EXCHANGES Tonbridge entices Hugh and Tim
Having hosted students from Tonbridge School, Kent, early in 2019, dayboys and Year 11 students Hugh Duston and Tim Seeto couldn’t wait to spend the last six weeks of Term 4 on exchange at the 400-year-old boys’ boarding school.
Both found the British boarding school experience “scary” to start with, but once they had introduced themselves to the 50 other boys in their Houses, were quickly welcomed and accepted into school life. Hugh was in Manor House, a relatively new building, and had his own room – “the smallest room in the whole house.” Tim bunked down with four others in Ferox House, handing in devices at 9.30pm and collecting them in the morning after breakfast.
“We got a bit of stick about our accents, but we coped pretty well,” says Hugh. “Teenage boys are the same around the world, I think, as their accent was the biggest thing for me to have to adapt to as well.” Schoolwork was a little challenging at times, and the 90 minutes of prep each night was demanding, especially after some long days, with school beginning at 9am and finishing at 6pm. “By then it was dark, because it was winter time, and it was pretty cold.”
Along with the standard subjects, Hugh chose to take music – “they listen to lots of classical music” – and to participate in Cadets, or defence force training, which was compulsory one day a week. “We did marching, parading, weapons testing and loading, and I really enjoyed having those experiences.” Both boys were home hosted by their exchange partners’ families at weekends, and spent a lot of their
Christ’s College Canterbury
50
Made with FlippingBook Annual report