The presence of summer schools is non-existent in India and when I found out my home college allows interested students to attend international summer schools, let alone Leeds International Summer School (LISS), I was beyond thrilled and blessed.
Blessed because I got to attend LISS 2022, after two years of being socially parched and thrilled for the excursion possibilities, precious memories and meeting such a diverse set of international students and the precious friendships that were found.
I attended the two-week programme by taking the module Ethics for Business and Society. Being a fashion major, the sphere of topics that were dealt here and the way of teaching was something I had never experienced before, from the enriching classroom set up, to my module leader’s teaching skills, the group discussions that helped us understand the topics on a much real-life framework. The touch enabled screens that were available in my classroom were the ultimate learning tool, as my class figured how to turn each group discussion into a really interactive, artistic approach that allowed us to showcase our pro sketching skills next to our exercises that involved using Lego blocks.
Exploring Leeds city centre, strolling at Hyde Park, finding new places to eat, checking out the stores available in the LUU Building were something that filled up my free time. The visit to Cardigan Fields allowed me to experience Laser Tag and Bowling for the first time in my life and it is a dear memory to me amongst many. The excursions to Stratford-upon-Avon and Bolton Abbey were cinematic on their own though Harewood house held a spot in my heart for random reasons.
Having met so many people in the weeks I spent at LISS, I picked up a skill that I never bothered to think about – solo travelling. After the end of LISS 2022 I went on a solo trip to London and the skills I had developed during my stay at Leeds, helped me a lot, from accent barriers to British customs, to finding new areas that one can explore on their own.
The University and the city of Leeds has really ingrained into me with the lovely people and cityscape that it feels like my second home, that I still get flashes of those red brick buildings that move along as I held my Café Nero hot chocolate and my camera, passing those lavenders and that random person on cycle who flashes a smile at a stranger like me.