Abingdonian 2017

4 The Abingdonian Michaelmas 2016 A New Start In the blink of an eye, I have already completed my first year at Abingdon: It wasn’t easy getting used to the boarding side of things, especially being abroad, but with the help of my fellow room mates and teachers, it wasn’t hard to adapt to my new life abroad. I was anxious, yet also excited, on my first day, heading towards School House - my new home. It was hard bidding farewell to my parents and brother after living with them for 13 years. However, it wasn’t long after that I got a new hand on my shoulder, my dedicated housemaster introduced me to my new life as a School House boarder and Abingdon pupil, together with the help of my tutors and our matron. Within two weeks, I had already got my hands full with Other Half activities, whether it is orchestra, choirs or even publishing magazines. One of the aspects that I am enjoying the most is the boarding experience at Abingdon. Despite the fact that our boarding community is smaller than at other schools this means we get a much deeper understanding of each other, and become even greater friends. Every weekend, we gather and go into town or even into Oxford to have dinner and converse before heading back to school. Occasionally, we even get trips to Bristol, Oxford and lots of other thrilling places in the UK, which is a great pleasure as we get to have some free time to buy loads of things to bring back to Abingdon. Getting into bed on time is a difficult thing for me to adapt to because I’m used to sleeping late, but you possibly can’t do that here. I remember when I was one minute late, the duty tutor was already questioning me as to why I am ‘this late’ for bed… But I guess it is a good thing: at least I don’t have to sleep in class and be scolded and given a detention! Abingdon offers a lot of different trips to different parts of the world. I have already visited two different countries in Europe, both of which were extremely memorable. I remember I had to be woken up early by my housemaster in the eerie night and wait under the pouring rain for our coach to arrive before being stuck in the cramped place for nearly 20 hours! Although it was a long and slightly uncomfortable ride, luckily, we still survived thanks to the TVs on our coach and the deck of cards to play with. It’s great to have fun and explore the other side of learning the history and culture of the city. I recall I once drank a cup of apple cider (don’t worry, it’s non-alcoholic!) in the Christmas Market in Strasbourg and I almost screamed to death after drinking the first sip! Going on trips with Abingdon is truly, truly exciting and if you are asked to go on any trips, I would strongly recommend you go! Even though it was just my first year, there were lots of great things happening in my new school life abroad, and I know, for sure, that much more is to be encountered throughout my school life at Abingdon! Andreas Lo, 3AJM For most of us, third year is the beginning of a new life here at Abingdon School. It is our first step into a new world that will be our home Andreas Lo