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It’s been a while now since I have returned from the GEEMA week but the sense of excitement still hasn’t quietened down. It seems like only yesterday that I was making my way to King’s Cross, rather nervously, ready to board the train that would drag me to the “clever side of England”; a melting pot for university challenge winners, ringing with the sound of quick, intelligent conversations (the ones that I fail hopelessly to follow) and a sense of unbearable competitiveness.

During my cruelly short 45 min train ride, there really wasn’t much time for me to gather my composure and face what I had expected was going to be a very long and tedious week ahead full of awkward silences, especially when I wasn’t feeling very well to begin with. I thought: ‘Right, it will take me at least two days to feel comfortable talking to anyone, then I will just see how it goes’. I had no idea what was in store and my imagination went wild with the most pessimistic scenarios – even that I would be sent home and would have to explain why to my parents...

Thump, thump. Thump, thump… With each step drawing me closer to the exit sign of the station, my feet started to disobey and I let everyone else brush past me. I refused to believe my quiet journey had ended and I had to start using some “Cambridge level” words. When I finally took a peek outside and saw the undergraduates who had come to meet us, two things came to my mind: for one, the station is TINY. And as for the other, they weren’t ALL white. There goes one stereotype.

I was greeted by some genuinely friendly people, people not that much older than me, and as I discovered, people who had normal upbringings in suburban London in comprehensive schools. As our conversations lengthened, I began to feel bad about having prejudices against the so-called “boffins” because they are really just people, maybe people who cared about what they study a bit more or what kind of positive impacts they can achieve in society. They never used the fact that they study at Cambridge to patronise or show off, but have tangible passions for their work.

A couple of us (students) boarded the taxi which took us to Newnham College, where we were staying for the week. We struck up so many conversations during the short ride that I made friends immediately. No-one was shy or uneasy and we found we were more alike than different. Coming from an all-girls’ school, I also found it surprisingly easy to talk to guys.

A part of me felt content just getting to know the six or seven people in the taxi and I hoped that these people were the ones I would be sticking with for the remainder of the week. Little did I know that I would soon be talking to almost everyone at the summer school – all 40 of them.

̽��ֱ��grounds of Newnham College were breath-taking. Coming from London, it’s so unusual to see buildings hundreds of years old that you can touch for free, let alone live in. My room was cosy, well-lit and airy - what more can you ask for? ̽��ֱ��lawn was immaculately trimmed, and it felt like a sin to tread on the carpet of grass. I got my camera out and you can imagine the rest.

In the following days, I got to know Cambridge better and strangely, the more I knew about it, the less frightening it became. Some days I just felt like a tourist! When we toured the colleges, it felt so surreal because of the medieval architecture that I kept blurting out ‘We are in Cambridge!!’ which was greeted with strange stares. Another highlight for me was the punting. There is nothing so relaxing, entertaining or romantic than getting chauffeured on the river, all with a bit of interesting history about the colleges. It must have been the shortest 40 minutes EVER!

̽��ֱ��lectures were equally inspirational and opened my mind to new ideas such as forensic archaeology, “thinking hats” and mixing sound effects for a clip in the Transformers film using household goods. World class lecturers were talking to us and it was hard to lose focus. These opportunities would have never been available to me had I not applied to GEEMA and I think equally, if I don’t apply to Cambridge in the future, there could be even more things I will miss.

On our last day, we dressed up in nice evening wear and went to a formal dinner at Peterhouse to celebrate the 20th anniversary of GEEMA. Entering the oldest college in Cambridge for a three-course meal felt like we were in a Harry Potter film. There was no witchcraft, much to our dismay, but the food, the atmosphere and the speakers worked a lot of magic into the souls of young people like us. ̽��ֱ��speakers touched the hearts of many with their tales about what a trek it was for them to reach where they are now. There wasn't a single whisper in the hall, and I think everyone left with determination stronger than gold.

Now as I am typing this up, I can still think of the friends that I made in that short week, their random outbursts of laughter and comments. It was as if we had been friends for much longer, years perhaps. Since, I have become more confident, sociable and optimistic about the future and the possibilities it holds. Whereas in previous camps I said to myself: “Thank God this thing is free.” I said to myself at the end of last week: ‘Even if this summer school hadn’t been free, I would have given an arm and a leg to take part in it”.

Ying got her GCSE results yesterday - 10 and a half A*s and 2 As - congratulations!�� Many thanks to the GEEMA participants who sent us their diaries – each one of them individual and inspirational. We wish them the best of luck with their plans. Look out for the winning diary from the Business Challenge summer school this time next week.

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