bubububump

does this stand in a sea of essays?

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

"What am I doing here?" I asked myself as I walked into the lush and bright campus. It was early May 2007, my first day at Bell's International School in Cambridge, England. While I had certain expectations, it took a couple of hours in class for me to realize that this was not what I had anticipated.

Our classes consisted of half-hour lessons in Basic English Vocabulary and Grammar. We were also introduced to idioms such as “the thought that counts.” Bell’s school is a language school that specializes in teaching English to international students, but being educated in an English-speaking school in the Philippines, I breezed through the first day of class, even pretending at times that I did not know the answers as I wanted to blend in with the other students. My classmates would conscientiously take down every word our teacher said. Song-ae, my Korean classmate, would painstakingly construct grammatically correct, formal sentences. My classmates worked diligently, they did not seem to mind that at times I did not pay attention, at the end of the day, they would still happily compliment me on my "excellent English."

During the coming days, while listening to our teachers discussed the rules of subject-verb agreement, I keenly observed my classmates. Across me sat Talali, a young and wealthy boy from Qatar whose mood, like a typical adolescent, usually depended on which side of the bed he woke up on. He seemed impulsive so I was a little wary of him. However, with Talali’s constant attempts to lend me his notes made me reconsider. I decided to give him a break, thinking perhaps he was trying to live a normal “American” life. My seatmate was a French girl called Sandra. She was so focused on our class discussions that she was oblivious to our class' enthusiasm for recess! While I had this preconceived notion that all French were snooty and snobbish, my perspective quickly changed. Sandra, with her friendly and pleasant disposition, was refreshing. I found Miss Francois, our lecturer on British history and politics, a very inspiring and engaging teacher. She told us that Britain had no written constitution, a distinguishing feature that set the British government apart from other Western governments. I became so curious and fascinated with British politics that during our lunch break, I rushed to the library to read more on the subject.

Halfway into my program, I realized that I had extra time on my hand. I decided to try something new-explore the quaint city of Cambridge by foot! I could not wait to immerse myself in this new environment-a wonderful fusion of the everyday and the extraordinary.

My regular walk around the city center exposed me to the daily life of ordinary English people.

I also saw how diverse the city was as I passed by the Asian, Middle Eastern and Indian deli shops. About two minutes away from my host family’s was a pub where both academics and locals socialized and enjoyed watching football games together. Even when my favorite football teams were not playing, I would still go to this pub. I listened as the regulars discussed burning issues of the day in Parliament, the Labour Party and Tony Blair, in between sips of beer. This was so different from the Philippines. People in the bars line up to sing karaoke-a favorite past time for most Filipinos. I soon became a regular habitué as I learned more about sports and developed an intense interest in football.

Every night as I lay in bed, I smiled and thought to myself “this was a good day.” My three-week experience that summer taught me so much. I learned to be more open and realized the folly of believing stereotypes. I was introduced to the ins-and-outs of British politics. I even developed a love for football! Cambridge allowed me to enjoy and savor the sophistication that comes with living in this unique university town. After all, Cambridge helped shape history. It inspired Darwin, Newton, Woodsworth, among others. It is no surprise that Bill Gates is a regular visitor and has set up Microsoft's laboratory test facilities in its campus.

Seven months have gone by since my trip. In retrospect, I would not have had it any other way. It was not what I learned in the program which I found most useful. The learning came from connecting with and building relationships with my classmates. I breathed and lived a world beyond my small all-girl Catholic school that exists within the confines of my local Philippine network. Cambridge came to life through my regular walks and by hobnobbing with the locals. From time to time, I still visit websites of British newspapers and tabloids for updates. What a beautiful irony it is to have attended a program in Cambridge to improve my English but end up learning about the rest of the world from my classmates, friends and Cambridge itself.