Say "Hey" to Heyworth House

Living in a dorm is second nature now for me now. After four years, both the unspoken and verbal rules of boarding life is drilled into my brain: leave the kitchen as you found it. Don't leave your laundry in the laundry room. Be friendly, but not at 7 in the morning. Leave a window open to air out your room. And for God's sake, don't ever forget about your popcorn and burn it in the microwave. But just when I thought I had gotten all I possibly could out of dorm life, that I had had enough, Heyworth House surprised me once again. In fact, I now know that I have only scratched the surface.

Katie, left, and Helen, right, being silly.

I'll be the first to admit that I was a bit cautious, at first. Usually, being the "new girl" at high school happens at the beginning, but I don't follow the rules. Moving in the dorm was the first time I had been completely on my own, starting from scratch. While living with only sixteen girls should seemed like a piece of cake after Linden's 40-something, I was terrified to sit at meals with complete and total strangers, much less share a shower with them.

From left to right: Helen, Bente, Henni, Emma, Ruby, Katie, and Alicia, being cuties.

Nonetheless, the shyness dissipated in a mere 24 hours. In fact, I can't believe that I have known these girls for less than two weeks, because they feel like my sisters already-- whether they come from Barbados or Serbia. Whether it's eating more scones than humanly possible during dinner, sharing a good cry watching "Titanic" (don't worry, I won't give any of you away), singing Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" at the top of our voices, or simply sharing a conversation and a cup of tea at the end of a long day, we Heyworth girls stay with each other through thick and thin.

Me teaching Henni, Helen, Emma, and Anja how to do the famous "Eagle Rumble" cheer.

While the girls are an immense contribution of the dorm, I can't forget those who make it the most comfortable. Mr. And Mrs. Duncan, our houseparents, are such kind and willing people. Mr. Duncan teaches in the Modern Studies and History Department, and has served as a last-minute editor for my essays already. The cleaning ladies are awesome, making us treats and always sure to ask us "are you alright" (which in British translates to "how's it going") after school. Our tutors, too, have taken on the role as our big sisters in the dorm. While still firm about studying conditions, they still love a conversation about the latest boy drama.

Well, at least we tried.

This past Sunday, the whole house held an afternoon barbecue together in the front yard. The Scottish weather miraculously behaving, we shared turkey burgers, roasted marshmallows, too many photos for our cameras to hold, a few rounds of volleyball (the staff team won by an embarrassing amount), and games from each of our childhoods. Unfortunately, a few girls were absent for either scholarship or family obligations, but the rest of us had an afternoon that well not be forgotten for a long time. The pictures on this page are from that day, but I'll try and get some for the girls who missed it as well.

I have no explanation.

Nor for here.

I am truly thankful to live with such wonderful, caring young ladies for this year, and I only wish that I have more time with them. It's going to be a great rest of the year.