It’s a personal column this week, as I prepare for a week long summer school at Eton. Time for some mixed feelings!
Here’s a confession – I’m not a socialite. No, I’m very much an introvert who thinks MSN is the perfect way to talk to people because you can just turn them off at a moment’s notice. So I’m wondering why exactly I agreed to go on a summer school to Eton with a bunch of people who, rather ominously, come from “all schools across Brent.” If you knew what all schools across Brent were like, this might worry you.
Well first of all, it’s only a week. How much can go wrong in a week? And then I’ll have the whole summer to be as secluded as I want, including a nice holiday to Zakynthos to run away from everybody I know. (Even though I know I’ll probably be seeking out the nearest internet café – how sad!)
I’m also aware of my pessimistic nervous streak which only serves to get me worried about something beforehand. It runs in the family. I’ve learnt that sometimes you just have to close your eyes and go “do something” because you’re bound to love it in the end. And the truth is, I get on well with everyone from my school that’s going. As a geek, however, I’ve got a strain of anti-social DNA also telling me that this might not apply to the others!
I am looking forward to going to Eton. Which is weird, because I hate Eton in what it represents as an elitist private school designed to be a throwback to the terminally ill class system. I’d love nothing more than a mini-revolution to turn it into a school for the masses. Until then, I’ll settle at just being there, taking it in, face to face. And possibly going dragon boating.
Which is another point – while dragon boating and rock climbing sound fun in an “outdoor activities” way, a game of football does not. I’m one of those who really didn’t like PE, and celebrated my very last lesson of compulsory sport this year. It’s just really, really not me.
We do get a taste of A-Level type lessons, and debates in the evening, which definitely is me, and I’ll enjoy that. So we’ll see. I’ll get back from the Brent-Eton Summer School on Saturday, and then at least, my summer really is free.
This article has been rather rambling – so sorry about that. I’m writing it on Saturday evening, with Live 8 playing in the background, making this all seem a bit meaningless.
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