Reverse Culture Shock

That's what they call it when you've gotten so used to the culture in your host country that the customs in your native country strike you as foreign or unnatural. I've been back in Norway for almost a month, and it's been pretty good. People don't really say "hi" or "how are you" to everyone here, which is weird. I'm trying to bring a little bit bit of the warmth I received at VVS back here.

I went to Pride. I haven't really done any homework yet, and since I'm going back to VVS in 40 days, I'm starting to stress out about it a little bit. In fact, I should be doing homework right now, but here are my reasons not to: Making my quest to finish my homework during Summer Break public might make it more likely, this is somewhat productive procrastination, and I felt I needed to post at least one blog post over the summer. In your face, responsibility. In fact, the amount of homework I have strikes me as so daunting that I find it less scary to look at colleges and universities. To me, deciding my future is really terrifying when it's not compared to IB coursework. As it is, the future shall be decided upon presently. I think I might have found a few schools I'm interested in going to, which I consider as a victory. Now that I've done that, I don't have much productive procrastination in the way of starting my papers.

For some reason, research papers have always terrified me. Give me a test and I'll handle it just fine. A DBQ? Okay. An oral presentation in my second or third language? No problem. But asking me to write a paper is an entirely different story, this inspires in me paralyzing fear of failure. I try telling myself it will be okay, but I'm always afraid of starting and so I never start before the end. Now I'm going to change this. Away from the time- and energy-consuming campus of VVS, with no distractions, I will overcome my fear of research papers and just do it. At least that's what I'm telling myself. This is also where we pretend that I don't have to work almost every day until I return to school. Thankfully I'm working night shifts.

Will I finish my homework? Over the summer I'm supposed to finish my Research Investigation (which I never really started at school), do my Extended Essay (because I know I'd rather prioritize other things, such as having incredible conversations, once I'm back on campus), and at the very least do the research for my Anthropology Internal Assessment, because I'm planning on conducting it in Norway. That is all. Here is a list I made with reasons for me to do my homework over the summer:

• Sense of Completion 
• Fear of failure is just that - a fear, it's valid but not real
• I'll have more time to spend on good things later
• I told people I would (now this one is even more real)
• It will be a burden off my shoulders
• I get to exercise my brain and work my English 

There it is, in public. Now I really have to do it. Meanwhile, have photos. 

Work

Plains yes! 

Occasionally very pretty here

How I like to spend my free time

OSLO

Bubble Tea Yes

Pre-storm selfie

During/post storm

PRIDE

3 am

Went back to my middle school and took a selfie. Look at me now, middle school.

Summer love,

Ingrid

Wildfire

There's a pretty huge wildfire happening in Oak Creek Canyon, about 40-50 kilometers away from school. We're in no danger, but still it is a reminder of how precious life is here. Also, it reminds us that drought sucks. Although at the moment it is only 0-5% contained, I have no doubt that they will be able to put it out sometime during the next few weeks. And then the fire will have made room for new things to grow.

At first it was windy and all the smoke went north, but now the wind isn't as strong and so, the smoke spreads everywhere. It smells like fire. When I went "hiking" to take these photos, the air was very different from what it's usually like, and it got almost hard to breathe after a while. It's all safe, but it's very humbling to see the awesome power of nature. (The fire was started by humans).

How it normally looks...

...How it looked today

Love,
Ingrid

Faceless

Look at these beautiful people.

Brady 

Seniors

Last Senior Basketball Bonanza

King Snake

Down

Child

Bittersweet

Life is weird. You think that the IB has hit you hard, that you can't get any more stressed, and then it hits you even harder. You think you can't appreciate the people around you any more than you already do, and then they do something that makes you love them more. As graduation for the seniors is approaching, now with only 43 days to go, the bittersweet is hitting me harder and harder. The school is starting to prepare us to be seniors next year by dropping a ton of work on us all at once, and I'm so ready for May 26, when our exam period starts. Here, let me give you a sample of what we have to do before that:

• SAT
• World Lit Paper (1500 words) 
• Research Investigation (1500 words on an aspect of theatre we're unfamiliar with) 
• TOK presentation (Which matters for about 40% of our final grade, I think) 
• Biology Internal Assessment (Self-Designed Lab) 

On top of that, there's the other schoolwork, and for me there's also work with the yearbook next week, as well as our production of "Annie Get Your Gun" this weekend. It's a comedic musical about the sharpshooter Annie Oakley (who was a real person) and the tempestuous romance between her and Frank Butler. I play Charlie Davenport, a fairly sassy character, and I'm also prop mistress. It's really, really stressful, but it's also pretty great. Even though we've had a few hiccups (leading to minor freak-outs from our director) I think we're gonna put on a couple of amazing shows. Here's a photo of the stage, yay. 

 

I'm already feeling somewhat melancholy about this year, and already sort of missing the seniors. We had our first Community Meeting without them today, and the chapel was very empty. Still, even though I don't want them to leave, I am excited to meet the new people that are coming next year. But the seniors being gone means we're going to be seniors! That's a scary thought. Among the seniors are some of my best friends and biggest support people. It's amazing how much care exists here. I am so grateful for everything these people have taught me and I'm not sure how what's going to happen when I don't get to laugh, love and learn with them every day. I have a feeling next year is going to be equally great and challenging, just very different. As I'm sure you can tell, I really don't know how to feel about this. 

But hey, the future is uncertain and not even real yet, so let's not talk about that, aight? The present is real, and to a certain extent so is the past, so let's talk about that. I kind of disappeared for four months and although a lot of that can be attributed to the IB some great things also happened. We slept on top of Cowpie for the eclipse that happened. There have been some photo shoots. A senior and I went to my best friend's house for Spring Break, and then we went to Las Vegas. That was really neat. We had Junior Senior, which is just like prom. We've gone to swim in the creek, and we've run through the sprinklers a lot. A small group of students and faculty went up to Hopi for a Work Weekend, which was absolutely fantastic. Fire Run (the entire school running half-naked around a huge bonfire, hollering our hearts out, and the juniors getting their senior rings) happened. Bonding and cuddling on the Quad in front of the dining hall has been a frequent occurrence. Senior Wills were hung up in the Dining Hall, and they were both touching and hilarious. Basically, spring happened. Here, have some photos. Oh, no! Looks like this is one of the "Blog Post With Thousand Photos" happening, sorry about that. 

B and her horse. 

Bae's and my room! I moved rooms! That happened! 

Spring Break 

Flagstaff

Buffalo Park

DOG *heart*

I met this guy in Vegas (might make a post about that, if I find time) 

Hopi Work Weekend! It really was amazing.

HORSE *heart*

So this one time, my Coke was frozen, but I really wanted it. 

Senior Chapel Time. 

Selfie Time. Bae cut my hair. We might cut it again soon.

Cactus Flowers! DEM PURDY

Senior Wills. Smileyface. 

So, yeah, daz it. Sorry about the lack of blog posts, and the scatterbrainedness of this one. Let's end with Hafiz, yes? 

And 

For every every reason in existence

I begin to eternally, 

To eternally laugh and love! 

Eternal love,

Ingrid (or Onion as Baby (a Faculty kid) refers to me as) 

Our home

Sometimes I'm surprised by the lack of reverence and respect my some of my peers at school have. I've heard people talking shit about other students, about the teachers, the administration, the rules. I get it, we're teenagers, we're supposed to act out, to rebel, but why at our school, and why in such a way? I've heard students say things such as "This is a boarding school for people in their late teens, how can they expect us not to drink or sleep with people?" or "I hate that teacher, don't you? I think we should make a club for those of us that hate that teacher". Most recently, I noticed a post on Facebook saying something along the lines of "I don't want to come back to VVS but my stuff is there so I guess I have to". It appears like some people are taking VVS and its amazing opportunities for granted. This saddens me, because I worked my butt off just to get there, and I keep doing it. I am challenged in multiple ways every single day and there is nothing that has taught and changed me so much as my stay at Verde Valley School. People, this isn't just some random institution you're prattling on about, this is my home. Our home. We're living in a place that allows for us to become some sort of a family. We're also living in such a tiny community that everything you say or do, in some way or the other, affects almost everyone else. This is a place where everyone, if they want to, can truly be themselves. This is the place where a silly "orchestra" from the outside can make everyone sing and laugh in a way I never thought I'd see at a high school. This is a place where people aren't usually judged based on where they come from or how they look. I don't want to get all "sunshine and rainbows", but as I guess you've already assumed, I love this place, this second home, second family of mine. Please, please, start treating our home better.

Yes, this magical place. 

Thanksgiving Break

I will post a blog about Field Trips pretty soon - it was completely and utterly awesome and I can't wait to show you pictures and tell you about it! But first. When we got home, we had a little more than an hour before we had Thanksgiving Dinner, and after that socializing happened and then almost everyone left the next morning. We are thirty-two people staying here, twelve of which are girls. Most, not all, of my people are currently scattered all over the States, and many of the faculty members are in hiding in their houses - pretending that the students aren't here. On Friday, when everyone still was here, my friend told me that bonding happens during Alternative Breaks, because everyone feels abandoned, which makes sense seeing as we only have three adults on duty. We are on weekend schedule, meaning we only get two meals a day, and when you're cheap and don't want to buy lots of extra food, that can make you kind of crazy, especially if you're hiding out in your room all day. I thought I could show my "schedule" for the past couple of days.

Alternative Thanksgiving Break Days: 

08:45 Wakes up... Hungry. Shoot, no food until ten! Waits impatiently while playing with iPhone.

09:55 Five minutes till brunch, I gotta run! Enters dining hall and, without the people I usually sit with, seats myself at the table with the view.

11:30 Whoops, brunch was over half an hour ago.. Should go and start the day in a productive way! ... Such as looking for all things "Humor" on Stumbleupon.

13:00 Should probably do something productive. Just five more minutes...

14:00 Hungry! Is it food time yet?

14:30 No? But I need food!

15:10 Almost two more hours - I can't.

15:45 FOOOOOOOOD

16:00 Only one hour left - I can do this!

16:05 Only... Wait. Only five minutes passed? This is not okay. I do not approve.

16:50 FOOD! Runs screaming to the Dining Hall.

17:00 Food actually happens!

19:00 Maybe I should leave the Dining Hall now and let the kitchen people go home, I mean, dinner kind of ended an hour ago... Kind of.

19:10 Goes back to room, and back on the computer. Tries to do something productive such as editing photos from Field Trip, ends up on Stumbleupon.

20:30 Tired - can check-in happen now? No? Guess I'll play with my computer for two more hours.

22:30 Check-in! What now? Bed? Yes! Sleep? No! iPhone? Yes. *grins*

23:00 Hungry.. Is it food yet? Eleven more hours... crap.

00:15 Falls asleep cradling my iPhone.


Okay, okay, so I might not be that bad. Just... Kind of close. Also, I just need to say that I am indeed very grateful for the meals we do get, I know not everyone is as fortunate.
Now I'm going to eat a Snickers bar, it's still eighty minutes till dinner happens.

Hungry lerve,

Ingrid

Taos, New Mexico

We're here! We had our first workday today, it was pretty cool. The work is kind of repetitive and strenuos, but I think it's pretty awesome to think that now I know how to build a wall out of dirt and old tires. I've also been thinking a bit about the implications of what we're doing... And now I want an earthship house when I get older. Now I kind of think this is what this school is about. I get to experience things I never would have otherwise. Anyway, photos.