Classes
During the summer camp, we were given the opportunity to participate in various classes with international students. We were divided into classes based on our English level and were pretty satisfied with the class I was given. However, a major challenge occurred when we had our initial lesson, the majority of my peers were seniors and I was nothing compared to them. I knew I had to step out of my comfort zone, so I started joining their conversations and even played various games of English and Spanish.
Lectures
The very first and ever time I “heard” and “participated” in a lecture was in London. Daily lectures were held in the Jafar Hall filled with diverse knowledge awaiting our exploration. Learning about Queen Elisabeth, British accents, and famous tourist attractions got my attention. Falling asleep in lectures was common, but despite that, I still managed to gain new knowledge!
Dorm
The dorm we stayed at was actually one of Prince Harry’s dorms — Manor House. In the girls dorm, various activities begin at the same time including bathing, playing cards, snacking, and sleeping. For me, one of the most interesting games I participate in each night is card playing. To be honest, most of the Taiwanese girls preferred snacking and chatting, so I was mostly the only Taiwanese girl playing. Along with me were some Thai girls and they introduced me to the slave card game, slap jack, and big brother! The staff played with us and that was one of the best times for us to bond, make jokes, and laugh as hard as we could.
Bekynton
Many of you may wonder, what is Bekynton? Bekynton is where the Eton students eat daily. This includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and chambers. Chambers is often filled with delicious cookies, snakes, and drinks giving us a little break from either a lecture or class. The menu of Bekynton changes daily, with salad, pasta, potato, Thai rice, and many other cultural foods! For me, eating pasta every day was a bit tiring, so I always preferred to eat the cultural dish.
Cultural Exchange
Fostering cultural exchange is one of the major things that I’ve conducted throughout this journey. It enhances our English ability by communicating with foreign students, learning about their culture, and engaging in conversations. You’ll never expect an immense amount of achievement from a summer camp, yet, it is possible! Day by day, time by time, I learned the importance of cultural exchange not only through communication, but games and each little detail that we shared together. These experiences are rare, we should cherish them and convert them into fond memories.
Adventures
During The Eton College Summer Camp, we not only had classes, but also engaged in adventures together. These include trips to London, watching the Lion King in the Lyceum theater, visiting various museums, and enjoying disco nights together. It not only widened our worldview, but also gave the opportunity to explore different hidden traits of each other during the process. Yet, our adventures not only stop here! There were also fabulous classes where we were divided into groups with different nationalities and we even debated a little. Though it’s my initial time evolving in an actual debate, I lost eventually, but the overall experience was better than you could ever imagine.
Memories
Being granted the chance to visit Eton College as a summer camp can be said to be one of my best summers ever. Exchanging cultures with peers each night, playing card games and watching movies together were one of the best memories that were established. Each and one who participated were dedicated to a purpose — learning. With our goals set, this summer school experience ultimately fulfilled it.
國際802 劉子瑜
