January 17 2014, Friday
Gap-year
students
Every year, two gap-year boys but
at times, only one from Sandbach School, a drama specialist school in Cheshire,
United Kingdom and one of our sister schools would be sent to us to help out
with English drama activities. Such practice has been on-going since 2006 and
so we have had the wonderful experience of working with over ten very
responsible and well-mannered boys. They are a valuable asset to our school.
Gap-year refers to the year
between secondary school and university. These students have already been
offered university degree places but they ask for deferment to see the world. They
come from an upper-middle class suburban city. Everything in Hong Kong from the
packed streets, the long opening hours of shops and restaurants, the efficient
public transport to the mega buildings is amazing to them!
In recent years, Hong Kong young
people have jumped on this gap-year bandwagon especially when more and more
countries are offering working holiday visas. I have a student graduated with
an engineering degree. He spent a year in Japan helping earthquake victims.
Meanwhile, he indulged himself in his hobby – photography. He is now back in
Hong Kong and last week he presented me with a 2014 calendar, twelve scenic
pictures of Japan.
Right now, I am looking at the
January calendar, a snow-clad shinkansen or "bullet train”. Thank you,
Daniel!
