My term in Downside Abbey School
Hello my name is Isabella Zick and for this term, I decided to visit a Benedictine school in the south of the UK: Downside Abbey School.
Even if this school is Benedictine as ours in Admont, there couldn't be more differences. Firstly, Downside is a boarding school, meaning that you stay here the whole term except one week of holidays called half term. There are different houses the pupils stay in and this house really becomes a second family.
The other differences concern everyday school life and the presence of the abbey. Different to the five days of school we have in Admont, also Saturday is a school day here. School starts at 8:40 in the morning and ends at 5 p.m. The monks in Downside don't teach but they walk through the school, talk at the assemblies in the houses and hold, of course, the mass we have every Sunday.
Back to my impressions when I first came here:
When Tom, the driver of my guardian, and I first entered the campus of Downside I was surprised by how big and busy everything was. People walking around with huge suitcases, chattering with others, busy teachers welcoming the new students. But even if the first day was so stressful, I felt really welcomed. A prefect showed me the house, my room and then I met the other girls of my form. I'm in 5th form (like 6. Klasse in Admont) and our squad of girls living in Isabella house is a real mixture of nationalities! Hong Kong, Portugal, Italy, Germany and UK - we are like the United Nations! (Yes, that's what we've heard several times).
These girls and of course the other students of 5th form were so friendly and welcoming that I quickly made friends.
But of course, we have to learn as well and the first days of school were an interesting experience. Lots of rules, strict teachers but I still enjoyed it! The subjects themselves aren't that different and as I'm one year older than most students of 5th form, I didn’t have any difficulties with the topics.
I feel like I've been here for more than just a few weeks, because the school here is like a rush. Just a few hours of free time, you never get bored.
I'm looking forward to the next months in Downside and I really hope that I enjoy this time as I did the first weeks!