Officially A Ples Girl

Hello, this is my first post from my new residence. PLES!
It is great to be here, I have a privilege on having wi-fi access to my room.
It's Friday night yes - could have been enjoying wine in Osmizza right now, ever since we are having a Third Year Reunion, many of my second years are here. Unfortunately, I just woke up at 8pm today, skipped Mensa (woops, Mensa is not two minutes away from my room anymore) - at the end ended up decorating my wardrobe. Since it's a new room - I am always excited to decorate it.

My new room ain't that big it's half of my previous room, I don't care. The most important thing is I escaped from the un-mutual respects in the room. It took me less than thirty minutes to talk to the Headmaster and it was approved. He also thought it was the best solution for me. The fact that I was the only person who tried to put effort respecting the members of the room and the agreement was not enough for the other parties to change the improper behavior and acts.

But, I am here. I am happy - after almost 4 months struggling with people who are just too ignorant! Geez, it took the most attention and focus of my life here in the college - thanks God it's over now. I love my new room. I think my roomate is lovely too. Her name is Piyari, from Pakistan. We already knew each other from Sailing. She is lovely, has so many friends. The fact that she has so many friends is enough for me to know that she is a good person, and she is. She is a really caring and empathy person.

I can schedule my life properly from now on. The other cool thing about this residence is; two of my HL subjects are down by my room - two minutes away!! I just need to sacrifice Mensa, but it's good tho, who knows I am going to loose weight, since summer is coming!

I will give more details about the new room. I would like to say that through all this terrible situation that is put on me, I have wonderful people around me. My parents (I am so grateful I was meant to be their daughter), they always morally support me with wise words, courageous advices, teaching to forgive people, moving forward, they are just awesome. My friends from High School - they also mean a lot to me. In the down-est part of my life, I could still laugh, the conversation that we had in our BlackBerry group, their jokes. I love them too!

And I think life just loves me. After getting a publication for my Venice article, this afternoon, after waking up I found out there were balls of egg chocolate underneath my feet with a letter from my IB friend. The person also noticed that I have been moving to Ples. Gotta answer the letter soon! I love my IB friend.

Enough for me. I am happy, happy now. I am just really tired after moving back and forth to carry all my stuffs. Thanks for the help of Christian, Ravuth and Shanon, in less than 2 hours all my belongings had been moved away and it only took me 5 hours to settle in.

Today was so bright too. After classes with Biology Extension on Heart Dissection (very interesting - I touched ventricles, pulmonary, dense blood), Madrigal Choir, Photography class, I went out for Gelato with Ilana. She is my roommate last year, now she is my neighbor.

Well, after this either continue decorating my room or just go to bed, because I am not feeling fit.
After all!! I had a nice day!!

xoxo,
Rut

My previous horrible nightmare room

Current room, small but lovely and warm

I managed placing everything in order last night

The heart dissection experiment that we did today

The sweet little surprise from my IB friend.

My dinner, oh doddly noodles, it made my day!

Mom's current BBM status. I am missing them too. Much. Two months away!

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano 2011

Shama and Prashant, Shama's Team won.

Prashant in action

In dodge ball, you have to start like this.

Victor fell for several time during dodge ball.

Grab the ball, grab the ball!

Rope jumping!

Volley ball players

At the end, they are the champion

Italians in action

Life in the college has been really colorful this period, the spring spirit festivise everything. After trial exam, Project Week, Amnesty Open Mike, Prom with the Blues Brothers and just today we had a Sport Festival. Thao from Vietnam is the concept-maker or quipper.I remember her first mass email regarding this mentioned how in Asian Schools we have this kind of sport festival usually after exam ends.

Started at 9.30 with Duino run – followed with so many activities until 5pm. There were badminton, ping-pong, soccer, dodgeball, American football, tug-of-war,rope-jumpimg, three-legged run (so typical Asian games), volleyball and basketball – closing by Award Ceremony in Auditorium.

The festival had brought the togetherness feeling of the college again. Many students participated, only few caught in day room or library – I heard there would be a HL Biology test on Monday? In general it is true that IB is demanding, however tho this kind of activity is I think the part of our UWCness, which also intersect with the CAS requirement.

I should have played badminton, but I woke up late – since I only had a little bit energy after Mantova Cultural Visit. Also supposed to play Basketball (a sport that I have been vacuumed for two years – because again, I fell asleep), also the fact we were missing members of team.

Congratulations for all the champions! And also my Vietnamese prima, Thao and her organiser members! Some suggestion, I think next time there would be a good sound system that’ll play cool music to boost up the crowd and doing it by class or block will be better organized!

Mantova

Mantova is a city in Lombardia, three hours by bus from Duino. We went this morning, leaving from Piazza at 6.45. Arriving at 10am, we first headed to the main Piazza delle Erbe, the Piazza was really big, It is surrounded by the Palazzo Ducale, a white church (that I have no idea what's called), some old buildings and cafes.

Then we headed to Chiesa di Sant'Andrea, it is a really sophisticated church that has a Dome. Believed that the blood from the Christ crucifixion buried on the ground and ritually each Good Friday it always comes up to the surface. The church is grand, the painting are so impressive, Henry Thomas said "It's an intensive labour-skill". Those great paintings were drawn by hands, covering all the walls and ceilings of the church. Great God!

After being there for about 45 minutes, we visited the Palazzo Ducale. It is a place where the Gonzaga family used to live. It has 500 rooms, could contain forty-five hundred people. I asked Henry he said it was a 200 years reconstrcution since the 12AD. Somehow, the Palazzo has been a bit transformed modern, and was by chance there was a contemporary arts showcase, so the urban and classical atmosphere were blended.

There was a room that has painting of the Gonzaga's horses on the wall. Gonzaga horses were famous! The pictures don't show complete parts of their body, because it was covered by curtain, everything was so flirtatious, sexy. There is also a room whose ceiling has a picture of the Gonzaga family having a direct communication to God. Very impressive! Henry said the Palazzo is the Mantova's Colosseum. For sure all the paintings are the most expensive possession in the world. Oh, I (the daughter), Roberto (the father) and Jeanne-Marie (the wife) pretended that we were one of the Gonzagas, walking down the stairs graciously, waving our hands elegantly. I mean, the Gonzaga used to step onto those floors.

Palazzo Te is a Frederico II gateway from his horrible life in Palazzo Ducale, and it was also a place where he tried to runaway with a girl Isabele Bosso (a beauty symbol that time). That girl apparently had the same name with his mother's Isabelle Deste, and therefore there was this mother-son conflict about future wife. Isabelle Deste was one of the most inteligent woman on her period.

Inside it was just so beautiful. There was a room that has a complete story of Venus and her love story. Nudity was all around, but Henry really explained it in a very instinctive, desirable and rational way of thinking - we really understood the meaning of everything.

Then we had a free time, I and Djana, my friend from Bosnia went out for pizzas and sat around Piazza Le Donne. Afterward, we headed to Palazzo Te. It was huge, it has this beautiful garden. That day there was a Lunar Park taken place on the east part of the castle, there was also a little football stadium. I went take a look, it was a blast, the Lunar Park I mean.

Mantova was beautiful. The more beautiful part is actually having Henry Thomas to elaborate every single details of it. I am going to miss it a lot next year!

Henry's famous fingers and the curious UWC Student

The white church that I mentioned before

Ludmila, my Latvian prima

Me, taken by Ludmila

Pabel (Peru) and Blanca (Spain)Victor (Catalonia)

The Great dome of Sant'Andrea

Frenchy brand and Mantovan bikes


Me in front of Palazzo Te

Lovebirds, Clara (Belgium) and Pablo (Mexico), garden of Palazzo te


Hot Fritelle is my favourite

The Lunar Park, and a couple ;/


Italia : Campioni del Mondo, e gusto?


UWC students.

Venice Carnival 2011 is Published!

THE JAKARTA POST
Venice Carnival: A tribute to women
Ruth Setio Nastiti, Contributor, Venice, Italy
(click here to see online version)

This weekend has been really fabulous. After a great prom last night, finally at around 2 in the morning my mother post a photo into Mama&Papa group written "Congratulation My Daughter as a Jakarta Post Contributor from Venice/Italy" - which officialy marked that my article has been published in the Jakarta Post, Sunday's edition, here is the link of the online version. I am really happy. Ever since the first time I wrote it and getting some messages on how the article is going to be proceeed and the feeling of waiting whether the article is going to be published ot not give me this kind of sensation. I really took it as a big deal, it has something to do with my future career, a journalist, or writer. Most importantly this is my first English article and immediately qualified to be put in the nation's largest English-language newspaper in Indonesia!! The targets are expatriates and Indonesians who work in English environment working place in general.

Two years ago, before coming to the college, we subscribed to the Jakarta Post, because my father thinks it is really important for me to read English newspaper to get used with English reading, and it was also useful to support my activity in English debating - when I was in high school. I always want to write an article about Italy (this country is very beautiful - you know beautiful things need to be shared), ever since I have been to so many cities here for example Naples, Sardegna, Padova, Rome, Mantova Venice and some European countries (Germany, Spain, Croatia - should really go to Slovenia tho) in general regarding my whole experience as scholar, however tho I never really managed and had time to do so. My father always encourages me, once after coming back from Project Week in Naples, or any places I have been to.

This time was just so right, Venice Carnival was a real celebration of the Italian beauty, also the fact that this year Italy celebrates the 150 years of unification, which also talked in the article (and I did not go last year). Moreover since I was given a camera by my parents as Birthday and Christmas gift and started using it properly or seriously last year after the Naples Project Week. Oh, the Chief Editor of the Jakarta Post once texted my father basically said, it was not a waste to give me the camera, because the pictures were just great, the editors love them. He also said "Well done to your daughter, she deserved it." Nothing can make me happier than hearing a press-elite in country said such things. This kind of details give me confidence and the willingness to take on more challenges for my future.

I was also offered to write a story, still in the same newspaper but different section, in Youthspeak - about my journey and experience here as a scholar, and also next Fall in the United States, however it is still discussed by the editors! It is a really good grip - a way to express my hobby and train my journalistic skill.

These weeks I have been so happy. A Sardinian Project week, a Roman vacation, a new crush, a prom, a publication, a cultural visit to Mantova and tomorrow a Sport Festival! I am so grateful and thankful. My life is beautiful and it is always good!

Yours sincerly,
Nastiti

This how it looks like in the paper. This was posted by my mother in our family Blackberry's group :) You see the article on the right-side? It is an article about the Unification of Italy in Rome from a Reuters journalist, somehow feel proud that my article is put next to it, I mean he is a professional!

Posted by daddy. I sent 4 photos to them ( I have 36 great pictures from 600 something). They put the four of them finally!

This is how the online version look. I prefer the printed one tho. It's classy.