intermediate program summer site : conversations : first session



	emeline from new jersey (7/22) Emeline is getting ready to enter 9th grade. It's only her second day at Explo, but she's already met a ton of new friends and can't wait for the trips this weekend! So you are taking chemistry and broadcast journalism. That's quite a spread. What did you do today in chemistry? Blew up balloons -- well, we tried. We also blew up plastic bags, like zip-lock bags. How did you do that? We put vinegar in first and then we put baking soda in a coffee filter and then put it in a bag before we put it together. We just held it closed until it was closed all the way and then shook it to blow it up with the reaction. Wow. Sounds explosive! What did you do in broadcast journalism? We talked about how everything is different on TV, like movie reviews. We watched a movie review. He had a clip on his computer of an “Indiana Jones" review, and we talked about how it was different from a newspaper review. What did you find was different? The tone of voice is different. Something that could be meant lightly [on TV] could be seen as harsh if it’s written. If you can hear the music and see the clips of movie reviews online or on television, it could change your opinion of the movie. What made you want to take that class? I was looking through the course listings, and it sounded interesting, so I signed up. How have you found it meeting people so far? It’s actually surprisingly easy. Really. At home, if you want to join in on a conversation, you have to be friends with that person. Here, I was on a bus to go to chemistry, and on the way back there were these two guys across the aisle from me. The guys started speaking another language, and I was like, “Oh, what country are you from?” and just joined in the conversation. He was like, “Turkey." His English was so perfect; I had no idea he was from Turkey! How are you RA's? My RA’s are really nice, both of them, Caro and Christi. Last night, I was talking to Caro, this whole conversation for like an hour. We were just sitting there talking. She’s really nice and she’s cool. What are you expecting from Explo? Well, I don’t know. This is my first time away from my parents for this long, so I don’t know. Just a fun time, pretty much enjoying myself and meeting new people. At home, the friends that I have are my only friends and it’s hard to make other friends. Here, it's easy. You can just go up to a person and be like, “Hey, what’s your name?” What’s the strangest thing you packed? The strangest thing? [Laughs] What did I pack? The strangest thing I packed? I don't know, but my friend brought over forty shirts. I’m like, “What do you need that for?” She won’t have to do laundry! That’s true! But she knows how to do laundry. I don’t even know how to do laundry and I brought like twenty. Sounds like that’s something you’ll learn at Explo. Something new you’ll try! I loved how in the video [for Explo], how the guy says, “At Explo, you learn to do things you wanna learn and you’ll learn things you don’t wanna learn, like how to do laundry." I was like, "YES! That’s so me!" more conversations > first session \| second session