Abingdonian 2020

4 The Abingdonian Michaelmas 2019 Starting in Middle School I’d like to share some experiences I’ve had at Abingdon. It was the first day of the year and I was late and I was still learning my way around. Then I found that my laptop wouldn’t work, so I just sat through the chemistry lesson, barely listening to what the teacher was saying. “Do you have coloured pencils? You need coloured pencils for what we’re doing now.” I looked up and saw two kind faces looking at me; the owner of one of them handed me some pencils. I remembered being all warmed up inside, as the two of them told me what to do, even shared their laptops with me throughout the lesson. They then offered to take me around school, showed me how to get to my lessons, and they sat with me during lunch. It was on that very first day, that I felt like I truly belonged, and that I could fit in perfectly with the boys at my new school. Sports in the UK are very different to Hong Kong too. During the Michaelmas Term, I joined the rugby team. I hated it at first; I didn’t like getting dirty, and I didn’t like getting tackled, so I was pretty bad at it. Even so, the coach put me on the team for a game against Eton. I remember complaining loudly to the coach about his decision, and he just told me to try it before I said anything more. On the day of the match, it was -2 degrees. It drizzled during the whole game. And I was obviously underdressed. Wearing just shorts and a short sleeved shirt, I felt like I was going to freeze to death. It didn’t help that the Eton boys were overwhelming us with their skill. By the second half, Eton was winning 34 to 0. I looked at my teammates, expecting to see that they were ready to give up like me. Yet, they met my gaze with blazes of fire in their eyes. The captain yelled as we continued to run and execute their plays. We might not have been as skilled as the Eton boys, but what we lacked in skill, we looked to make up for with passion and grit. I was dumbstruck. How could we ever win? It was impossible. Yet my teammates didn’t give up. They kept playing with determination and will. Even if they were aware of the dire situation, they never stopped running nor tackling for one second. Before I even realised it, I was running alongside my teammates with a smile on my face, with the will to win. We lost in the end, but no one was upset. No one had any regrets, as what was important was that we had played our hardest, and that we had fun. These experiences were just a few of many in my first term in Abingdon. For me, they illustrate the vast difference between studying in Abingdon and in Hong Kong. Back in Hong Kong, I had no time to branch out and do new things, as tutorials had took up most of my time, to prepare for exams. Yet here, I am able to try new things, and hone skills at things I am good at, like the basketball team, where I have been chosen to join the U18 squad. I am grateful for the opportunities given to me and grateful to all the people who have supported me and been with me during this school year. Abingdon has truly broadened my horizons, and I am very proud to call myself an Abingdonian. I look forward to many more years to come! Matthew Chan, 3GJC