A Fruitful Partnership

In addition to the many clubs and teams that we have here at TIS, there are also quite a few opportunities originating from the DSEJ for students to join with others and to learn and be challenged outside of the classroom, and even outside of Macau. These range from language exchanges, to speech contests, to cultural awareness, to postsecondary options, to science and technology exploration, and even to military camps. In recent years we have had students travel to Japan, China, and Portugal, and later this year we will have students travelling to Australia and Ireland.

All these programs are supported by the DSEJ, bring students together from across Macau. These experiences are not ones that a typical high school student would be able to do on their own, or even by travelling with their families. The locations at which the students stay are unique and with so many local schools being represented, there are lots of chances to make new friends and bond over shared new experiences.

Here are some of the comments that the students have given:

“I participated in the Sichuan trip from DSEJ in April last year. The trip was great overall. This trip includes visiting cultural and historical attractions, interacting with local students, and visiting local universities. The guide and the teachers were helpful and responsible throughout the trip. My reward for this trip was  having a deeper understanding of the local culture and history.”- Yolanda

“I went to the Zhengzhou language camp last summer. Not only did it  improve my Mandarin, it prompted me to become a more open-minded individual. The trip leader said "The world is way bigger than Macau."  This reminded me to maintain an open-minded attitude to everything that I will encounter in the future. Treat it as an experience, enjoy every moment, usually it's the suffering ones that make us grow and gain new perspectives.”- Yoyo

“This summer, I'll be attending a DSEJ language and culture course in Australia. Even though I'm very excited about the upcoming trip, I'm also feeling nervous because it's going to be my first time living in a homestay family. I am most looking forward to attending an Australian school and experiencing the perks of staying in a family with a different culture. I hope I get to know and learn about the way other people live and broaden my own horizons.”- Nicole

“I went on a language and culture exchange in Portugal with the DSEJ, and the trip went quite well. There were other students from our school, and a number of other students from my Portuguese class went as well. I got to know some new people from other schools from the trip. In terms of actual learning, I learnt to communicate in basic Portuguese. I also became more familiar with Portuguese terms that people use in daily life. For example, I learned a lot more about food names in Portuguese.”- Callis

As has been reported earlier, TIS is in the application process to be recognized as a licensed and authorized independent international school in Macau. This has been fully supported by the DSEJ and will allow a greater flexibility in our programming. However, this does not mean that we will, or want to, distance ourselves from the wonderful benefits that the DSEJ makes available to our students. It has been, and will continue to be, a fruitful partnership.