ACADEMIA ARGÜELLO AT THE OXFORD TRADITION

Durante el mes de julio, cincuenta y siete estudiantes de quinto y sexto año participaron del programa The Oxford Tradition, organizado por World Strides. Tras una breve visita a Londres (ciudad a la que volvimos un par de veces para seguir visitando y a la que le sumamos Bristol, Bath y Stonehenge), nos instalamos en Pembroke College, Oxford, durante un mes. Nuestros estudiantes tuvieron la posibilidad de elegir entre veintiocho majors y veinte minors, que iban desde Criminology o Neuropsychology hasta Journalism, Philosophy o The Biology of Disease. Así Oxford se transformó en un gran salón de clases para nuestros jóvenes, quienes vivieron la intensidad de estas semanas como una gran experiencia educativa de formación integral, que se quedará en la memoria por siempre. Estudiantes de veintisiete países participaron del programa: nuevas amistades, nuevas formas de ver el mundo, nuevas culturas hermanadas.

Les hemos pedido a los verdaderos protagonistas de esta historia que compartan sus impresiones de esta experiencia. ¡Qué mejor que sus palabras para ilustrar el viaje! sus palabras para ilustrar el viaje!

“My journey to England has a special place in my life. The memories we made, and I say “we” because various lives have entwined with mine on this recollections, are some of the most treasured ones I possess. The people I met have carved a pocket of emotions and thankfulness that I cannot fully begin to describe and put into words. These people walked with me on a meaningful yet unknown voyage where self-management and out-of-the-box skills were essential. The outstanding new approach towards education and the relationship with students modified my thoughts towards education. An example would be that the professor (in my case for Medical Sciences) built the classes with half of them being theoretical (for instance studying layers of skin and its composition) and the other half of them with “hands on the field” (doing sutures). These types of classes encouraged me to genuinely learn and develop a craving interest in the class. I am grateful for the opportunity to have attended the program and experienced so many things that left indelible footprints on me.”

Virginia Prandi - 5º Año

“My experience in Oxford was amazing. It was the best trip I’ve ever done and the one that taught me the most not only about the places we visited and different subjects from the courses I took, but also about different cultures and people from different parts of the world. Besides, everything I’ ve learned has helped me to grow and become a more independent person. Moreover, I’ve made a lot of new friends from different countries who I still have contact with, and also I made a very strong bond with my friends and classmates, which impacted our group positively. I will always remember that trip, all the places we got to visit in England and all the activities Pembroke College and The Oxford Tradition offered us to have a very nice time all together.”

Athina Terrera- 5º Año

“My Oxford experience was amazing. It changed my life. There I learned a lot, not only because of the subjects I took but also about other countries and people from different parts of the world I never thought I could ever meet. Oxford Tradition is very well thought of for students to develop their independence and start to know how a University works. In the social part it was a great experience to get to know teenagers from South Africa, Australia, Puerto Rico and lots of other places I would never have thought I would become friends with. It also helped our school group to create a special bond, this has an impact in our lives nowadays as we are a more united group. This is an unforgettable and life changing trip I will always remember. The activities offered by the Program were stunning. I personally think everyone should have the opportunity to take a trip like this one to start to know how universities work and what to expect.”

Malena Florensa

“My experience in Oxford was very good. At the beginning of the trip I was quite nervous about the situation as I was far away from home, far away from my family, and trying to be independent for a month -only 16 years old! After two days of being with people who were different from me but at the same time so similar I felt at home, everyone treats you well and because there are so many people you can quickly find someone to relate to. Besides making friends with new people, I can interact again with people that I already knew but that I didn’t relate to or who I had never given a chance. As for the place, I thought it was wonderful, everything was ready to be explored and discovered, and the architecture was very different. This trip is something you have to do at least once in your life.”

Camila Conci

“One month, thirty days, seven hundred and twenty hours. There is no word to describe such an incredible experience as the one I had during July. I can’t summarize all the things I lived, all the sensations I went through, all that I was able to learn along those days. I could say that “memorable” is the word I am looking for, but that wouldn’t account for everything. I went with only one suitcase of clothes, but I came back with three more full of knowledge and skills. I can say that this trip helped me to rediscover myself; discover those little things which I didn’t know because I never had the chance to put them to practice, and so, I was able to reflect upon my actions and learn from them (from my “mistakes”). I don’t want to go into too much detail about my personal experience, but let me tell you that if you have the possibility to live this adventure, I encourage you to do so; believe me, it will all be worth it. You need to embrace every single opportunity that will be present throughout your trip. There will be bad days and good days, both are necessary to live the whole experience. You are the one who sets the limit on how much you can learn. In my case, this trip didn’t change my life -it changed my perspective on it.” Constanza Ramos

“So as to refer to what I have learned from the Oxford Tradition program I must say words are hard to find to describe this experience. It was an adventure for me. I realized many things and one of them was the relationships a student-teacher could have. In my case I took Neuropsychology as my major class and Philosophy as my minor class, where I noticed how patient and empathetic teachers could be. However, not only were the teachers understanding and kind with us, most of the people who are behind the program treated us with patience and love. I felt really cared for with them. Another thing that I take away from this experience is that you learn how to be independent: managing times, decision taking and moving around a city. You also start to deal with the fact of missing the people you left in the country and feeling homesick. I consider that all these abilities were developed in that month. As to conclude, I want to say that this program changed my way of seeing life, it gave me a broader understanding and perspective of the world; I met people I would have never met if I hadn´t attended the program. Definitely life-changing.”

Delfina Onnis

“My experience in Oxford was unique. From the moment we boarded to every single day in the month where we had new activities til the moment we landed in Argentina, everything was amazing. There is nothing better than traveling, and with friends? Words cannot describe it. Living in a university campus with your friends, in a new country where you get to do so many things is something I would do all over again and I wouldn’t get tired of doing. Such a quite and safe city, Oxford, made us feel happy to be there. The risks are low and you do not get scared of anything around. The museums, the other colleges, the teachers we had, everything made my experience the happiest. The variety of majors and minors you could take left no one out, as we got to choose whatever we wanted to learn over the course of those weeks. I loved my Oxford experience and it is something I would choose every day.” Luz Novillo

“Oxford, an experience that had changed my life. The trip that up to now was the one that I liked best and made a click in my life. In this city many things happened to me: I learned new things, met new people, discovered new places, basically I found a new me, a new Ivo Ruedi. A person who today is totally different from the one that was before Oxford. This place was extremely exhilarating for me, more than what I expected. In the first place, the form in which I studied and learned -it was different and in only a month I could learn a great amount of things such as Engineering, my major, and Journalism, my minor. I could deepen on skills that I didn’t know I had, they were further developed, and today they are very useful for me. Also, I can highlight that I met new people from different cultures, all from various countries and continents. I can especially talk about Mo, my Engineering teacher. He came from Iraq and although we had different cultures, he made me feel very comfortable when having the class up to the point that we became good friends. The point of this is that one of the many things that Oxford taught me was to be a more sociable person and more prone to speaking to people. I developed many skills I will always treasure.” Ivo

Ruedi