Rather than spending her summer lying by the pool and hanging out with friends, Margo Strifert, junior, spent her summer studying at the University of Oxford.

“I chose England because I want to be a writer, and they offer writing classes. Most really famous literature is from Oxford,” Strifert said.

Strifert found a program through Oxford called Summer Fuel, applied, and got accepted. While Strifert’s main goal was to improve and expand her writing skills, she took other classes that interested her, including creative writing and the culture of tea.

“When I signed up for the culture of tea, I thought it was just going to be us drinking tea, but I actually learned a lot. We learned about the art and history of tea, trade within civilizations, and how to drink it in different cultures,” Strifert said. “I can definitely taste a good tea from a bad tea.”

After taking classes in London, Strifert looks at the U.S. school system differently.

“The teachers here stand up in front of the class and have a lesson plan and talk at us, but the teachers there were talking to us,” Strifert said. “Everyone really respected the teachers. We enjoyed hearing them talk and listened the second they started talking. Everyone wanted to know what they had to say.”

Another major difference between HHS and Oxford is that classes are not regularly held in a classroom setting.

“There were very few times that I was sitting in a class. Most of the time I was out in the gardens or walking through town talking to people,” Strifert said.

Students from all over the world participated in the program, including people from the Dominican Republic, the U.S., Canada, Italy, and other European countries.

“My closest friend that I met was from Italy. I met so many different people and learned about so many different cultures. It gave me a different perspective on how things work here in America,” Strifert said.

Strifert’s main focuses were studying and discovering the University of Oxford. However, she became familiar with the area surrounding the university throughout her four and a half week stay.

“I wasn’t a tourist there. I lived [in Oxford] enough to know the area super well, and no one looked at me like a tourist,” Strifert said.

Although the European culture was a huge change, Strifert adjusted well and enjoyed it.

“Oxford is super beautiful,” Strifert said. “Everything is a garden there and is protected. There is grass that you’re not allowed to walk on. Everything is pristine, and no one litters or is disrespectful to the environment or each other, and I think that is really important.”