Once again Lady Margaret’s opened its doors to a new and wonderful group of students yesterday. The staff were at the ready all afternoon to help tired students and parents check in and carry their suitcases up to their rooms.

Those who arrived earlier grabbed some refreshments and a croquet mallet to pass the time until the programme director’s welcome talk. There were some very enthusiastic younger siblings around to help break the ice between the players and before long the beginnings of some wonderful friendships were growing out on the lawn!

A quick talk from the programme director helped our arrivals to feel more at home in their new surroundings and reminded them that their time here is important culturally as well as academically. Before they raced off to dinner, the students were encouraged to make as many international friends as possible and to remember to be respectful of foreign values.

Any remaining parents were waved goodbye to on the way to dinner with a touch of sadness, but with such an exciting adventure ahead of them, the unhappiness didn’t last long! With a little help from the counsellors, the students were soon deep in conversation over dinner, comparing home cities and travel stories.

An evening filled with icebreaker games helped to make sure everyone was feeling at ease and filled with positivity before bed. After a long day of travelling, our students were eager to get some sleep before a busy day of classes today!