intermediate program summer site : conversations : first session



	geoffery from hong kong (7/11) Geoffery is entering ninth grade and it's his second year at the Intermediate Program. This comedian, debate pro, and (breaking news!) "Explo "Idol" winner is excited to be back in the states for the summer meeting new people. We had a interesting conversation about cultural differences among Hong Kong, the United States, and Eurpoe. What courses are you taking? I saw you in mock trial but what else are you taking? “Say Yes to Improv”. Oh cool, how’s that going? It’s going great. We’ve been playing games and doing a lot of improvising . . . It’s, like, whatever spontaneous ideas come to our head and we'll act it out. What sorts of improv games have you been playing? We just played one that’s sort of like . . . it’s called "You’re Late to Work". So, one person is the boss and a person is late to work. And the person doesn’t know why he or she is late or how he/she got to work. Then there are two co-workers who have to act it out without saying anything. Then the boss turns around and asks the co-workers “what are you doing?” If they have a good excuse, the boss will let them go . . . if not, they’re fired. That’s great! Have you done improv before? Yeah. Are you on an improv team or is this just for fun? Just for fun. What else do you like to do? Any other hobbies? Mostly I like to speak out. I like to sing. Everything that has to do with speaking to an audience. So you're into debate then? Well, I did participate in my debating team at my school. What trips did you go on last weekend? I went to the Prudential Skywalk because kayaking was cancelled [due to rain] and then I went to Six Flags. What was your favorite roller coaster at Six Flags? I like Superman. It’s two minutes but it’s so fast you don’t realize how long it is. What’s been your favorite main event? Hmm . . . I guess it would be the first one, “Deal or No Deal”. What other ones have you liked? I enjoyed OrigiNation. And I enjoyed roller skating yesterday. I've actually never roller skated before, but I've ice skated so it’s pretty cool. How long have you ice skated for? Um, about three months. And that’s something you just decided to pick up? Yeah. So what were you expecting when you came back to Explo? Well, I was expecting some of my friends from last year coming back and I was expecting a lot more fun this year. Have you made a lot of new friends? It’s been easy to meet new people. People here have different technology, interests, things, sports . . . everything is so different compared to Hong Kong. It must be so interesting to view culture in such a different context here at Explo. How is the food this year compared to last? Some of them are the same. Like this lunch I remember having last year. I like the beef gyros, though. They’re really good. What do you miss when you’re not here? The people. In Hong Kong its like you always see the same people over and over again . . . and you know they’re friends but, then, here you get to meet new people, new things, new interests. Everything is new here. I’m used to everything in Hong Kong . . . Is there anything you are really excited to try this year? There are some sports I’ve never done before, such as lacrosse, because I can’t find that in Hong Kong. Right, because it’s originally a Native American sport. I didn’t even think of that. Do you think Explo is preparing you for high school and college? Yeah, because their courses are quite prepared and they do it in a fun way, so its not like a normal class at school when you learn, do homework, use textbooks. What are you looking forward to most at Explo this session? I’m really excited for Cruise Night and Off-Broadway Night. What’s Off-Broadway Night? The performing groups perform their piece or whatever they’re doing in class. So will you be performing improv? Yeah. Fun! Why did you choose Explo over other programs? Because at Explo there are new things. You never know what’s happening. There might be a surprise. And this was fun last year, so I've loved coming back this year. What’s most surprised you about your time at Explo? Well, I would have to say how Explo is so open and free and fun and everything about it. If Explo had a mascot, what would it be and why? I would have to say it would be uh, a ball. Because it has many purposes. It can do anything. At Explo you can do pretty much anything here, because they have a lot of choices. A ball is fun. It's for playing, it's for leisure . . . and this place is for summer and it's very leisurely. more conversations > first session \| second session