Alfred's Postcard from Home

Lockdown presents each of us with a unique set of opportunities along with its inherent limitations. As authorities worldwide begin to lift restrictions, we are left to reflect on how we spent our time away from normal life in the college.

I have found it fulfilling to volunteer as a helper in my village. As I can’t drive, my role is limited to conversations on the phone and picking up local shopping as well as the odd check-up in person. Initially it was difficult to connect with some of these vulnerable people and for them to trust me on account of my age. However, after a few weeks I had built a strong rapport with them and it felt like they had begun to trust me.

Alongside my volunteering I am partaking in the Mallory Challenge. For me, this offers a fantastic escape from schoolwork and is a great motivator to stay fit! One of my favourite biking routes winds its way through villages and farmland before reaching the peak of Uffington’s White horse hill. Here you can see for endless miles. The photo above, which I took on a recent ride, shows the hill where St. George supposedly sleighed the dragon, the flowing chalk of the white horse and a slice of the view that the location offers.

What I miss most from the college, besides my friends and the societies, is my music lessons. It is difficult to convey the emotion of a piece through Skype and I miss being able to practice on the Steinway and other grand pianos in music school.

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