财新传媒 财新传媒

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Pounding with exhilaration was her heart, as she rushed to the platform to the Eden of her mind. With ample confidence did she step into the ancient campus, which incessantly guided her in her midsummer night’s dreams… Step, step, step. Steady and sophisticated did she greet her host. 

     Blossoming petals, bushy plethora;

     Sweeter than perfume is the scent

     Of optimism with no oppression.

     Softened hearts, soaring whispers,

     Songs of life’s mirage… For the

    Summertime’s supple grace fully

     Encompasses and ensnares the senses.

And so began the quest, of prancing closer to Veritas!

Wonder on when it initiated, with one piece of truth: It was summer time.

 

Summer time celebrates the end of an academic year and is usually marked by completed assessments and an exciting whole school assembly. After the hard work of a school year, we deserve two months to take a break and travel across the globe! Of course, majority, if not all, of us look forward to the summer, and regard the exams prior to that as the final analogies of school and classroom before we bid farewells to our current grade levels.

 

This special season not only offers us with freedom we embrace, but also demands us to effectively balance social activities with learning experiences. Surely it does not mean that socializing contradicts learning, but on the contrary blends the two with great efficiency. Summer time may be symbolic, for it represents union between old friends, family members, and newly-formed acquaintances, discovery and exploration of a variety of locations, opportunities to reach personal potentials, and so forth. We can both learn from the most prestigious global classrooms organized by universities, and from outside the classroom. Doing volunteering work and getting internships, for instance, can encourage us, the young people, to truly take social responsibilities and take a first step into the world of adulthood. Yum, the first taste is amazing!

A new academic year shall follow, signifying new challenges which we face with enthusiasm and confidence after a summer’s inspiration and preparation. An entirely new grade level can be thrilling (perhaps even menacing in certain circumstances). Suppose that the four seasons in a year codify as a parabola, then summer time would probably occupy the significant maximum point space, for it is highly important as a juxtapose between two grade levels. Using reflections gained from the previous school year along with summer experiences and newly-ejected passion and freshness, we return to school with vigor and prospects. Is it almost time to restart our MUN debates? Or our Roots & Shoots Organic Garden project? Oh, and the High School Drama Production too!

Fully recognizing the importance of summer to us students, I wonder how we can truly coordinate different activities so that the holiday is spent meaningfully and productively. After a careful series of considerations, I have concluded a few points that might be relevant to many of us, students from international school. First of all, I strongly encourage everyone to participate in a summer program organized by universities or organizations. Personally, I spent two weeks engaging in a summer program that involved Creative Writing, Experimental Psychology and Leadership Workshops at the University of Oxford. It was really enthralling that the courses were taught by Oxonian Professors and that peers came from all across the globe, creating an overall international and engaging summer experience. For me, a typical day was as exciting as this:

7:50 - Indulge myself in consuming full English breakfast.

8:30 - Check out the Bulletin Board, sign up for afternoon activities.

9:00 - Experimental Psychology Course.

11:00 - Creative Writing Course.

12:00 - Lunch in the Dining Hall.

13:20 - Leadership and Team-building Workshop.

15:00 - Free Time! (Sign out to visit bookstore or other local attractions with friends; The program also included sporting events, visits to several colleges, two field trips to Blenheim Palace and the London Dungeon.)

18:00 - Dinner in the Dining Hall.

19:00 - Evening Activities (such as a Beach Party, Salsa and Zumba classes, watching the Shakespearean play ‘the Comedy of Errors’, Quiz Night, and so forth)

22:00 - Hang out with my Cypriot roommate + homework

22:30 - Curfew

Secondly, we can broaden our visions by travelling, for inspirations tend to naturally occur to us when we are relaxed and open-minded: exploring a totally new spot may empower us to attempt new adventures. For instance, during my trips to England last year, I was constantly struck by ‘lightbulb ideas’. As I looked out of the windows on a bus trip to Blenheim Palace, I suddenly imagined my Personal Project product as a Shakespearean play. It was rather unexpected, as I have only started to read Shakespeare six months prior to my visit to Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of the Bard. The gentle summer breeze messaged my wafting imaginations, which soared to construct a series of thoughts that turned to reality as I completed my Personal Project in February. Indeed, travelling can often spark new ideas out of our youthful minds, for we are naturally wondrous and immature, thanks our unique age. Of course, if you need to stay in China, then you can still travel to different places in the city you are staying in, for China has varieties of cultural enhancements to nourish you with.

Thirdly, we can sharpen our critical and analytical skills. This does not mean that we have to take thousands of SAT cram courses, but can include a range of activities such as reading literature pieces and works of natural and social sciences, experimenting with different styles of verse and prose composition… Developing skills is vital to our learning lifestyle and is largely dependent on our own initiatives outside the classroom. Therefore, I usually use summer time as a wonderful opportunity to create my own tasks with rules of liberation, of rigid flexibility. Full of fantastical dreams as a child, I used to compose novels. Apart from the fact that applying the products of curiosity challenges the consistency of this commitment, I also devoted research into this summertime activity. For instance, when I decided to develop my skills in portraying natural atmospheres, I devoted special attention to plants and animals when travelling: every time I found out about a unique species, I would jolt down some bullet points on my notebook or do a rough sketch on the sketchpad. This tendency to inquire independently contributed to my learning habits, which I have applied in my Personal Project, where I wrote a Shakespearean play to reflect life in Elizabethan England. The aforementioned trips on England, the habits of recording novel ideas, and the nature of being a book-lover who evaluates sources with critical and analytical skills all contribute to the realization of the goal of the Personal Project. Perhaps, we could all use our summers to design our own personal projects, even if we are not doing the PP for the MYP certificate!

Fourthly, serve the community. Does it necessarily mean that we need to get internships or volunteering opportunities? Not really, though these experiences can be extremely beneficial for us to progress as responsible social citizens. Perhaps, an easy approach for us to consider is starting to spread the seeds of awareness - of conservation and health concerns that the society faces. Why not do some research and try to ‘sell’ the information to local residents? One summer twelve years ago, an intriguing question troubled my childish mind, ‘Where does the water which we just washed our hands with go? Is there a device to recycle the wastewater?’ As my father’s answer ‘No’ struck me with alarming sorrow, I wistfully composed a poem about the environment, which contained a part dedicated to water, ‘What comes out of the water tube? / It is the tear drips of our Earth.’ Having always believed that it is every citizen’s responsibility to protect Mother Earth, I joined Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in summer 2008, during my trip to Yellowstone National Park. Since then, I have actively taken part in activities organized by the NRDC and categorize the discovery of the organization one of the feats that summer brings in regards to realizing our social responsibilities. Inspired by this organization, I prepared to start a Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Club at school last summer, and used the vacation period to gather information from friends who have prior experiences with the organization. The impact of individuals might be small, but every individual makes a difference so that the combined forces can influence our society significantly. 

Last but not least, enjoy the well-deserved holiday! Plunge into the refreshing ocean and lay your head back to capture the azure sky; kick the football into the goal to score, just as you wish to score well in the upcoming semester; invent a collection of non-alcoholic cocktails and realize your culinary dreams… The summer belongs to you (oh no, US)!

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哈佛法學院2021屆 Juris Doctor、哈佛亞洲法律協會主席。美國聯邦法院 judicial law clerk。2018年以最高榮譽畢業於美國頂尖文理學院Pomona College,大三時入選美国大学优等生协会Phi Beta Kappa並擔任西班牙語榮譽協會主席。多家國際刊物撰稿人及專欄記者、《克萊蒙特法律及公共政策期刊》總編及《北美聯合法律期刊》創始人。劍橋大學唐寧學者。羅德獎學金最終候選人。

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