Brightly Shen
Grade 8, Harrow International School Shanghai
What did you do over summer vacation?
I went to Vietnam with my family over summer holiday. We enjoyed snookering, fishing and playing in the water park. We also went to Zhejiang Northern Valley near Shanghai. My Labrador, Meatball, was very excited to run in the mountain and swim in the river. For the rest of the holiday, I enjoyed activities in Shanghai, like swimming, skating and visiting museums.
What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming school year?
I am most looking forward to meeting new friends and teachers. I am also looking forward to learning new things. I will be the first group of students in Harrow Shanghai and I am excited to say hello to my teachers and classmates in the new school.
What subject do you like the most and why?
Well, it is really hard to choose, but I have four subjects that I like to study. Art, because it is very fun and because I enjoy playing with different colors. I like science because I can do fun experiments. Drama is something that I enjoy because I like acting. I like design technology because I really like to learn how to make things that can be used in daily life.
Have you done any preparation for the new school year?
I have done some homework for Mandarin and English because they are the foundation of my studies. I read Chinese and English books for one hour each day, and wrote in my diary regularly to record fun things in life.
What new things do you hope to try this year?
I want to join the swimming team.
Are you nervous about starting a new school year?
No, I am not nervous at all. When I was 5 years old, I had my first school year in Shanghai and I was very nervous. But when the school year ended, I found out that starting a new school year isn’t scary at all. Instead, it is fun because you get to see your friends again. So now I am excited about it.
What was your most memorable experience about last school year?
It was the project week. The whole grade traveled to Yangshuo, Guilin and stayed there for five days. During those five days, we did a lot of activities such as teaching local school students English, helping them build the school and exploring nature. My favorite part was visiting the cave. When we went inside the cave, we saw a lot of stalactites that looked like Vampire’s teeth and popcorn. We even had a mud bath that day. It was awesome!
