Despite some typically British weather here, the students had another excellent day and a chance to catch up on some homework. It was great to see their friendships begin to blossom today as they near the middle of their first week at ORA.

It has been really brilliant to witness their complete engagement in the classes at such an early stage, especially given that they were perfecting their skills in solving Maths problems this afternoon! The Medical School Preparation students also had their first chance to scrub up. Donning the medical gear (which caused a lot of excitement) they headed to Oxford Brookes to experience a few hours in the life of a doctor working in Oxford. This session seemed to really inspire some of the students to pursue a career in the medical profession.

In the evening, the students had the opportunity to take a break from their phones for an hour or so with the Digital Detox. Despite some reluctance at the outset, it really felt that this was a great way to introduce some mindful reflection about their stay here. In place of technology, we had a henna workshop led by our House Dean, Tasneem. The Digital Detox also led to more discussions between the students and developed their budding friendships even further! The day finished with a dynamic table tennis tournament in the marquee, with two major winners: Francesco from Italy and Yi Kai from Singapore.

All the students are looking forward to hearing our guest speaker, Kyle Grant, talk tomorrow afternoon.