Michelle from the July 2014 summer program talks about her experience...

Living in Hong Kong, an international community, I was already very much exposed to a variety of different cultures and believed that I had a brief understanding of them. Coming to Reach and being here for the past few weeks has made me realise that there was more to them than I initially thought. This trip has allowed me to catch a glimpse of the social and historical context of the places that seemed so far away from my own life. While the world seemed big because of the diverse nationalities, it simultaneously showed us how our lives connect through mutual friends that we did not expect each other to know, as well as similar ways of life. For me, this was definitely one of the highlights of this trip. Apart from the people that I have had the privilege to get to know, my favourite aspect of the trip was the exciting activities that took place every day. Reach provided a collection of different activities, ranging from the world fair to sports competitions and music groups. I particularly enjoyed the excursions on the weekends, especially our visit to the Brighton pier. It was a much-needed relief from our classes. Everyone was extremely enthusiastic as there were numerous rides that got our adrenaline pumping and a fun arcade where some of us even won prizes. Cambridge Big WeekendReach Cambridge has been an absolute eye-opening experience. Not only were we able to explore the city of Cambridge and gain an in-depth knowledge of our chosen subject, but we had the opportunity to interact with people from all over the world whom a lot of us can proudly call our best friends. Through the friendships we made, we even picked up basic conversational phrases in different languages. In addition, through the course of these past few weeks, we were able to raise an enormous amount of money (£1550!) from the charity auction for the charity SABRE. Finally, we acquired a sense of independence that is surely required in our future university study. Written by Michelle, student Reach program July 2014