Words from the Principal - 循道中學Methodist College

Pierandrea Falchi 4B (from Italy)
62
Wow, time flies at Methodist College.
The year is all but done and it`s time
for me to reflect. I can’ t describe my
experience any better than by saying that
this has been my best year ever.
I’ve encountered plenty of people and
friends and have experienced challenging
and enjoyable moments here. There are
so many differences between Hong Kong
and my home country Italy. People here
may not even imagine the differences
between Italian and Hong Kong schools.
Staying at school until 15:50 instead of
13:00; standing up all together to greet
the teachers and thanking them every
single lesson; being in a really “high-tech”
classroom that has a projector, computer,
air conditioner and a huge blackboard and
so much colorful chalk – all these things
were so new for me. You may think that
almost every school around the world has
such facilities, but in my school in Italy
we don’t have such high-tech stuff. Our
blackboard is very small and we are not
allowed to have so much chalk at once.
So, my first impression of this school was
that I was in heaven!
I must say that during the first month
I found myself exhausted since the school
day ended so late (from my Italian point
of view). Moreover, it was hard to keep
up with the speed of teaching. Later on I
got used to the Hong Kong school system.
To be frank, I still don’t know how the
teachers here not only can take care of
the learning of around 40 students, but
also keep the lessons interesting and
well run. I think they are very skillful and
well prepared but they also play some
jokes in order to make the lessons more
fun! I’ve really enjoyed all the lessons.
However, the science subjects were really
challenging for me to study because the
content seemed much higher in level than
what I`m used to in Italy. On the other
hand, some humanities subjects such as
history and geography I think are more indepth
in my home country.
The students here in Methodist College
are so polite, respectful, hardworking
and h o n e s t . F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e e f f o r t
they put into their studies has left me
amazed. I used to fail many of my tests
and quizzes during the first term, but
after a discussion with my classmates
(who I quickly saw as my friends too)
they let me realize that I should not
give up and should try harder. The time
and the quality of my study methods
s t a r t e d i m p r o v i n g f r o m t h e s e c o n d
term. I sincerely admire my classmates
b e c a u s e d e s p i t e t h e i r m a n y e x t r a -
curricular activities they can still perform
amazingly in their studies . I practiced
Ta e k w o n d o, t o o k p a r t i n t h e E n g l i s h
Drama and Ambassador programmes and
the School Choir as well. The members
of all groups were always so focused in
what they did. By following their example
I was lucky to win some prizes during the
Taekwondo Interschool Competition. This
was a memorable experience for me.
In school I always had company at
lunch. My school buddies were always
willing to spend their time with me. But
I must mention one episode during my
stay here. At the Christmas party my
classmates were playing some games
c o n d u c t e d i n C a n t o n e s e a n d s i n c e I
couldn’t understand I felt like an outsider.
S u d d e n l y, t h e l i g h t s t u r n e d o f f a n d
everybody stopped talking and a cake
full o f c a n d l e s w a s b r o u g h t i n t o t h e
classroom. It was my birthday surprise! I
was speechless because I realized I wasn’t
an outsider and that the whole class had
planned and prepared the surprise just
for me. I felt like one of the class in a
most touching way. I think this experience
really sums up the kind of year I have had
at Methodist College
Ultimately I would like to warmly
t h a n k e v e r y b o d y - a l l m y w o n d e r f u l
schoolmates (especially my classmates
f r o m 4 B ) , m y l o v e l y t e a c h e r s , o u r
tremendously accommodating Principal,
Ms Wong and finally, Ms Liu… you’re the
best!
Thanks Methodist College for the
greatest year of my life!