INTERNATIONAL
EXHORTANDO DETUR PONS MUNDO *
*BRIDGES ACROSS THE WORLD
A s Kenza, Shehzore and I stood in the boardroom on the 32nd floor of the Jing An Kerry Conference Centre facing an amalgamation of Dulwich College International governors and Head Boys and Girls from all across Asia, we couldn’t help but reflect on what an unbelievable week we had just experienced. When asked about the possibility of travelling halfway across the world to experience another culture, one is inevitably faced with feelings of excitement, nervousness and trepidation. On arriving at Gatwick and boarding our eleven-hour flight to China’s Shanghai Pudong airport, amongst the in-flight entertainment and constant checking of our itinerary for the following week was an overwhelming anticipation of what we might face. Kenza and Shehzore had both visited Dulwich College Beijing and Shanghai respectively and had a vague idea of the appearance and atmosphere of the two schools. Yet despite having been part of school trips shepherded by numerous members of staff from London, they too were not sure what to expect of such an independent expedition. Our worries were soon allayed, as we were greeted on landing by Jimmy Lai, a former Head Boy of Dulwich College Beijing, now working as Events Coordinator for Dulwich College International. We were sent via taxi to our first place of residence: a homestay with the Pellegrino family, of whom two children, Nico and Gaia, were students of Dulwich College Shanghai, aged 17 and 14. Following a brief but very warm introduction to the home, situated two minutes from the school, we were whisked away once again to a quick tour of the city, on which we experienced Shanghai’s underground marketplaces, a selection of traditional Chinese cuisine (including stinky tofu and spicy preserved eggs) and Shanghai’s financial district, known as the Bund. Earlier this year, Senior Prefects Cameron Forbes (Year 13), Kenza Wilks (Year 13) and Shehzore Adil (Year 13) travelled to China to visit some of the other Dulwich schools and attend the inaugural Dulwich College International Student Leadership Conference. There they were greeted by a very friendly welcome and a familiar ethos
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