To Chi Pong

"I think you are an excellent candidate for this trip! Congratulations!" I still remember how excited I was when I heard this announcement.
This marked the beginning of my unforgettable trip to the United Kingdom.

After a long flight from Hong Kong to Britain via Thailand, six of us from two different schools arrived at one of the most modern cities in the world, London. We were so excited at that time as for many of us, it was the first time to travel to Europe. Very soon, each of us reached our homestay in Cambridge, a small town famous for excellent tertiary education. When I first stepped into the house, I felt home immediately. My host family was so nice and to welcome me, they made me a British afternoon tea.

After a day of settling down, we started our first day of school! We studied at a school called the Select English. I was so shocked when I first arrived because the school did not look like an ordinary school in Hong Kong but rather like a castle in movies. I looked forward to the English style of school very much as I hoped to experience a different school learning experience.

The English way of learning was sparkling to me. Not only did they put emphatic on interactive methods between learners and teachers, but they also created a relaxing atmosphere for learning. Everyone could express their thoughts during the lesson. As a result, sharing the cultural differences on different aspects from eating to religions was very common during the lessons and I loved it very much. Surely could we broaden our horizon in this trip and understood why people said that reading books did not tantamount to travelling. I could investigate and stay much closer to people there and fulfill my curiosity.

Other than the differences in learning methods, they also emphasized the importance of extra-curricular activities. Therefore, we had opportunities to travel to a large variety of museums in Cambridge and for sure, universities. I believed that museum was one of the highlights in our trip as we could learn a lot about the empire which the sun never sets and the European history. Even the learning methods at schools are comparatively more relaxing than Hong Kong, going to museums is even more interesting.

Also, universities in Cambridge are renowned and at the highest ranking. We had a chance to visit them and to look at their histories. Cambridge University, the best university in the world, bred millions of dreams and successes. I was glad that I could visit it and to discover the history of the university. Moreover, we could enjoy extensive grassland under blue sky, and stay on pathways to be showered by atmosphere of studying. This actually helped me to hatch my wills to get into a university as I would like to enjoy the same feelings again in the coming future.

Of course we were not satisfied with sedentary activities; we did a considerable amount of outdoor activities.

First, we joined the first punting in our lives. River Cam was famous for punting and definitely was the upmost thing we had to try in Cambridge. The boat we went on was so small and any big disturbance would overthrow it, thus we had to be extremely careful when we held the pole, which drove the boat. However, it was very heavy and not easy to control. Even after trying twice, we were not able to manage the boat well; I could say that every time we were just lucky to dock.

Second, we went on trips to visit two small towns around Cambridge, St. Edmund and Ely. Both of them were small towns but had a very different view from Cambridge. St. Edmund was famous for its Catholic Church, which has been established for centuries, and a great park with extensive grassland and we saw a lot of animals there for example squirrels. Ely was a unique city that was famous for its excellent environment. It is a relatively small town to both Cambridge and St Edmund but having a much better environment. It was a great opportunity for me to visit them as I could know more and deeper about what Britain is like.

Third, we had a chance to visit London once a week on Saturday. Visiting London was the last thing I want to forget. London was an attractive and beautiful city which is home to many historical heritages, such as Westminster. Furthermore, we visited national museums which were very large in size and rich in items displayed. Unlike museums in Hong Kong, they were much larger and provided an extensive array of displays from all over the world.

I could not forget to mention about my foreign friends at all. I think meeting lots of friends from different places of the world was the most treasurable thing in the trip. Meeting them was like finding a coin in the sea, we could exchange other cultures and languages and living styles. This really changed my mind and thoughts about foreigners. I would not forget any of them who gave me three weeks of fun time.

Finally, it was time to leave the UK. None of us wanted to leave because we had already built up a strong relation with the host families and friends. But9:20 20/4/2016 in reality, we had to leave and say goodbye to this place, which gave me a dream and many unforgettable experiences.