When does it start? Why? How?

00:00, a brand new day arrives, signifying 24 hours until my digital clock declares this number again. A dozen of peers are still on Skype, but let me log off and concentrate more.

00:01 Sheet music, music sheets. Page one, two, and no, go back to one. How does it sound now? Examine this - the flowing melodies, the flying grace of each note, but then - look at this, a fissure in the middle of a beautiful Palace of music. Fix this immediately, get on the Internet: what other musicians offered inspiration to the composition of this song? Under which cultural context? Which major artistic movement?

01:27 The sweet songs carry me to the realm 

           Of Slumber Land. I dreamed a dream,

           Of a day in May. It is worth the fight

          Where my dreams will take flight.

07:07 What a lovely day! It’s time for school. Hop on the bus with a loaf of bread, and stealthily take a bite when the bus manager is not looking. Yummy!

08:27 Group One: Language A. English Literature course in an international school which offers an IB curriculum is often filled with opportunities to explore a myriad of cultural contexts. Although we do not have many creative writing opportunities any more, I could comfort myself whenever I miss assignments such as ‘suppose you were Banquo, how would you write a speech right before your death?’ that I can explore more texts in more depth.

09:22 Group Two: Language B. Spanish Ab Initio offers a free journey to Spain, with a rich combination of paella, tortilla, flamenco, and of course, preterite past tense. It could be quite daunting for a beginner of the language to watch videos where native speakers speak in such a fast pace, but the rewards are clearly desirable. How maravilloso would it be if I could speak fluently during a family trip to Spain or Latin America? Soon, another page of my notebook is occupied with accentuated alphabets, which I could not understand a few minutes ago.

10:20 Recess. A quick chat with friends, greet numerous faculty members in the corridors, and get ready for Group Three: Humanities. Business and Management, nicknamed ‘BizMan’ (who is a handsome hero), is an interesting course where we get to learn some ways to make decisions. No matter what profession a B&M student wishes to pursue in the near future, it is always nice to analyse cases from individual companies to gain some experience.

11:35 Group Four: Natural Sciences. Physics is connected to Theory of Knowledge (ToK) and the old Area of Interaction back in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) - Human Ingenuity. I often stood in the lab, pleasantly stunned by every new discovery and soon found myself furiously taking notes. As we are working on thermal physics, questions can be as interesting as ‘would potatoes cook faster if the water is boiling faster’.

12:30 Roots & Shoots Committee Chairs’ Lunch Conference is another highlight of the day. We sit with two Upper School mentors, discussing more ways to green our campus and our world at large. We are currently discussing ways to motivate every member to contribute unique talents to the exclusive ‘BCIS Roots & Shoots Magazine’.

13:27 Group Five: Mathematics. One of the excitements of the Higher Level course is the Exploration Project, which lasts for approximately a year. The topic I have chosen is the Game Theory, which ties together several of my academic interests including Economics and Political Philosophy.

14:20 Group Six: The Arts. Theatre Arts for me is a new subject, which I did not choose as part of my MYP courses. However, I like to draw parallels with what we do in English Literature course, and a variety of cultural practices which I have become familiar with through other subjects. Art is an approach to transform imagination and skills to productions.

15:30 Zumba is a new enrichment activity at school, and has become an engaging physical recreational commitment. In an hour’s time, I practice numerous dance patterns and enjoy listening to some Spanish songs. Simultaneously as I take a relaxing break from the intense IB courses by challenging myself with another form of artistic self-expression from a very distinct cultural context, I gradually improve my listening abilities of Spanish.

16:57 Home, sweet home. iCal and iProcrastinate are open on my laptop. Plan #1: ‘vanquish’ all assignments. This could take a while, surely. Plan #2: Extended Essay secondary research. Plan #3: CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) reflections. Plan #4: Business news, to satiate the B&M God, BizMan. Plan #5: Standarised testing preparation -which means SAT reasoning test and subject tests. Plan #6: Free reading time. Plan #7: Creative composition time. Enough to finish up my twenty-four hours? Okay, now, ACTION.

18:37 Muy rico. A nice dish prepared by my mum replenishes well. Afterwards, some desserts, and back to the Eastern Front in the study.

And so on, and so forth...

The wonderland of the IB is full of opportunities. My dreams take flight here, for this new day belongs to me, an IB student. In this golden period of my life, I will achieve my aspirations, and the Diploma Programme is my guide and guardian.

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Note:  This article is partly based on personal experience. DP classes are not typically arranged in this fashion.