student is the best thing that has ever happened to me!

24 HOURS Saba Junaid describes her day at school I never thought a day would come when I wholeheartedly accepted that being a student is the best thing that has ever happened to me! True, waking up for my morning class is not something I enjoy. In fact, it’s still dreadful. But once I’m out of bed I don’t mind as much because I'm leaving my home to come to a second home.

My day officially begins the minute I step into the campus and greet the school guard and Miss Fatima with a sleepy 'Good Morning.' The classes never feel draining. They go by so smoothly it is sometimes hard to believe that I sat through all my classes without complaining even once specially in Psychology with Sir Salman. There's not a single class that Sir Salman hasn't given us a motivational speech that wakes us up and gives us an instant reality check.

Its my two hour break in the middle which seems like an obstacle that I need to overcome everyday. Generally, I visit the canteen and ask for Today’s Special. Stomach growling, I hang around and wait for my food while watching everyone hang out on the roof. People are playing music, singing along and spontaneously dancing. The table of gossip girls is sitting right there discussing their day and obviously everyone else's also and there’s always a group of boys playing the same card game every single day or the group of boys and girls struggling to do their homework at the last minute. Although these sights have become routine, I am never bored of looking around and watching people go about their day at Cedar. Even the thought of having to do homework later on in the day doesn't stress me out and I go about the rest of my day peacefully.

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