The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.
St. Augustine
Only an experienced globe-trotter would know the empowering and liberating feeling of the adrenaline rush that envelops one when faced with an absolutely pristine view. It keeps one craving for more.
Waking up to waves crashing against the rocks, looking out at mountains that line a massive lake, wading around rocks and staring out into an untouched version of paradise or simply walking through artsy and quaint neighborhoods is truly magical.
Reminiscing moments of happiness long after they have passed gives a feeling of fulfillment and our educator this week feels the same about his past travel experiences, with UK being his personal favourite destination. He calls himself a ‘travel geek’ as his passion has taken him to 23 destinations so far with Singapore being the last.
Since 2020 was not a great year for travel, he had to defer his travel plans to Japan and Egypt but that did not deter his enthusiasm as he read all about Japan and Egypt and in fact unearthed a Youtube video ‘Abroad in Japan’ by Chris Broad which gave a detailed insight of the country.
Another country that he found amazing and beyond his expectations was Jordan. During the rendezvous he also shared some anecdotes of his visit to Singapore, like the Singapore Botanical gardens which were incredibly beautiful and the Japanese cemetery full of cherry blossoms. He was quite impressed by the school system at Singapore where they prioritize education at a very young age. This amazing and adept educator who is also a voracious reader and prolific writer, yet a very humble person is our Vice Principal, Mr. Sydney Atkins.
The journey of books starts from the writer and ends with the reader. Books are written by the pen of a writer but the ink of that pen leaves an indelible mark on the mind of the reader and the effect is everlasting and powerful. Readers get into the world of the writer and a new person with a new frame of mind is born. Mr. Atkins has a voracious appetite for books, reading two books at a time ranging from fiction, with Perry Mason being his very first, to non- fiction like ‘What Happened’, a memoir by Hillary Clinton.
He enjoys reading blogs and is also active on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, which he uses for professional networking. He especially enjoys the travel chatter by Shivya Nanda. Mr. Atkins also has an ear for music. The genre he earlier enjoyed was boy bands but he now loves listening to soft rock, Bon Jovi being his favourite. He also loves to write blogs and is adept at micro-poetry and also writes for the Khaleej Times.
Our very accomplished Vice Principal Mr. Atkins has a special message for his students: He says that they should learn to prioritize and manage their time well. It is important for students to dabble in different things and find where their heart lies so that they can recognize their potential and channelize the opportunities that come their way, to develop as individuals. This meeting left me awestruck and with deep regard for this multitalented persona, Mr. Sydney Atkins.
Reet Oberoi
10D