Meeting New People
This morning started with the continuation of the personal statements workshop we had yesterday. After having tried to write our personal statements, we were paired with each other and gave one another constructive criticism on them, which helped me notice the mistakes I had made in mine and make it better. Due to an organizational problem we had to divide into two groups so we actually got some free time after having corrected the personal statements, which I used to go out with the Palestinian girl and buy some candy at the Minimart.
After this we attended a negotiation workshop. As the teacher explained, negotiation is an almost intuitive element in our world but we are not always capable of using the best methods. This lesson was not only very interesting but it taught us skills which we need regularly in our everyday lives. We also did a negotiation exercise in pairs where one impersonated a hiring manager and the other a potential employee. The exercise was a job interview and it was only after having done it that I realized the mistakes I made in the negotiation on the job contract, I hope not to make them in real life! It was very instructive.
This activity was followed by lunch, after which we visited the Oxford Castle. Other than the interesting facts we learned about English history and the castle’s role as a prison, the view from the top of the tower was beautiful. I was about 100 steps to get up there! And not just any steps, really tight and steep spiral steps! Definitely worth it though.
The tour guide was really nice and quite funny, I enjoyed this experience and had a lot of fun though I had not yet reached my favourite part of the day.
What I enjoyed most was the first law elective. The teacher is amazing! I study law in school and though I like it a lot it can be very boring, but somehow, even if I was tired from the morning and kind of just wanted to sleep, the lesson was very dynamic and us students were often called on to say what we thought about things and ask questions. I had a lot of fun. We compared the different countries we live in and how the governments work, also confronting our opinions on different topics such as brexit (which we will discuss more the next classes, I can’t wait). We have to look up some topics for Thurday on Donald Trumps electoral campaign, so that we can discuss that too. I’m looking forward to our next class and to tomorrow, because tomorrow is London day!
After all these activities, I’m really tired. After dinner I simply went to my room and chatted with some of the girls I met. The people here are really nice and I get along with a lot of fellow campmates, we always have a lot to talk about. The day was quite intense, I’m definitely ready to go to bed.