Hello everyone, my name is Vivardhan Goenka, I am a boarder in UWCSEA East campus. I am from Mumbai, India, and I am new to Singapore. When I was young, my father used to tell me about his old boarding school. It was much more rugged than this one. He told me about how much he was tortured throughout his boarding life, but he also told me about all the new friends he made. When he introduced the idea of me going to a boarding school, I instantly said no. a few years later, he told me about the friends he made in boarding and all the experiences he had, so after that I softened up on the idea. When I received my letter of admission I was hit with a wave of bittersweet emotions. I was sad about leaving my friends and family in Mumbai, but I was excited about all the new experiences I would get to have if I came here. For my first two to three days in Singapore I was miserable. I was mopey and homesick all the time. However, after a few days I made some friends, and started feeling much better. I realised that I was being pessimistic and mopey for no reason. I started having a lot of fun and have already learned a lot. I can’t wait to learn about new cultures, make new friends and have new experiences.