Rtvik's Postcard from Home

Winchester College transforms in summer.

Looking back on my four years at the school, it feels as if almost all of my fondest memories have taken place in the nostalgic summer breeze. The River Itchen becomes just warm enough to swim in, Vincenzo’s ice cream van parks squarely opposite the Bishop’s Palace and the Collegemen roll out the barbecue ready for Sunday lunch in the Warden’s Garden. Even during my stressful GCSE year, the beautiful summer weather kept us sane as, desperately cramming Latin set texts, we would congregate in Chamber Court to soak in the sun, and hopefully some Virgil as well.

It’s also a bittersweet time filled with farewells. It’s a chance to treasure and make the most of the last weeks we have with the older years who made us feel at home during our very first weeks. And then the big day, inevitably tinged with sadness upon hearing the final refrains of Dulce Domum.

I continue to miss Winchester College deeply over these warm months. These reflections have taken on a more significant meaning for me as we collectively endure the unsettling experience of social distancing, a concept at odds with the hopes and promise of summer.

In these moments I remember that good things will come again, that happiness can be found in the little things that are lost in the chaos of modern life and by valuing generosity in all its guises. As Wykehamists, we never give up, and there is something beautiful in that.

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