Every year, I look forward to summer with the same eagerness, fantasizing about long days on the beach, exploring somewhere new, or getting to know more people at camp. And every year, no matter what I expect, every summer continues to surprise me and turn out better than the last.
This year, one of my most memorable experiences was to attend a summer program in Oxford. I went with a friend who I already knew from beforehand, which was nice because we were able to continue to bond. It also made being in a different country by ourselves easier to manage. We both flew out to England together, spending the time on the plane watching movies, talking, and sleeping so we wouldn’t be too jet-lagged.
Once we arrived at Heathrow Airport in London, we were taken by a program representative to a bus that would take us to Corpus Christi College in Oxford, where we would be staying.
The program was really nice because it offered many different classes. My friends were taking classes such as Drama, Engineering, Literature, Debate, and Medical Science. Every camper was allowed to choose two classes: one which would be their main one and one that would be their minor one. I decided to take International Relations as my main one and Law and Society as my minor one.
I loved both of my classes from the start and especially felt that the International Relations class gave me a great basis in understanding diplomatic and political encounters among countries in the world. I was able to learn the theory and history between many ideologies, such as Liberalism, Realism, and Marxism, and relate them to international happenings in the world today.
Additionally, I loved that the program had many activities planned throughout the day but made them optional in case we wanted to walk around the town with our friends. Some of my favorite activities were seeing two guest speakers present their contrasting point of views on Brexit, going to see Macbeth and Julius Caesar, and touring Blenheim Palace. I also enjoyed going to to the Imperial War Museum in London!
But I think what made this experience so enjoyable was the new friends I made. Some live on the East Coast in the United States, and many were from different places around the world, such as Chile, Spain, France, and Indonesia. I know I will be able to see those who live nearby sooner than the others but I also know that I will always be able to count on the others because of the amazing month we spent together!