Valerie , right , with friends outside Aisher House post-lockdown .
The third official UK lockdown lasted between December and March . For the first three weeks of the Christmas holidays , I stayed with my guardians with no motivation to revise for my January exams ; this was probably the time when I was at my lowest , because I had been hoping to return home and to celebrate Christmas and new year with my family . Once I heard from the Head of Boarding that I could stay in Aisher House for the rest of lockdown , without hesitation I called my mom and asked to stay there , as I needed peer interaction and more space to move around . Due to the immaculate facilities , the interaction with others , and the sense of space , I found myself growing more cheerful every day . In fact , I had ‘ one hell of a time ’ in Aisher , mainly thanks to the boarding staff . I went on cycling trips with BHM Mr Willis and his daughter Katie , and on foot we explored the beautiful Kent countryside . There was even a week of snow during my stay , which meant sledging almost every day of that week .
After our March exams followed the three-week Easter holiday . I spent a week at my guardians ’, a week at a friend ’ s house and then the last week back at school . Because more people were coming out of quarantine from other boarding houses , I even made a couple more friends from different year groups . Most of us were from Hong Kong ; we played mah-jong together and enjoyed temperate weather of around 16˚C . By then I had gotten used to being away from my family for so long and relished my time before the last set of exams .
Through these experiences , I have grown so much as a person . You adapt to new environments , make new friends and I realised at the end of the year that I would miss school when I returned home to Hong Kong , because I have been at school so intensively and created so many fantastic memories .
Valerie Tam , Year 11
SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2020-2021 7