I feel like I am vulnerable a great deal of the time, even though I am a private person. I will not tell everyone how I am doing, but neither am I afraid of seeking help if my everyday life gets too overwhelming. Being new to the IB I can only imagine what I will encounter this year, but I believe it is going to be a lot of stressing about deadlines, troubling treating my relationships, and general balance in social and academic life. At this moment, I am still learning how the school system works as in how we are supposed to do assignments and tasks – moving to a new country all by yourself without knowing a single person or the place is something very different from what I am used to, but I am doing quite well in the environment, I am enjoying it very much so far.
I believe being able to support other boarders and in general others in the IB is very important. We are all going through this and it is a priority to me, to take care of each other/lookout for each other and seek help in this place.
Being vulnerable is very important in such a busy place. By opening up about our struggles and sharing our worries, we find that others are going through it as well, and we can rely on and help each other get through it. We can do this by drinking a cup of tea and chatting or by asking how other people feel – really mean it, and take your time to read them. Often people might say “I am fine” because it is difficult and takes bravery to be vulnerable. In these situations showing empathy is of great value. We must actively care for others and show empathy by acting, we have a responsibility to make others feel valued and heard.
