I can still remember the first day arriving at ISAK, the different emotions that I felt when the bus entered the main road, with all the different country flags fluttering beside me, and all the students running over to welcome us. I sat on the bus not only feeling excited for this new journey, but also feeling nervous, because this is the first time that I go abroad and study alone, without my parents. I felt uncertain for my choice, wondering if I made the right decision. However, this feeling of anxiousness and uncertainty soon disappeared, I met a lot of really amazing people, and soon became really good friends with them. Besides the new G10 students, the seniors were really nice to us as well, not only were they a good role model for us, but we learned a lot of things from them, such as their attitude, their ways of thinking, and how they interact with different people. With their help, I was able to adapt to the school’s environment very quickly, and to me, they are just like the big brothers and sisters that I never had, they made me feel like I was at home, so that I won’t feel homesick. It is until this moment when I realized that here, my dream and my new journey begins.
One of the most special aspects of our school is that it is truly an “International” school, with students and teachers coming from over 74 countries, each of them coming from a different background and different culture, each carrying a different story and a different point of view. Even though a big percentage of the students here are from Asia, but during our daily and residential life, we get to interact with the students from other continents as well, and by getting to know them, it also expands one’s horizon. From listening to their stories, and experiencing their culture, it’s like taking a tour around the world, at the same time, they remind me of how lucky I am, not having to experience the terrible things that some of them have been through.

Here at ISAK, with everyone coming from different parts of the world, people having some differences and conflicts cannot be prevented, but we learned to put down these differences, and respect different kinds of cultures and backgrounds. Although I am still trying to get used to some of the different habits people have there, but I tried my best to break down my cultural barriers, and by living and learning with people with different backgrounds and races, I started to get used to living with their habits and culture, instead of being stubborn and discriminating them. 
Even though I’ve only studied at ISAK for four months, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot already, in my old schools, besides the normal subjects, they don’t focus that much on important skills such as leadership and critical, independent ways of thinking. During the 4 months here, besides the regular classes we have everyday, everyone is required to take two leadership courses, both focusing on personal leadership, and our ways of thinking. Instead of telling us the result straight away, we’ll have to figure out the process first, making us independent thinkers, not just robots receiving instructions.
Friends are a big part of my life here, I’ve only known them for a short time, but to me, they feel like a part of my family now, all of them are wonderful people, and not only have they made my life here amazing, but I’ve also learned a lot from them as well. UWC has changed my life from a regular teenager to a global citizen, and living in a kind and friendly environment like this, I’m really looking forward to see more and more people able to participate in the UWC experience, and I would like to seeing how it will change them, just like how it has changed my life.