Yesterday we attended the “Graduation Ceremony” for our son from his two week Oxford Royale summer programme at St. Peter’s College, Oxford University. It was a moment of reflection and pride for us all.
The programme director opened the ceremony by asking how many of the children knew at least two people at the beginning of the two week session. A couple of people raised their hands. Then he asked how many of the students knew at least two people at the end of the programme. Every student raised their hand. Some with tears in their eyes as they looked at their new friends. People they would not have met had they not had the opportunity to take part in the programme. I got a lump in my throat when my son raised his hand and he and some of his friends looked at each other. thinking about the paths intersecting for a short while then running parallel again as the students were preparing to go back to their every day existence.
Then the programme director asked the students by a show of hands how many were aged 13. A few raised their hands. Aged 14. My son’s age and there were several who raised their hands. Aged 15. A few more raised theirs. It looked like the 14 and 15 years olds were evenly split. Then the director congratulated them on their bravery and fortune to have been away from home in a foreign country for two weeks. Advising them about the wonderful experience they had been afforded and the experience they took up and mastered. My heart swelling with pride as I realised just how much my son will have grown since we dropped him off two weeks ago. Curious to see if he ever washed his clothes! But knowing he had changed and would be forevermore changed from this experience. He has tasted independence and lived on his own without us for two weeks. What would he be like when we pick him up tomorrow. What will the four of us be like when we pick him up tomorrow I wondered.
Then the director asked a very enlightening question. He asked how many students spoke more than one language. More than 50% of the students raised their hands. A staggering statistic! Showing me just how global our world really is and just how many people are at least bilingual. Giving them an advantage over several of us because these people can communicate with a group of people I could not.
Then the director asked how many students did not speak English as a first language. About 50% of the students raised their hands. Another profound lesson. We think we have life hard with English being spoken so much more in the Western world while there were more than 50% of the students who had come to a foreign land and a foreign language between the ages of 13 and 15 and were able to complete a two week programme in English. That fact goes beyond bravery. It is remarkable what our children are capable of achieving. Amazing the experiences they have available to them with the power of the Internet and our world becoming more and more of a global village.
I felt privileged to be able to afford my son the opportunity to be in class with students from places like Russia, India, Pakistan, China, France, Africa and others. Students he has forged a lasting relationship with. Students whose paths could very well cross again in this increasingly connected world. Proud that he made it through the programme and enjoyed every minute of it.
The ceremony was poignant and sentimental because it reminded me of how interconnected we all are regardless of where we come from. And I am so grateful we were able to give our son this opportunity to see what the big wide world is like out there. We left the graduation with our son rushing off to spend the last night with his new friends. They were off to dinner at the Randolph Hotel and a huge Venetian theme party to celebrate the end of the programme and the beginning of the rest of their lives.
My husband, daughter and I walked away feeling so proud (how many times have I used this expression now), smiling at how much our son and brother had changed from the two weeks when we left him. Grateful for having witnessed such an enlightening and life changing experience for him and for us. Showing him and us just how much of a global village we truly live in. That no matter where we live or what we look like, ultimately we are all the same deep down inside. What an experience.
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