Today was packed with all sorts of events and interactions. Only on the third day of the conference, and already all of the people seem to be coming together quite nicely.

We started the day off with a bus ride to the brand new Ritsumeikan High School campus. We were thrilled by the buildings and facilities that seemed to be constantly in use. This high school was only opened in September of 2014 and was completely state of the art. During the day, the teachers were given a complete tour of the campus and they were able to see everything from the swimming pool to the observatory. Meanwhile, the students participated in hands­on science activities. The day was split into two sections, with science activities surrounding lunch time. For the science zone or activity, I personally was part of the light diffraction zone. I was looking at how to develop my own diffraction film in order to create art and an interesting arrangement of light once it passes through the film.

During a fabulous Japanese lunch, all of us were treated to classical music from the Ritsumeikan band. It was extraordinary listening to the students display their amazing talents. We were blown away by the quality and passion that the students displayed with their instruments. This was by far my highlight of the day.

After a long day at Ristumeikan, we bordered the buses to go and look at a real university laboratory. We were treated with presentations from various profs and students regarding their fields and experiences. They showed us around their labs and explained to us all the uses of the impressive lab equipment.

We then headed back to the dorm where we all relaxed and hung out with each other. A friend from Australia and I created a Commonwealth Olympics. We had various events ranging from a 100-metre sprint to a rigorous trivia event. We asked everyone to join in and suddenly the whole floor was involved in the events and competition.

All in all, it was an unforgettable day packed with activities and fun. It is a complete honour to be part of this trip and to participate with other students from around the world. I can't wait to see what the next few days have in store!

– Zain K.