yay...im done with math, bio, english and economics. they've all gone pretty well...except math paper 3, but it's over and i dont want to talk abt it. just chem and spanish left to go...

hmm, time really flies. sorry for the cliche.
and it's almost time to leave.

I still remember the day I arrived in Canada...eyes tired and puffy from crying at Changi airport - it wasnt so much leaving for 5 months but the fact that I was leaving home and probably will never be home in the same way ever again. it's a scary thought.
Driving to Pearson, along the winding road, flanked by farms, farms, mountains mountains, fields, trees, sheep and more trees. I'll never forget how my uncle kept reassuring me that it was not too late to change my mind about going to Pearson. The school IS as far away from civilization as it sounds. haha. well, ok...it's not thAT bad. it's about an hour and a half from the victoria downtown...but it's on a bay in the middle of a forest, with a beAUTiful view of snowcapped mountains and tall tall goldilocks and the three bears kind of trees - well, that's what they remind me of at least...especially when there's a round moon with the tall trees - ok, well, that scene reminds me of that picture of eeyore and friends sitting on a hilltop looking at the moon with a few trees in the background....you know? the one that's everywhere. but ANYWAY.

it's just been such a wonderful 2 years....it's simply been beyond words and beyond description. I thought this place wouldnt change me...
then I thought it did.
but I've realized that it's just made me who I was all along...if that makes any sense. I've simply become, me - not elizabeth's or sara's little sister, not the rg tracker, not the raffliesan, but me - for who I am, what I stand for and what really matters to me.
It's opened my eyes to possibilities, perspectives, situations, events, ideas etc and made me believe in one's ability to make change in the world; to believe in and strive to achieve ideals. I still remember in my first year...I was working on a campaign against sweatshops and I was arguing that the UN's declaration of human rights was pointless because it's not like it's ever going to be a reality....that practically speaking it's impossible. and michael said something that's really stuck ever since - just because something's not practically possible, doesnt mean we should let go of our ideals...they're there to remind us that that's what we're working towards and every step towards it is a step forward.
it's like limits...just because we'll never reach it doesnt mean we should stop approaching it or ignore its existence.

I have to say I'm really thankful for it all. and most of all I'm so thankful for how God's guided and molded me the past two years - through the various people, events, conflicts etc. that He's placed along the way - the little nuggets that He's hidden along the way. Sure, we've spent lots of time preparing for the IB...but Pearson has given us much more than an academic education, it's given us much more than we could ever imagine.

As much as I'm ready to move on, I'm really going to miss this place, the people, the atmosphere, the spirit, the mountains, the snow, the trees, the lakes, the sea, the cold, the deceiving sun, the everything =)

okok. a few photos from first year before I go back to studying chemistry.