The Adriatic Times 11 - Duinostalgia

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January 2013

Nr. 11

The Adriatic Times

D u i n o s ta l g i a L ook i ng Ba c k a nd L o o k i ng F o rward

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Edito rial

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The Adr ia t ic T ime s Times The Adriatic Th e Adr iat ic T ime s Adr iatic T im e s T he Time s Th e A dria t ic

When we were children we dreamed of a fairy coming to us and saying: “You have three wishes”. Then we imagined houses, cars, horses, dolls whatever we wanted to have at that time. When we were 11 years old we waited to get a letter from Hogwarts, which informed us that we were accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sometimes we think back to this time when we dreamed and believed in miracles. At one point in our life there comes a situation which teaches us that there is not such a thing as Hogwarts, Superman or Pippi Longstocking. But still we like to remember this time and, maybe in hopeless moments, we still secretly hope that these heroes of our childhood actually exist.

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The A d ri Times Th The A d ri Ad ri a ti c Ti m es Th

dependent on the memories we have? The ability to remember makes us different from animals.

A wise man once said ‘memories fade like looking through a fogged mirror’ which is true as we fear to lose the intensity of the memory we have just gained.

Childhood memories are less colourful than the past two years at UWC. Let’s hope that these memories will always be as colourful and as lively as they are right now at the time the Adriatic Times is exploring its theme ‘Looking back, looking forward’; collecting valuable memories from the past and exciting plans for the future.

Cover illustration: Danica Jokić Edition’s illustrations: Valev Laube

contributors

When we dream now we are dreaming of a fairy coming to us and saying: “You have three wishAdditionally we can say that all es”. Now we imagine 45 points the knowledge we possess at this in the IB, love, money, peace and moment comes from memories whatever else we want at this moof experiences we have had in our ment. lives. First years welcome to Theory of Knowledge! Aren’t we all The Editorial Staff

Jornalists: Sibel Spahija, Camila Ruiz Segovia, Jacob Borg, Brais Lamela Gómez, Eloá França Verona, .com ictimes.wordpress Wanda Thormeyer at ri d .a w w w m o fr er mes@uwcad.it ti c. ti Designer: Valev Laube a ri Read the newpap d a to g ngs by emailin Proof reader: Malcolm Price Publish your writi

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Alice in WonderDuino

By Neide Leandra Lopes da Costa

Once upon a time a little girl named Alice left her hometown bound for a new life with an UM (Unaccompanied Minor) sign around her neck.

second-year Osmizza… I mean we don’t have to be there thinking about the lost prima anymore. YEAHHHHHHHH” Marta and Jacob

Alice arrived at Marco Polo Airport, in Venice, very late at night. Since she had missed her first plane, she did not find her friends from the UWCAD Facebook group.

Alice managed to buy train tickets to Monfalcone despite her status of “Italianless”. Although she was alone, she was very optimistic, happy, excited, and ready for adventures and challenges, and constantly dreaming about helping others. With all her dedication and determination, she arrived in Duino. As the door of the bus was opening, a big hole was forming, and she stepped out of the bus falling into UWCAD Land - the WonderDuino.

Ten hours before, Marta had arrived at the College from the bus station screaming: “We have lost a primaaaaaaa”. As all students have big hearts, they started to gather round crying and lamenting “Oh my God!”, “Oh no!”, “That’s so sad!” and asking Marta a lot of questions: “Seriously?”, “Really?”, “How come?”, “What shall we do now?”

A couple of hours later Marta posted the following message on the UWCAD Facebook page: “Fellow co-years, the lost prima situation was reported to Helen, so there is no need to worry. Now we can focus entirely on our first

In thirty seconds the inhabitants of WonderDuino knew that Alice was there. Jusse ran to the Piazza and dragged Alice to Mickeys, where she experienced the heat produced by a Tequila shot, data that she was told would be of use in a chemistry experiment. Then she broke curfew for the first time, but it was not her fault, as it was a time zone problem.

By twelve o’clock the next day everybody (or almost everybody) was awake and getting ready to go to Mensa. By this time her fellow students already knew that “what happens in Mickeys stays in Mickeys”. Alice went to Mensa with a “secondo”, Peichong. A portion of “pasta con pomodoro e formaggio” made her grow twice as big, and she looked intriguingly to Peichong who simply turned 360o as the best explanation he could give her.

Worried about her size, she decided that from now on salads were the only option for her menu, and that her core-physical activity would have to become three more. This routine was pursued for two long days: the time it took for the IB to become too demanding, leaving no time for extra activities.

Feeling quite disoriented Alice went to her room, and lay on her bed. Without being able to control herself, she started to perspire from the eyes, the first symptom of a terrible disease: homesickness. “I’m going to call the nurse”, said her roommate. The nurse arrived

and examined Alice, and told her to go to the Medical Centre the following day to see the Doctor.

When Alice woke up she remembered she had to go to the Medical Centre. While going down the stairs she stumbled and fell. Alec found her on the floor in pain, and carried her to the Medical Centre. The nurse gave her a pair of crutches, and said that she had come too early, and that she had to go back to her room.

Thankfully the Doctor appeared in Alice’s room by lunchtime. Alice explained to her how she was feeling. The Doctor thought for ten minutes and gave her a prescription: For homesickness 1 Paracetamol every 8 hours For the broken ankle 2 Paracetamols every 8 hours Signed The Doctor

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Emad got to know that his beloved prima was very sick and decided to visit her. After having failed to cheer her up, he decided to introduce her to a great friend of his. “I’m going to introduce you to Laci”, he said.

“Laci? Is that a boy or a girl?”

Alice asked. “It is difficult to say”, said Emad. And he continued, “He is a kind of hexpolar creature who changes his mood every five minutes. That’s how he makes us happy!”

Alice got excited about the idea of feeling happy, and waited impatiently for Laci.

Although he was known to procrastinate, Laci arrived at the speed of light. He brought sweets and tea that he had got from his visits to other rooms.

They spent hours talking; looking at pictures, watching movies, and laughing like hyenas: a true Hakuna Matata moment. But during this period,

lice in Alice’s head were sucking her blood and making her smaller and smaller without either of them noticing; until she fell between the bed and the mattress, which Laci found to be a brilliant trick of magic.

Alice screamed for hours, but no one heard her. The spring of the mattress helped her to jump out of the hole she was in. Laci had left and closed the door, so with her tiny size,

and being unable to open the door, she decided to go out of the room through the window.

Unfortunately the Bora was blowing outside, and blew her out of WonderDuino.

Whether she lived happily ever after, no one knows … once you are out of WonderDuino: do we know?

New Beginnings

By Thabile Moyo on Sunday, 23rd December 2012 at 15:30 A second, minute, hour, day, sunset to sunrise, the lunar cycle and even in mythology (the phoenix cycle) have a certain aspect that makes them a similar entity. They all exist for a particular period, but they are regenerative. The events that take place in that particular period of time establish its existence, but alas each period has to end to give birth to a new one with new events. And this applies to each and every person’s

life in a YEAR. We all have aspirations and resolutions but in the course of each second, minute, hour, day, sunset to sunrise and the lunar cycle we are all faced by different events which may lead to a victory, countless mistakes made, reputations shattered, pain inflicted, bonds broken, reunions established, new birth, death and love found. It is in these times that we should rel-

ish whatever situation we are in at the moment and learn from it, if there is a lesson that blooms in preparation for the next cycle. We cannot truly determine what kind of situation we will face in the next cycle, but we can model ourselves to make each and every event a learning tool. Let us not dwell on the past cycle. Forward is the way, for we never have an INVERSE second, minute, hour, day, sunset to sunrise and

a lunar cycle.

This is to new beginnings. The past has indeed passed and what lies ahead is unknown, but the time to begin is now, for we are constantly regenerating.

Happy New Year Thabs

T h e A d r i a t i c T i m es T he Ad r ia tic Times The Ad r ia tic Tim e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m es The Adriatic Ti T i m e s Th e Ad riatic T i m e s T h e A dr i a t i c T i m e s T h e A d ri ati c Ti m es The A d ri ati c Ti mes The A d ri ati c Ti m es The A d r ia t ic T imes T h e T h e Ad ri a t i c T i m es The Ad r ia tic Times The Ad r ia ti c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic Tim e s The Adriati A dr i a t i c T i m es T he Ad r ia tic Times The Ad r ia tic Tim e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i me s The Adriatic Ti Time s T h e A d ri at i c T i m es The Ad r ia tic Times The Ad r iat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c Tim e s The Adria

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Far away from home

By Wanda-Maria Thormeyer

“My name is Maiwand Nori’m. I am 20 years old and a refugee from Afghanistan. I come from Jalalabad, near the border of Pakistan. There is war every day. My parents died, friends were injured. I lived there until my parents died when I was only 14 years old and then I fled through Iran, Turkey, France and Luxembourg.

For nearly two years I have been living in an asylum camp in Germany. However I could not go to work or school. I was not allowed to leave the area of the asylum camp, they called it residential restriction.

Maybe it was better like that. One night German Nazis gathered in front of our camp and threatened to set it on fire. A friend of mine was beaten by them when he walked outside the camp alone.

What is this life? I am living in a golden cage. Germany is the dream of so many but since I am here I have not experienced the German freedom. In the internet I heard about a protest in Berlin of all refugees in Germany. What I actually want is freedom. I am young. I want to go to school and I want to live you know.”

Each year there are many refugees coming to Germany to claim asylum. Only a few hundred actually get asylum though. The criteria are strict and the circumstances in which the refugees live are bad.

Asylum claims averaged 535 per day in October 2012. By the end of October a total of about 11,700 claims had been lodged at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. That is almost a quarter of the total

number of asylum claims for the year 2011 (45,741). Claims especially from Macedonia, Serbia and Syria have increased.

When you are granted asylum it does not mean you can stay in Germany forever. When Ayodele Madaiyese turned 18 the German Government wanted to deport him back to Nigeria.

He came to Germany two years ago however without visa or any papers but now he is completely integrated into the German system, studies at a German high “My name is Tenzin Samten. I am 27 years old and come from a suburb near Lhasa the capital of Tibet. I have not been in Tibet for 17 years since I left it with my younger brother Dawa who was 8 at that time. My mother, another brother and my little sister however stayed in Tibet because my little sister was too young to flee at that time. We fled to India hoping our family would come later, but the surveillance

school and plays in the soccer team in Hamburg. Who gives anyone the right to determine where people live? Isn’t home wherever your family and your friends are? What determines Maiwand as Afghane and Ayodele as Nigerian?

Living in a German asylum camp does not make you free, you are still captured. Most refugee seekers wait for years for the right to stay in Germany.

They live illegally in the suburbs of the Chinese Government was intensified at the border between Tibet and India. My family is still in Tibet and I am not allowed to go back to Tibet. In India I got to know my current wife, Rebecca H. She told me that there was a way to see my family again. I simply needed to live in Germany for approximately 10 years. But how could I live in Germany? I certainly would not get asylum because

of bigger cities, trying to plan ahead, looking forward. Looking for the reason why they came to Germany, the country which promises them the opportunity to live freely.

Admittedly there is another way to stay in Germany: Samten from Tibet found a way to trick the strict rules of asylum policies in Germany

this is very difficult in Germany.

Rebecca and I decided to marry to make it possible for me to live in Germany, giving me the only chance to see my family again.

For 5 years I have been living in Germany now and studying at the University of Hamburg.

The only dream I have is to see my family again and to fight for my people at home because I can do that from a free country like Germany.'

Th e Ad r i a t i c T i m e s T he A d ria tic Times The Ad r ia tic Times T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s The Adriatic Ti T i m e s T he A d riatic Time s The A dr i a t i c T i m e s T h e A dr i a t i c Ti m es The A d ri ati c Ti mes The A d ri ati c Ti m es The A d ri ati c T imes T h e The Adr i a t i c T i m e s T he A d ria tic Times The Ad r ia tic Times T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s The Adriati A dr ia t i c T i me s T he A d ri at i c Times The Ad r ia tic Times The A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e Adriatic Ti T imes T h e A d ri a t i c T i m es T he Ad r ia tic Times The Ad r ia tic T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic Tim e s The Adria

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Maybe deception is the only way to live in a country where freedom and democracy is legislated. Germany is not the only European country where be-

ing granted asylum is hard, the refugee policies of many other European countries are even harder. France claims solidarity with refugees but nothing is

changing. Many politicians fail to understand the situation refugees live in. Ripped from their homes they live in the past but need to deal with the present.

Politicians say: 'There are too many refugees!' 'There are too few human beings' I say!

A modern Austro-Hungarian Empire

By Camila Ruiz Segovia

It has become a tradition that every winter break, here at the UWC Adriatic, students organize what we call street performances. These are a great excuse to arrange a one-week trip to different European countries and use the opportunity to spread UWC values by making school presentations plus outdoors and indoors performances.

This winter Tara, Alexander and Gabor planned a tour in the ex-Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The journey began right after the end of the school term with a group of ten students that were part of the initiative. The excursion was divided into three phases where we visited three different cities: Graz, Budapest and Vienna.

So our first stage was in Graz, a small Austrian city which is Tara’s home. We left an unexpectedly snowy Duino just after lessons had finished and took three buses and a train to reach our destination. As night fell, everything looked empty and spacious and it was certainly colder than in our village. I remember being a bit preoccupied by the thought of not having enough warm clothes. Yet, everything went fine as Tara was waiting for us at the train station with a smile and the promise of a hot dinner.

We went to a small apartment that she called the office. This was the venue for the local youth party, so you could feel an air

of fresh discussion compressed within the room.

After warming up and eating, Annelies and I went to our host family. The host was a very kind UWC mom and an excellent photographer, who offered us spicy hot chocolate and a cosy room to sleep.

The following morning we had a guided tour around the city.

Something that fascinates me about European cities is how the sun illuminates the buildings with an angled light during winter. In a city like Graz, full of white edifices and a bit of snow, this light gave it a somewhat magical aura. I liked the red roofs in the castle-like houses and the green gothic cupolas on the religious centres. I got the feeling that people in Austria lived in a different reality, where everybody walks fast with elegant long coats and looks like kings and princes from past times.

That evening we met Tara’s friends at the office. They were of course very into politics so we had a fervent discussion about Feminism. Then we relaxed and went for a city walk to the Christmas Market where we were offered hot spicy wine, cinnamon bread, meats, and other local products.

The plan for the next day was to go to Tara’s ex-school to give two UWC presentations. We always become ridiculously passionate when trying to communicate

our love for the college. Hopefully, we were able to motivate someone to apply, if not, it anyway felt fine to realize the depth of our affection for Duino.

When the evening arrived, it was time to leave Graz. It was Tara’s birthday so we gave her a cake and loudly sang tanti auguri.

We left for Budapest using again buses and trains and got there by night-time.

This time Annelies and I had an ex UWC student as host. She had been to UWC-USA and was living in the city after finishing her university studies. There we also met another ex UWC stu-

dent from northern Italy with whom we had curry for dinner.

As we stayed more than four days in the Hungarian city, I cannot remember with exact detail the order of events. Yet, there are a few events and impressions I would like to recall: Firstly, the atmosphere of the city itself. It was not as neat as Graz but there was a certain beauty in the old cracked trams, the opaque imperial buildings and the moss-covered marbles.

Even more, the splendour of the city was reflected in its fur-hatted inhabitants, its artsy cafes, its goulash markets, its eternal fog-

The A d r i a t i c T i m e s T he A dr ia tic Times The Ad r ia tic Tim e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m es The Adriatic Ti T i m e s Th e Ad riatic Ti m e s T h e A dr i a t i c T i m e s T h e Ad ri ati c Ti m es The A d ri ati c Ti mes The A d ri ati c Ti m es The A d r ia t ic T imes T h e T h e A d ri at i c T i m es T he Ad r ia tic Times The Ad r ia tic T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic Tim e s The Adriati A d r i a t i c T i m e s T he Ad r ia tic Times The Ad r ia tic Tim e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m es The Adriatic Ti Time s T h e Ad ri a t i c T i m es The Ad r ia tic Times The Ad r ia ti c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic Tim e s The Adria

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gy bridges and the dark coloured architecture.

Secondly, the wonderful tour guide we had. Our friend Gabor as informed as he could be about his capital kept on reading Wikipedia articles to us about the historical monuments.

Everything went better than perfect, yet Gabor would always ask us if we were doing ok, if we were hungry or tired. And by the way, he said as he pointed at the golden parliament, this building had been ranked one of the most beautiful buildings in Europe.

Thirdly, the warm company of friends in different places. There is nothing as nice as enjoying the Cezanne exhibition with Dominique, as stimulating as walking around the city with Alexander and Nelle, as unusual

as visiting a spa with Annelies, as calming as going to a bar with Liuba, as joyful as dancing to Arab music with Dina in the Kebab shop.

urious Christmas lights decorating the main pedestrian streets with sparkling crystal. There we had a charming and rather elegant dinner with the UWC

Participants:

Organizers:

Makiko Annelies Camila Dominique Liuba Dina Murat

Tara P Gabor Alexander W Cindy

Mayu Nelle

So we were very tired by the end of that week and had still a few days for our last destination: the great Vienna.

Vienna shines for itself. It is a city of pure extravagance. It could sometimes be overwhelming. There we saw the most lux-

Austrian national committee.

There we had the chance to visit the Albertina and Belvedere museums, probably my favourite experience, to see the always awe-inspiring Klimt, Schiele and Kokoschka’s paintings.

ander and Rafael, my first year from Mexico. In the rush of departure caused by the beautiful place, we forgot the keys inside the apartment of our host. So in my last hours in Vienna, surrounded by horses and carriages, by the typical Austrian architecture, by art galleries and the crowd of the city, I was running here, there and everywhere. I guess I would have not minded staying one day longer and visiting the MUseum MOderner Kunst or something else. But no.

Things had gone so well and fortunately everything got solved in the end. So I was able to see the sunset and later fly somewhere else as everybody had gone and so ended the first week of our winter break.

I spent the last day with Alex-

A Day Trip to Udine

By Malcolm Price

Why would you want to go to Udine?

Well, you can get there by bus from Duino Piazza. There is a beautiful centre to the city. You are on a plain surrounded by mountains. The art is some of the best north of Padova and Venezia. The shopping is pretty good and the food is even better.

So, the question is why would you want to waste a Saturday morning lying in bed, when you could be going to Udine?

How to get there?

The bus takes 90 minutes and costs EUR 4.15 one way or EUR 5.00 if you buy the ticket on the bus. It is an E07 ticket, which you can buy from the tabaccheria in Duino. The bus is the # 51 from Trieste, which should have an Udine sign on the front. If it doesn’t, it will have a Ronchi Aeroporto sign, which means you will have to change at the

ones in the bus station are fine) and then finding a coffee shop.

Udine has hundreds of good coffee shops, but I would recommend one just by the Torre di Porta Aquileia, called the Gran Caffe Friuli. It is two minutes from the bus station and serves Goppion coffee, which is nearly as good as Illy, plus really good brioches and muffins. airport, but don’t worry because the buses are timed to connect with each other. Coming back, you should again get the # 51 from the bus station in Udine and if it has a Monfalcone sign on the front, it means you will have to change to a Trieste # 51 when you get to the old brick works with the two big chimneys and Ricky’s Tattoo parlour in Monfalcone.

What to do first?

I recommend finding a toilet (the

Torre di Porta Aquileia

What then?

When you go to a new city it is always best to check out what is going on and get a map, so I recommend a gentle walk into town along Viale Ungheria, presumably named in honour of Attila the Hun who is reputed to have stood on Udine’s castle hill and watch Aquileia burn.

The Viale goes past the University residential accommodation which has an Information Point

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Casa Cavazzini

for students, which I am sure you can use if you want to. The Information Point for tourists is in the Piazza Primo Maggio, where there are often fairs and street markets. The assistants in the Information Point are very helpful giving out maps, lists of events and directions.

The Big Event of the Day What do you want to do?

There is a load to do in Udine, but my favourites are looking at art, climbing up into the castle, visiting churches, shopping and just wandering around.

Giambattista Tiepolo Udine is one of the best places in the world to see Tiepolo’s incredible skies and strange perspectives in their original settings. The Museo Diocesano

not far from the Tourist Office has some fine Tiepolo’s on the walls and ceilings of the Patriarch’s Palace (entry EUR 3 for students). The Museo Civici in the Castle on top of the hill has a fine Tiepolo as well as rooms full of drawings and etchings (entry EUR 3 for students). The Duomo has a couple of nice Tiepolo’s, but the real gem is the ceiling of the Oratorio della Purita just across the street from the Duomo; unfortunately it is rarely open to the public, but you can always try to squeeze in before a wedding or service starts.

Museo D’Arte Moderno e Contemporanea This museum has just moved into the Casa Cavazzini in Via Cavour in the heart of Udine. It is a remarkable setting for a pretty good modern art museum (entry EUR 1.50 for students).

The ground floor is an exhibition space (Moroso furniture when I was last there), with the 2nd and 3rd floors given over to the more permanent collections of paintings and sculptures.

There are some nice pieces by de Chirico, Marchig, Carrà, Music and Martini, but for me the most remarkable painting is “Prima che si apra il parachute”

by Tullio Crali from 1939; I have never seen anything quite like it.

The Castle Walking up into the castle is

well worth the effort. You can approach it from the front or the back but either way the views you get from the top on a clear day are spectacular. You see the Venetian Plain surrounded by the Julian Alps, Carnia and the Dolomites, with Aquileia and Grado to the South. The Church of Santa Maria has some frescos from the XIIIth Century and it is free to enter, but you will have to pay to get into the Castle itself, as it houses the Museo Civici. For those interested in more modern history, there are a couple of interesting photographs and a spiked gun from the First World War in the loggia facing the Casa della Contadinanza.

Wandering Udine is a very Borghese city, with plenty of pedestrianised areas where you can wander around admiring the architecture and the style. The Piazza della Liberta is supposed to be the most beautiful Venetian square on the Terra Firma, with a pink and white Loggia del Lionello on one side and the Bollani Arch designed by Palladio on the other. The lovely Piazza Matteoti is ringed by caffe’s and usually has an open air fruit and fish market on a Saturday morning.

Shopping The shopping in Udine is not bad, with a Zara, Web and B/

Store for fashion, a good Feltrinelli for cds, dvds and books (some of which are in languages other than Italian), a Douglas and Limoni for cosmetics, and food shops for cheese, ham and chocolates. Udine has a fairly large immigrant population, es-

Bollani Arch by Palladio

pecially down towards the bus station, so I stopped off at the Jia Mai Market before getting the bus back to Duino to buy coconut milk for a curry.

But what about food?

There is plenty of food available in Udine for students on a limited budget, right from open sandwiches in the cafes to whole pizzas in places like Al Gelso’s.

While researching this piece I went to Osteria Ai Barnabiti in Piazza Garibaldi for a salumi plate of San Daniele ham and Montasio cheese, washed down with sparkling water. To finish it off, Udine has a few good ice cream shops including a Grom not far from Piazza Matteoti.

So, why not find a like-minded soul and go exploring on a Saturday morning?

Loggia del Lionello and Castle

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“Mission impossible” or “my own social experiment”

By Beāte Ančevska

I want to make a direct response to the article that Adam wrote in the first issue of The Duiconomist about the tragedy of the commons in residences. But this is not about economics.

More like psychology.

While my friends and co-years were busy finishing up their last self-designs and internal assessments in subjects I am happy I never took, or posting unnecessary but funny posts on their Facebook pages, I decided to start a new and exciting social experiment.

Next to my little Latvia there is a dark and scary place called Fore Kitchen. I don’t want it to be dark and scary - I love the fresh milk delivered by Sergio and I enjoy having some of that bread delivered by the bread man woman every morning. So one Monday night when Laci had left for Old Offices (to be in curfew) and there was no one to

keep me busy, I decided to clean the kitchen (with a little help from my friends).

That Monday night I was almost popular. Everyone liked the clean sink and tables, so I got some positive feedback. That started me to wonder – for how long is it going to stay like this?

(I said three days; Alex thought it would be only one) So the next morning I go down to the dayroom and I see dirty cups and cutlery. Obviously, I was not surprised. But also I didn’t want my work to be for nothing, so I washed up again, maybe just to prove my point that we can last longer than a day. And I continued doing this for the rest of the week. Not because I wanted to give the impression that I am perfect or anything (to be honest, sometimes in the past I acted like a badass and left a dirty dish in the pile myself). But not during that

week, because I knew I would be the one cleaning up afterwards.

When people asked me why I did this, I called it my social experiment. Even if this report won’t be nearly as good as the ones I regularly produce for my Chemistry SL, I will try to draw together some conclusions:

4. But, there is a higher possibility that a person will wash their dishes if the kitchen is clean.

While conducting my experiment, Rimma was really happy and Simone indirectly told me that I had finally found my place in this community. I hope that was a joke.

1. The worst hours this community experiences are in the mornings before classes, during break time, right after curfew and at the weekends;

I would have continued with the experiment, but I think that I was slowly losing all my friends and becoming socially awkward because of bossing people around. But the message I wanted to deliver with all this nonsense is that it actually worked for a time and I believe that the spring will come soon with flowers and clean kitchens.

Looking back and looking forward – so I even fit the theme of this issue!

2. Negative reinforcement and punishment don’t work, even if behaviourism (one of the perspectives in psychology) teaches us that they should; 3. Awkwardly stalking people in the dayroom and repetitively reminding them to wash their dishes annoys them and eventually they start to hate you.

Give me the option to elect a man in a dress

By Frida Østerby Berg

If the title and above statement shocks you, I am afraid it is commonly justifiable. Unfortunately, a man wearing the ultimate garment of femaleness is quite a rare sight. But let’s reverse it a bit: How come it is so normal, or in fact almost a requirement, for women in powerful positions to wear a suit-like garment?

I am proud of coming from a country which last year elected their first female prime minister.

With my gender having been overshadowed in a male-dominated society with a man at the Head of the Government, we were finally represented at the very top by a woman – a historical event that brought some sense of justice to the apparently everlasting gender inequality.

But while watching Helle Thorning-Schmidt on TV, I am actually offended. Like most other highly ranked female politicians and authority figures she keeps showing up in a suit. Though adapted to fit a woman’s body, it is still based on the formal outfit originally designed for men.

“Well it’s good that she merges with the others!” you might argue – and yes, it is of course always important to remain equal with your peers, but aren’t all people equal in the first place, no matter their outfit? One might suggest that the whole “dress-code-isation” of equality feeds on the narrow-minded side of human psychology and lets it bloom.

All the way back in Ancient Egypt, when Pharaoh Hatshepsut, a woman, had figures carved of her political and religious persona, she was portrayed as a man. And in spite of feminist struggles and women’s liberation, we apparently have not gotten any further forward.

The suit derives from a garment reserved for male figures and therefore has a very strong masculine symbolism, even though it serves to harmonize its wearers. It has the air of authority and is continually worn by socalled important figures, thus perpetuating a vicious circle.

So when a society fully encourages gender equality, why does the formal, authoritative and politically correct attire derive

from that of a man? I find it curious that we have not adapted the traditionally female dresses to fit men and given them the status of the suit. Isn’t it slightly bizarre that it worked the other way around, and even more outrageous that we continue to embrace it? I think it is sad and discouraging that most people would shake their heads and laugh at this statement.

Even though female on paper, the figure my prime minister portrays is not that of a woman.

Perhaps it is only a lame excuse to say that we are no longer male dominated, when in fact we evidently are.

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Rita Levi-Montalcini

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By Dima and Tony Guertchev

Finding the Good in the Bad….

Neurobiologist Rita Levi-Montalcini, a Nobel laureate in medicine in 1986, the person after whom our labs are named, died December 30th 2012 at the age of 103 - the sad news quickly spread in the scientific community.

I remember her appearing on TV shortly after the celebration of her 100th birthday. “Do you still work?”- they asked her.

“Oh, I go to the lab every day. I get up at 5am; I don’t have much time remaining in front of me!”

– She smiled and explained that her brain was working better than ever.

Rita Levi faced prejudice and adversity as a woman and as a Jew. She encountered various forms of oppression in her life but “If I had not been discriminated against or had not suffered persecution, I would never have received the Nobel Prize,” she declared.

Levi-Montalcini and her family left Turin in 1942 for the surrounding hills and successfully survived the war in hiding. By convincing farmers that she needed eggs for her children (whom she did not have), Levi-Montalcini studied how embryonic nerve tissue differentiates into specialized types. In 1952, she found that when tumors from mice were transplanted into chick embryos, they induced potent growth of the chick embryo’s nervous system.

She concluded that the tumor released a nerve growth-promoting factor (GPF). The discovery has led to improved therapeutic agents and could be

central to eventual treatments for diseases such as multiple sclerosis or Alzheimer’s and psychiatric disorders such as depression or anorexia.

In 1962 she established a research unit in Rome, and from then on she divided her time between Italy and America.

From 1993 to 1998 she was President of the Institute of the Italian Encyclopedia. She was the author of numerous scientific publications, four bestsellers, and a short autobiography, “In Praise of Imperfection”. In 1992 she created, together with her twin sister, the Levi-Montalcini Foundation, in memory of their

Aaron Swartz

father, to assist young people in the difficult choices regarding their fields of study. She was also involved in helping African women get better education and providing scholarships for scientific research.

Prof. Montalcini was closely linked to the UWC movement and for some years worked as President of the UWC National Committee of Italy. She visited the college shortly after the opening of the science labs and met students and teachers.

26 years of a life that left so many footprints in everyone’s lives

By Sibel Spahija

Aaron Swartz was born on November 8th, 1986 in Chicago, Illinois. He was an American computer programmer, writer, political organizer and internet activist. As his father had founded a software company, Aaron showed an early interest in computers. At age 13 he won the ArsDigita Prize, a competition for young people who create useful, educational, and collaborative non-commercial websites. The prize included a trip to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). By age 14, Swartz was a member of the working group that authored the RSS 1.0 web syndication specification, a specialized offshoot of an earlier RSS pro-

gram.

He attended Stanford University, but he left after just one year.

Instead he founded the software company Infogami, a startup that was funded by Y Combinator’s first Summer Founders Program. Through the Y Combinator program, Swartz started the wiki platform Infogami (later used to support the web.py and Open Library sites), but he felt he needed co-founders to proceed. Y-Combinator organizers suggested that Infogami merge with Reddit, which it did in November 2005.

Swartz was heavily involved in a campaign to prevent the pass-

ing of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a bill that sought to monitor the Internet for copyright violations and would have made it easier for the U.S. Government to shut down websites accused of violating copyright.

In late 2010 and early 2011, Swartz downloaded 4 million of JSTOR’s collection of academic journal articles. JSTOR usually provides only a limited number of articles to students and researchers free, the rest they charge for. Swartz was a faculty member at Harvard University which provided him with a JSTOR account. Over the course of a few weeks, he downloaded the documents

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from a network wiring closet at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and, in the process, crashed some of JSTOR’s servers. He was caught and was charged with wire and computer fraud, carrying a potential prison term of up to 35 years and a fine of up to $1 million.

On January 11, 2013, Swartz was found dead in his Crown Heights, Brooklyn apartment where he had hanged himself.

The punishment was probably the reason why he committed suicide. He faced 35 years of prison and a $1 million fine as a result of ‘hacking’ a company to make freely available documents which you normally had to pay for.

But then, why did he do it?

What were his benefits of this situation?

Aaron Swartz had been working for Creative Commons and was known as a man who worked for the “good of all”, where he didn’t earn anything and just shared whatever he got, freely.

Was the decision of the government to punish him justified or was it just revenge, to make an example of what could happen to those who would follow his way?

All he had done so far were actions for freedom. How we define freedom and its borders is another point in Aaron’s case.

Who decides what freedom is, how much you should give to someone and till when? All these questions lead us to an unsolved puzzle of Swartz’s case.

After his death, different points of view gave him different types of titles. To some he was a hero and to some ‘a hacker’. It’s obvi-

ous to whom he is hero. Those who thank Aaron for all the information he has shared on his public sites, now cry for losing a hero like him. And it is sure that Mr. Swartz will live forever, but as whom? Will he live as a loser, who couldn’t think of any other logical solution except committing suicide, or as a hero? Considering the fact that there are both sides that have different opinions on this situation then the answer should be, both.

But then, who decides to call him what and with what reasons? Those who knew him well will probably espouse him according to their personal experience of him. What about the people who were just an audience behind his life’s window?

Who should this people rely on for the truth, the government or his friends?

As a society we should consider every situation and gain something from what has happened. Moreover we should try to change something, maybe to prevent tragedies of a similar kind. But all this has to be done by a single action from both the government and us, society. If we call Aaron Swartz a “modern day Robin Hood” ( as Barack Obama was called ) or ‘a hacker’ it is not going to change anything for him anymore, but if something had been done to prevent a mistake then there shouldn’t be a barrier which would stop us preventing other mistakes in the future.

Remembering those who leave their footprints in our lives , shows how ready we are to take a lesson of what happened and prepare ourselves for dealing with similar issues in the future which, who knows, could be a case of our own.

Share creation with all the UWC students Get to know the spirit of music Share your story Organize concerts in your community Get knowledged about different styles Collaborate with all of the colleges Contact with UWC Music Network International to get to know how the system works or join Adriatic department.

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A PLEA FOR UNCERTAINITY

By Brais Lamela Gomez

In the fiction of Lewis Carroll, Alice stumbles upon a fork in the road. Ignorant of the destination of the diverging paths, she is unable to decide which one to take. The Cheshire cat, logical as always, easily solves the problem: ‘If you don’t know where you want to go, it does not matter which road you take’.

I have been thinking lately about future prospects. I have no idea where I will be next year at this point, and I think that this is the situation of quite a few of us. All of the people who are due to leave the college this year are, to a lesser or greater extent, unsure about how next year is going to be, and since these days I have seen several

people nervous about this situation, I just wanted to recall in this article how beneficial uncertainty is.

One second is enough for the world to change. In the strictest sense of the word, there is no such a thing as certainty.

Uncertainty is what helps us to survive and to evolve. When we think that we know our future, we become stubborn and inactive, we stop seeking and exploring. Uncertainty enables us to adapt to new situations, whereas a clear goal only restricts many possibilities from us. When we are uncertain, we are also more perceptive. It was in a period of uncertainty that I decided to apply to UWC. By

definition, it is always in doubtfulness that we have the chance to move forward.

I think we live in a bubble, thinking that our future is to be decided by the next university email. We have been fooled to believe that this is the turning point of our lives. However, for good or bad, I believe that our lives do not have turning points, which is another way of saying that any point might be a turning point. I do not mean that, since everything is uncertain, we should just stop having expectations or goals. I also came here with expectations. I came to this (sorry for the adjective) last term, with TO-DO lists to fulfill and spotted people to get

to know. There is a clear difference between having dreams and ignoring the world around us to persecute something.

Salman Rushdie once said that the story you finish is never the one you begin. Looking back, I see how much my life has changed at this school. I got to know myself much better; or even more, I saw myself changing in many ways. Not having a clear goal during these two years has enabled me to live new experiences and to discover things that truly inspire me. Living is a continuous uncertainty, and therefore there is nothing wrong about being doubtful; it is only frightful to be too sure about everything.

How to explain Maltese Politics?

By Jacob John Borg

Politics in Malta is a ferociously tribal business. You’ve got the Labour Party (led by Joseph Muscat) on one side and the Nationalist Party (led by Lawrence Gonzi) on the other. Broadly speaking, the Labour Party is left of centre and definitely not too pro-Europe, while the Nationalist Party is very conservative, not-tolerant and Christian.

The Nationalists have been in power for nearly all of the last 25 years, interrupted only by a

2 year period from 1996 when the Labour gang got into office.

However, this does not accurately reflect just how narrow the margins tend to be on Election Day. The last election was in 2008, when the Nationalists scraped in by a popular vote of 143,468 to 141,888; numbers which give you an idea of how evenly divided the population is in terms of party loyalty. Voter turnout for that election was 93% - in-

Mr. Joseph Muscat signing the new Labour’s Political Party logo

credibly high by the standards of most countries, (the 2012 US election achieved only a 57.5% turnout) - but in fact this was the lowest percentage of eligible voters to go to the polls here in Malta since 1971! The authorities are keen that everyone should vote, even going as far as flying voters back to Malta for the election, as in my case!

Another election is looming, and the rival parties have started taking pot-shots at each oth-

er in the form of giant roadside billboards. The common theme among these billboards is that they invariably point out perceived weaknesses in their rivals, rather than highlighting any positive suggestions or policies of their own. However as it seems that party allegiance is something bestowed upon you at birth, unfortunately a billboard campaign is unlikely to sway too many opinions either way.

Muscat (left) and Gonzi (right) going for a head-to-head debate!

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How to Join the Ranks of Leaders Respected by the International Community

By Anna Kirillova (UWCAd 2001)

Living in the Ukraine and witnessing the spread of the Milosevic virus across the post-Soviet space, I have caught myself trying to think of a more positive example of leadership coming from those countries. The name of Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, the last President of the USSR, an outstanding social and political actor, is the first one that comes to my mind in this respect. Highly honored in the West, always subjected to a round of applause, Gorbachev is truly basking in the rays of glory. What exactly did he do to join the ranks of leaders respected by the international community?

the process of ethnic conflict resolution.

Take a look at the simple fourstep recipe of successful leadership from Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev that could also bring the laurels and worldwide recognition to other modern post-Soviet statesmen:

3. Kill the ruling Political Party Gorbachev’s determination to bring democracy to the USSR manifested itself in the Supreme Council decree of 1991 that banned the ruling Communist Party. Needless to say, it was a very important milestone in the country’s democratic development. Unfortunately, however, despite this ban, some rudiments of the old party elites survived and gave life later to new authoritarian regimes.

1. Mediate a peaceful resolution of ethno political conflicts Though Mikhail Sergeyevich still receives bitter criticism for having sent tanks to combat peaceful nationalist demonstrations in Vilnius and Tbilisi, the number of victims could have been higher had Gorbachev chosen to employ a stubborn authoritarian style common to the leaders of those times, in

2. Acknowledge the role of a political opponent Although a Kremlin PR stunt, Gorbachev’s decision to allow the return of the prominent political opposition figure, Andrei Sakharov, from inner exile (in the city of Gorky) back to Moscow made a huge impact on the development of political pluralism in the Soviet Union.

By expressing such an attitude towards political opposition Mikhail Sergeyevich managed to prove that his actions were consistent with his words about glasnost and perestroika.

4. Leave the office in a gentlemanly fashion facilitating a bloodless transfer of power Having declared the early ter-

mination of his powers in office, Gorbachev drove away from his Presidential Residence seemingly into nowhere. Note that Mikhail Sergeyevich managed to do without Special Forces from provinces spraying tear gas at protesters. Perhaps it could have been due to his high personal integrity, perhaps, due to the influence of the wise woman, Raisa, who had been next to him all those years.

In conclusion, one could say that while Gorbachev’s intentions may seem to be half-hearted to many, nevertheless, they pushed the country in the right direction. One could also attempt to ask the following question - what if Mr. Yanukovych would agree to take leadership master classes from Mikhail Sergeyevich?

Syrian Revolution: The final chapter

By Firas Arfaoui (UWCAd 2010) March of 2011 marked the beginning of the Syrian revolution. The struggle, that rages on as these lines are written, has seen the lives of 60,000 claimed by the regimes’ war machine. This astonishing fig-

ure signals a conflict that has passed the point of no return by far. Some are still uncomfortable with calling it a revolution.

The United Nations, for that matter, only recognizes it as a “civil war”. Regardless of these

discrepancies, all seem to agree that the Revolution is in its final stages. The fall of the Assad dynasty is indeed imminent.

On the internationally recognized opposition coalition

The US, along with its ally Qatar, brokered a unified alliance of the anti-Bashar opposition.

Once formed, the alliance was hailed as the legitimate representative of the Syrian peo-

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ple.

Many donor-nations have pledged significant aid, amounting to arming rebel fighters. This move is very radical, for the US and its international allies continued for months to refuse military aid to the rebels. On the ground, the absence of defensive gear, such as anti-tank and surfaceto-air missiles has enabled the regime to pour bombs on civilians unchecked.

The focus of the alliance, “national coalition of Syrian revolutionary and opposition forces” , has been the organization of the transitional period. It has a long name of 8 words, and contains within its ranks supposed dissidents of the regime. What it doesn’t have on the other hand is revolutionary legitimacy. It has not sprung from revolutionary forces. As the regime collapsed in on itself, both because of heavy territorial losses and internal desertion, the international community wanted to have a say in the post Bashar Syria. In the new Syria, the grassroots revolutionary structures and organizations will have to fight to stay aloof and avoid losing their power to the umbrella, maybe puppet, coalition.

Islamisation of the revolution: “the threat” The term “Islamisation” has been thrown around since the first few months of the uprising. Many cited it as the reason the rebels should not be backed in their efforts to oust Bashar. There were fears that any military aid could fall into the hands of pan-national Jihadist groups allied with Al-Qaida. However, viewing political Islam as a threat is not coherent with the current western countries’ foreign policies. For both Egypt and Tunisia are governed by Islamist parties and continue to be the

allies of leading western countries.

On the other hand “Islamisation” itself is not consistent with the facts on the ground. If there was any Islamist-hijacking of the Syrian revolution, it would have happened in the first days of the revolution, for the protests in Syria started from within the Mosques on every Friday following weekly prayers.

The threat of Islamisation is a vicious pretext used by some in the international community for failure to prevent large scale massacres by the Syrian regime. Realistically, the Islamic influence in the Syrian revolution has to be recognized as a legitimate choice by the Syrian people.

In the post-Assad era, the ballot should be the only way to discriminate between political affiliations.

The US and “Islamic terror” in Syria The US has official designated a key fighting group in Syria, “Jabhat Al-Nusra” (Arabic for: “front for the help”), as a terrorist organization . Its peculiarity is its full-fledged jihadist take on the war. Moreover, they (Jabhat Al-Nusra) rely more on foreign fighters than other Syrian free army battalions. The maneuver was aimed at “isolating extremists” from other rebels. The effects of the listing, both to-date and projected, have a strategic implication and unfortunately are detrimental both to the US and Syria.

This move was countered by widespread popular protests in Syria. The US attempts at alienating the Front have created and strengthened a new enemy. While hampering the revolutionary war effort, the

popularity gained by the Front is drawing Jihadist pan-national Ideologies closer to the Islamic mainstream. For Syria, this may pose a threat to the democratic process yet to come. For the United States the threat of groups hostile to its interests looms greater after the listing antagonizing the Front.

Reconsidering the designation seems to be the wisest maneuver until the revolutionary war effort ends and the standing of each group in Syria is made clearer.

Iran and Hezbollah: the after Assad In the international arena, Iran seems to be the one country most threatened by the revolution. Even though the regimes are radically different ideologically, Iran has forged a precious alliance with Assad.

Through their pact, Iran is able to threaten Israel direct, supplying Hezbollah through the shared Syrian-Lebanese border. The alliance with Bashar, gives Iran considerable leverage in any negotiations with its adversaries. Iranian and Hezbollah aid is vital to the sheer existence of the Syrian regime.

However, the image that Iran cultivated in Arab countries, as Islamic and supportive of oppressed people against their puppet western-backed governments has fallen. It is not a question anymore of whether Iran is aware that the current status quo in Syria is unsustainable. The question is how and when will Iran dump its costly ally, Bashar al-Assad?

Revolutionary aspirations: in free Syria The dawn of liberation from the oppression of Assad and his party is near. Nevertheless, the birth of a free Syria will be

as hard as its liberation.

The aspirations of Islamist factions fighting in Syria will inevitably clash with their liberal rivals in the opposition.

This clash can be fatal to the hopes of Syrians. However, if the democratic institutions to be created are solid enough to accommodate both parties, the worst can be averted.

Pervasive foreign influences will threaten the sovereignty of Free Syria, but the country does not possess any considerable commodity. Foreign aid by rich countries can be coupled with attempts at interference in internal political choices.

Despite these concerns, the social-entrepreneurial spirit that the revolution produced is the best assurance and asset of Syria’s future. A wealth of new media outlets, NGOs, administrative prowess and decentralized governance experience should be the cornerstone of the new state. Moreover, a sweeping volunteering and social-work spirit can help in the difficult task of rebuilding a country in ruins.

Sourya Bedda Houriya! (Syria deserves freedom, a popular slogan in Syria)

The A dr i a t i c T i m es T he Ad r ia tic Times The Ad r ia tic Tim e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m es The Adriatic Ti T i m e s Th e Ad riatic Ti m e s T h e A dr i a t i c T i m e s T h e A d ri ati c Ti mes The A d ri ati c Ti m es The A d ri ati c Ti mes The A dr ia t ic T imes T h e T h e A d ri at i c T i m es The Ad r ia tic Times The Ad r ia tic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c Tim e s The Adriati A d r i a t i c T i m e s T he Ad r ia tic Times The Ad r ia tic Tim e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s The Adriatic Ti Time s T h e A d ri a t i c T i m es The Ad r ia tic Times The Ad r ia t ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c T im e s T h e A d riat ic T i m e s T h e A d ri at i c Tim e s The Adria

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“For what we are about to receive - a reflection on food”

By Sibel Spahija The first years’ arrival brought a different atmosphere to lovely Duino. It was so exciting; people running and trying to find residences (if they could remember where they were staying), trying to catch buses to go shopping in Monfalcone or some to Trieste to enjoy the beautiful historical city. It was a time when a new generation of Adriatic College students started getting on with their new lives, which were completely dependent on themselves.

Dayrooms were full of people till curfew, discussing their cultures, families and friends, even when half of the people didn’t even know each other’s names.

After a time it became more and more difficult to find a time when you could have tea with your co-years or second years as you did at the beginning of the year. People started working as hard as they could. First years were trying to get to know the new system and second

years were trying to finish all the work they had to do in their third semester (Extended Essays, self-designs and TOK assignments). But there was still a place where you could see most of the College students twice a day. Mensa.

Getting used to the new food didn’t take much time. But then, as people started missing their families and their homes, they started missing the food back home, which they were used to.

As December approached, you could see in everyone’s eyes the light of happiness at the prospect of going back home for the winter break. The last week before the winter break everyone’s faces had a different expression, an expression which would lead you to the warmness of Christmas. They are so happy to see their family, to share their experiences, and to enjoy that warm atmosphere of Christmas

dinner with their whole family once again.

Lots of different delicious recipes make this night as special as it is. It is hard to imagine anyone not liking Christmas food.

You eat and eat and then hardly contribute on the conversation because of your fullness. Who wouldn’t want to stay with their families in the same atmosphere and the harmony of happiness forever?

Time comes and you come back to college. With all your batteries fully charged from winter break. And your stomach full of the food you were used to eating since you were born.

It’s true that when you have two options then you will always want to choose the best one. If someone could choose between Mensa and home food, it’s obvious what the decision would be.

That’s where you have two options and you can choose either one or the other.

But, what about those times when there’s no option? And what about those who dream of the food that we get tired of eating every day? Does Christmas exist for everyone, if we take the religious view as an exception?

No, there are lots of people who can’t celebrate Christmas.

That’s because they don’t have food, they don’t have a family, and what’s more important they don’t have a home. There are lots of people who dream of the College we attend, of friends we have, dream of the warm rooms we stay in, and the delicious food we eat twice a day.

But, are we grateful for what we have?

At the end, being happy with what you have makes life much easier than thinking that you have another, better option which you wish you could choose.

Mari: "So, Mark, in your opinion, is the world going to end on the 21st of December?"

Mark: "Well...I’m not sure, but it would certainly be a good reason to throw a party."

"Do you hear the noise??

Where's the noise coming from? Can't you hear it??

Who is making the noise?!!

I'll find him!"

"No she can't be half Chinese, maybe just a third or something."

- A typical night in Pala.

When hearing thunder:

"Ooh, there are some problems in the sky!"

- Nelle Gevers