Exchange report:
Kyle Forder
Gordonstoun School, Scotland

“Kyle Forder will go to Gordonstoun.” I still find it incredibly hard to believe that I was ever one of those very few that had the amazing opportunity to go on exchange. The fear of the unknown, combined with the jubilation of realizing that one of my dreams was going to be fulfilled overcame me and the shear thought of what I was about to experience was mind-blowing. I had no idea of what it would be like to spend 3 months away from my own country and to be thrown into a vastly different culture was something that I would have to come to terms with.

Gordonstoun is situated far up north in Scotland, near to a small fishing village. Its setting is much the same as Hilton’s as it is out in the country and with the rolling fields and forests stretching far and wide, I wasn’t completely taken away from what I was used to. It is a co-educational school which is predominantly boarding, with only a few day scholars coming from the nearby village. The boarding houses are all single sex houses except for one which is co-ed. But even this house is separated and strictly controlled. It was a new experience for me to be at a school where there were girls and it is something that I relished about the school. Having girls around you all the time changed the dynamic of the school environment and you could definitely notice how the boys’ attitudes changed in their presence. I really enjoyed their never-ending presence and what I valued most about them was their friendly and open-hearted attitude. One of the major things that struck me was how welcoming everyone was and how willing they were to include me right from the beginning and get to know who I was. I was asked on countless occasions if South Africa was dangerous, could I speak “African” and even the more absurd questions of whether we had wild animals walking around on our streets. They had a very ignorant view of South Africa and this led to many humorous moments when their perception of South Africa became outrageous. Apart from this, their welcoming nature was something that I found very special.

While I was there I was in Lower 6th, this is the same as our Grade 11 back here. The school goes from pre-primary to matric, with there being about 600 students in the senior school. Although the Preparatory school and the High school share the same grounds, there is no interaction between them and they are kept separate. A key difference that is very prominent at Gordonstoun is how international the school is. Not many of the boys and girls actually come from Scotland and many come from the mainland Europe. This was especially noticeable in my house as only 2 of the 13 boys in my year came from Scotland. The countries that the others come from were Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria and a few others. It was amazing to see how the interaction between these boys was so strong and yet they came from completely different countries. The internationalism was something unique and allowed me to catch a glimpse of the other cultures that the boys and girls brought to the school.

During my stay I was in a house called Duffus house. It is the oldest house there and was there before the school was even founded. The house isn’t even on the school grounds and is about 1km away from the school. This meant that we had quite a long walk to school every morning and in the freezing weather that was made even worse by the prevailing winds we often made it into the classroom shivering and welcoming the central heating that warmed us up. Although this walk was quite annoying at times it did mean that you were able to spend a lot of time with the boys in your own house. It may sound ironic to say that some of my best memories were when we would all walk to school together, but it is true as you noticed how undivided the bond was between the boys.

Sport is something that is not taken too seriously at Gordonstoun. Although many of the teams are actually very good compared to the neighboring schools, especially rugby, the general attitude towards sport is not as good as you would find here. While I was there I played Hockey and trained with the rugby team, only the 1st team rugby had practices as they were playing in the Scottish Schools Cup which was taking place during my stay. I played for a winless 2nd XI hockey team and although we didn’t win a game, the fun that I had playing in a team that had many of my close friends was unbelievable. Playing in the Scottish weather was totally different and I found it completely foreign that the sun set at 16:00 during my early days, making sports practice impossible thereafter.

Being in a country that has a completely different climate to what we are used to here, I took the opportunities that came my way and enjoyed the different conditions. On one such weekend I went with a group of students, part of the mountain rescue service that I joined, into the nearby mountains that were notorious for the rock-climbing that it offered. It was something somewhat new to me to be in snow and I loved every minute of it. It was great fun learning how to build snow holes and being taught different survival techniques was also very interesting. While on the mountain the weather changed very quickly and we were soon in blizzard like conditions that made it extremely hard to see where you were going. It was a great experience for me to feel what the conditions were like when the weather really gets bad and from that you are able to appreciate the type of weather that we are exposed to here.

Scotland definitely has a different landscape and the history that surrounds you is overwhelming. I was fortunate enough to be able to experience many aspects of the Scottish countryside and Gordonstoun made a concerted effort to allow the exchange students to become more aware of the country. We were able to visit historical sites such as Loch Ness and the battlefields on which William Wallace fought. There is a clear difference between South Africa and Scotland, but it is the uniqueness of the two counties that sets them apart.

On one of the weekends I went with the guy that a shared a room with to his house in Scotland. He lives in a small village not far from the school. It was a great chance for me to see how traditional Scottish “folk” lived and I was pleasantly surprised to see how different true Scottish people are. Their accent was confusing at times and I had to really focus on what they were saying. Words such as “aye” and “alright” were very common.

Although the excursions and outings were great and so much fun, what really remains as the highlight of my experience is all the fun times I spent with friends. It’s with these people that the best memories come to my mind and the friendships that I have made will last me the rest of my life. I will never forget how the boys and girls always had such an enthusiastic approach to everything that was done and the smiles that greeted you every morning will never be forgotten. It was the first time that I can honestly say that I didn’t want the school term to end and as the end started to close in, I couldn’t bear the thought of saying good bye to all the friends that I made. We are lucky, however, to have the luxury of the internet so contact with friends is all but lost.

Looking back now on what I have had the privilege to experience I realize that something like this doesn’t just come around everyday. It is a once in a life time opportunity and it’s what you make of this chance that determines the value of it. It has really changed me as a person and I can notice a form of maturity in different aspects of myself. It has opened my eyes to a much wider world that is out there and I know that what I have gained will definitely contribute to my future. It has made me realize that academic ethics is of a high standard at Hilton. I also hope that what I have noticed at Gordonstoun can be used to improve certain aspects at Hilton. I want to thank all those who have made my exchange possible, namely my parents for their support and then to Mr Guthrie and his committee for all the hard work that they put in to make my exchange possible. I also thank Hilton College as a whole for allowing me this opportunity. I hope that as many boys as possible will be afforded this experience because I know that it is something that will never be lost.