junior program summer site : conversations : first session



	Rachel from New Jersey (7/18) While it was only Rachel's first summer at Explo, she seems to have everything figured out. She's met and lived with people from all around the world, and she tells us that if Explo were a dessert, it'd be an ice cream sundae -- because it's fun, nice, and refreshing in the summer heat. What did you do yesterday? Yesterday I was putting the final touches on my article for the “Explo Weekly,” which is a class I'm in. We were working on our skit to advertise it, because the magazine went out yesterday. I also was working with the Pioneers on an activity called “Alien Language = French,” which was for my class “Passport to Paris.” We taught them some French, like numbers and colors. All in all, it was a good day. Tell me a bit more about “Passport to Paris.” “Passport to Paris” was awesome. I got to learn lots of colors, we made an actual passport, baked quiche, and put on a little fashion show. It was way more than I'd expected. We also got to make these little landscapes, which are our take on Impressionist paintings. Did you know any French going into the class? No. It was all new. It was tough in the beginning, but our teacher, Arielle, made everything seem so easy. Awesome. What about “Explo Weekly”? I like it a lot because I get to make my writing skills a lot better than they were. I got to figure out how to edit paragraphs, do grammar checks and punctuation. We learned how to interview people, and to look in their eyes, even while we were writing something down. Sounds tough! How do you think classes at Explo compare to classes at school? They're very different. At my school, the teachers can be really strict -- more strict than they are here. I thought [the classes] were better here. The people here . . . everyone understands your problems. Like if you have a problem in French, the teacher will understand that you haven't learned it yet, and they won't pull you away from the class. Instead they'll keep you with the class and go over the lesson again. I have Arielle as a teacher for both classes. She really helped my writing skills and my French get a lot better. I think it's because she's understanding and can figure out what our problems are. I like that a lot. That's great. What do you think is the coolest thing you've done at Explo? The talent show. I hula-hooped with my friend Jackie while she sang a love song. It was actually a little surprising because we weren't sure what we were going to do. It actually came out really well. It was a lot of fun. What do you think the word “Explo” means? I think it means treating people the way you want to be treated, and all together, being a family and learning what it means to be a human on the planet earth. Can you tell me about your experience as a first-year residential student? Well, I thought it was pretty cool. My mom used to work at the Intermediate Program, so I thought it would be cool to go. She said it was always her dream to have both of her kids [at Explo]. So, my brother is at the Intermediate Program and I'm here. It's been even better than I've expected. I thought I was going to get homesick, but I didn't. In the time, I've met new people. My roommate is actually from Turkey. I'd never even known anyone from Turkey. Another girl who lives down the hall from me is from Puerto Rico. I think it's just the coolest thing. Was it easy to meet new people? It was. I think it's because everyone treats you the way they want to be treated. People wouldn't make fun of someone for reading a book. It's a lot of fun. You feel like you're getting closer and closer, and getting a college-like experience. What are your Residential Advisors like? My RA's are Angela and Sharada. You can go to them at any time and talk to them one-on-one, which makes me feel really good. They're always like, “OK, let's sit down and talk,” and they keep us happy. They're really nice. What do you think you'll take home with you from Explo? I'm going to take back everything I've learned; what it's like to be away from home; and learning that everyone is different. I'm going to take away understanding others' problems and not backing away [from things that are difficult]. If you had a friend who was thinking about coming to Explo, what would you tell them? I'd tell them that they should go for it because it'll be the best experience of their life. If Explo was a dessert, what type of dessert would it be, and why? It would probably be an ice cream sundae, with a big cherry on top, because I love ice cream. It's sweet, it's fun to eat, and it's nice and cool when it's hot out. more conversations > first session \| second session