AGS India Immersion Programme 2017/18

At the age of 13 you made one of the toughest choices you have made so far in your life. Going to Grammar was the right decision, in the 3 years you have been there you have formed a pathway for a bright future. All that stress and doubt you had do not worry about it, it will all pass as you grow and become wiser as a person. Do not worry about friendships, you will eventually find the right mates who are a bunch of good blokes. Continue to take every opportunity that falls at your feet. Carry on the trombone, something I regret not doing coming out of primary. Stand out, try your hardest to be the best you can be, make a positive name for yourself and you will have success.   Some pointers to work on. Do not sweat the small stuff. All that anxiety and stress just adds to unneeded pressure on your back. Be as positive as you can be, a half cup full kind of guy as people would say.  Exams, always a reflection topic, don't put so much emphasis and thought into the...

G'day  I've been told to write a letter to you in the third form, outlining the positives and negatives that you'll face during your time at grammar. All I'll say in regards to that is that you'll have many ups and downs; a good third and fourth form, then a bit of waking up to do in the fifth form. Your passions and interests in the extracurricular world will take you far, trust those as well as yourself.  I won't describe what you'll accomplish. I won't describe where you'll go wrong. Instead I'll give you some advice.  Study hard, don't worry about looking like you're trying "too hard". You'll be so much better off in the long run, just knuckle down and get the job done. Get involved. Grammar is an amazing opportunity to launch yourself head first into extracurricular activities, from sports to music and everything in between. One specific piece of advise I can give to you is to sign up for the for India immersion tour. I...

Miller, So far Grammar has brought to me all that you are hoping for and more.  One of the first lessons you will learn is the overwhelming power of comradery and the influence it can exert onto your life and character.  Another, the truthfulness held by the age-old cliché: "Work hard, play hard."  Taking this on is not only encouraged at Grammar but mandatory, as one cannot experience the immense variety of sports and extra-curricular activities without first putting in the hard yards in academia and study.  Whilst not for all, the uniquely competitive atmosphere within this school is an environment in which you can and will thrive; whether in the termly class placements and annual form class announcements; or the vigorous seat racing and open erg ranking documents present in rowing, you will learn to understand the value of striving to beat a fellow classmate or teammate and the success it brings. Grammar is a community filled with people of differing backgrounds, t...

Dear Richard (or Bozzie as you will come to be known by), It goes without saying that during your time at Grammar you will will experience a wide array of emotions, make a number of new friends and aquire a variety of valuable skills. I would hope that without reading this you would already have an idea that these things are going to happen. Instead, what I would like to address in this letter are the things that perhaps have not crossed your mind as you stand at the doorway of this new schooling era. I have come to the conclusion that the best way to go about this task is by constructing a list that I would have liked to have access to myself as an insignificant third former entering a school of around 2,500 young men at he time. I guess you could call it a guide. *Hang out with people you like, not the people you want to like *Have faith in yourself, you'll be surprised how much it helps *If you want something, go get it. Don't expect that something to come to y...

Dear Rowan  Okay, so I have just been told to write a letter to you yet I am not really into people who spoil things and so I don't want to be some sort of paradoxical hypocrite. A letter to yourself is confusing, like do you even want to know about us? If you don't, feel free not to read. Also if I tell you to do something, I worry you'll feel your destiny has been taken out of your hands. Yea now that you mention it, if someone was to come along and tell me everything I have achieved, I am sure I'd make it my one goal to escape that predetermined path. I guess we are kinda like that, we don't want to do what's already been done. Perhaps that's what it's like to grow up behind a brother who does everything first. Do you know what neither of us have done? Learnt a language all the way through. Ahh but you see that was just a subtle plug to try and convince you to take French in fifth form. You can't even trust me, yourself. I'm just trying to man...

Dear Will,  To a 3rd form me, starting Grammar with a broken foot, a gross ignorance of life but a big bundle of hope, had you had this letter 4 years ago, you would still be the same person you are now. I don't plan on filling this with sage advice telling you to avoid trouble, to not make mistakes and always make the right decision, because you won't and that's good. I'd tell you to do things where you are likely to make mistakes, do what your moral guidelines dictate as the person you are and where you end up will be as a result of what you think is right and hopefully from having learnt from the mistakes you've made during the years. Trust in your own ability to judge a person, a situation and a result because you will need to learn that in order to excel at Grammar, the motivation will come from within more than it will ever come from extrinsic sources. If I were to tell you one thing that resonates to this day is that a key to Grammar and life in general wou...

Zachary Morrow   We have been told to write a letter to our 3rd form self but instead of talking about what I should have done with the benefit of hindsight I will write several points that I would say to my third form self that still apply to myself today and that would help my 3rd form self enjoy life more. Be true to yourself, be your own man and value the time you spend with your family. The older you get the less time you spend with your family so there is no rush to race off and forget them. Don't waste time talking behind people's back, if you have a problem with someone talk to them face to face and sort it out, yeah I understand it's not an easy thing to do and sometimes it's not the right time but when it is you should step up and commit. On a similar note don't hold grudges against anyone, it's just wasted time when you could be enjoying their company and furthering your relationship When adversi...

You would make this difficult, wouldn't you, Indian Railways? Arriving 2.5 hours late this morning, trying to allow us some more precious sleep amidst blaring train horns, chaiwallas crowing "chai chai chai", and Indian families who decided 5am would be the best time to wake up ahead of our 7.40am arrival. A kind gesture from you. But for waking me up despite our late arrival I'd like to give you a gesture of my own. Thank you for trying, but we are now eating breakfast in Mumbai's YWCA, just over 24 hours from leaving India's shores and I need to tell you that this means we're done. It's over. I'm not coming back to you. Ever.  Goodbye and good riddance. Tom

Aaron. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't go into any specifics. The last 5 years have generally been really good, awesome in fact. But it's not all been rosy. You make lots of mistakes, miss out on numerous opportunities, disappoint a few people, disappoint yourself and much more along the way. However you grow from these experiences, you learn from them, and they help shape you in to the man I am today. Therefore I won't warn you about anything in particular as I believe they have only made me stronger, but rather let you know that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Here's a few general pointers I've learnt so far along the way that spring to mind; Dare to dream. In the next five years you'll go on to achieve things far greater than you ever thought was possible, all it takes is the courage to believe in yourself. Use your passion, your desire to be the best you can be for motivation, not the fear of failure. While ...

Joshua Roberts For context, in case you haven't gathered by the rest of the blogs, this is a letter to my thirteen year old self just before my first day at Grammar. A difficult task to say the least. Dear Josh, Perhaps a letter will not be so helpful to you as a map of the now extinct 'O zone'. Getting lost on the first day of high school is certainly an interesting although incredibly clichéd beginning to five years of growth and development: academically, spiritually, and physically; five years of reinforcement of what makes you who you are; five years of living; five years of learning; five years of Grammar. I am writing this letter to you but I am not really writing this letter to you, because you will not read this; it is the people on the blog who will read this and so it is difficult. Writing a letter to you is also difficult because you are actually me; we are the same person but I guess I have five more years of 'wisdom' and 'experience...

You were over 1 hour late picking me up tonight, Indian Railways. I feel like a scorned lover who just keeps coming back for more. Every time we schedule to see each other you find some way to let me down. You have stood me up twice in the past, leaving me with no choice but to seek comfort with someone else. It hasn't been easy, not at all. After 23 journeys with you I think our time is up. I can't keep doing this. I need someone who I can depend on. So, I am breaking up with you. We are done. When you drop me at Mumbai CST tomorrow morning at 4.35am (or so you say), it will be the last time you will see me. I know, it's hard, we have had some good memories along the way but I think it will be best for both of us if we just move on. If I can ask you one final favour, please do what you do well and deliver us to Mumbai a few hours late. I wouldn't mind a sleep in, some time to say goodbye.  It's been a wild ride, thank you for the memories, but please...

Dear Matt, I hope your 2014 New Year was fun. I don't remember it but I am sure you stayed up till midnight at Bowentown with our family, lighting some fireworks and doing quizzes. I write this letter to you from four years in the future, a letter to third form me from soon to be seventh form me. I could spoil all the surprises that will come your way at Grammar, tell you what to specifically avoid and embrace but I want you to carve your own path. Academics are important, focus energy on them, doing well in exams has it's advantages but remember not to neglect your social life. Friends are more important then A*s and if you forget this you will come to regret it like I did. Your friends will still be there to help once everyone forgets about that 91% you get in fifth form geography. I know that sports are an important part of your life but I will warn you that cycling, running, waterpolo, club football and swimming are not possible to do all at once especially if you want ...

Hi Ben. I guarantee you don't want to read this. You think you're pretty much prepared for Grammar and life being in high school. But soon you're going to learn that you aren't.  Writing this letter now I'm not going to give you significant life advice or spoilers, because the person you are on New Year's Day in 2018 is dictated by the fact that you didn't know this stuff. You are going to discover a lot about yourself and find comfort in these things, and that's going to shape you. There's one thing that I will spoil. You're in Goa, India, right now, waiting for a chicken sandwich at a beachside shack. You're reflecting on what was a month that has changed your perspective on life. You've seen things that you never thought you'd see, you've experienced things you never thought you'd experience, you've met people you never thought you'd meet. You've always considered yourself lucky and privileged, but now y...

Michael You worry so much. And you always will, you're borderline paranoid and you'll check and recheck five times that your name is on the front of the exam paper, you'll read and reread that email seven times before you hit send to make sure it says exactly what you want. I would tell you to stop worrying, everything has turned out great, it'll be fine. But that's just who you are, you wouldn't listen and you would continue to worry just as much. I wouldn't change that in any way. Same goes for everything else, because everything you learn, every regret, you'll learn for yourself and they'll shape the person you are here in 2018. I won't give you advice, you'll find your own way. Instead I'll tell you what I've learned, and let you find out why for yourself. Looking back at the last four years, the best moments and memories that stick out have come from time spent with friends or family. Holidays, the India Trip, concert...

Matt Debrief. A nightly occurrence where 5-6 boys and a staff member gather at a bedroom, lounge, beach or table and discuss a posed question, topic, quote or poem.  Recently in Goa I have been thinking about dreams and what kind of man I want to be going forward in life. I'm not sure I want to be your traditional man in society. This was our debrief topic the other night and I want to share my answer and explore it more. To me the traditional man in a household and in society is one who has holds a high paying job, owns a large house, has a wife and children, drinks beer, is well muscled, enjoys watching sport on TV and can cook a BBQ on a Sunday evening among other things. You're view of a traditional man may be different, in fact I expect it to be but that's just what has been portrayed to me in my life.  Do I want to be a traditional man. Yes and no. Some of those characteristics sound pretty nice. I would love to have a wife and children, never struggle for mo...

Dear George, I'm not sure I'd want you to read this, I'd want you to go through life's trials and tribulations, learning from the hardship, and I'd want you to be caught breathless by all the unexpected joy life will bring. But if there's one person who's easy for me to talk to, it's myself. The next four years of your life will see huge changes in who you are, you'll make new friends, lose some friends, you'll make yourself proud, you'll disappoint yourself, you'll have the happiest and saddest moments of your life, but I promise you you'll look back and smile. I'd like to impart on you some of the lessons I've learnt since I was your age, not in the hopes that you learn from me, but you go out, live your life, and make the same mistakes I made so you can be proud that you learnt these lessons yourself. Know that it's them, not you. With the dawn of a new school, comes new friends. There'll b...

To Nikau E tama, e tama, e tupu ana e pihi ana, Ō pakiaka he mea tupu, he mea whanake ki te rangi mai te whenua, Tō tinana he hā ki ngā hau e kore e taea te whakaueue, He ruruhau, he marumaru koe mo tō whānau, tō Hapū, tō iwi... If I had the opportunity to speak to my Third Form self, I probably wouldn't step any further than mentioning a few warm words of advice and encouragement. For most, if not all young people, entering high school can be a difficult time. Especially going to a place like Grammar you can be sure to feel some form of intimidation towards the place. After looking back at my own knowledge and experience, now writing as an Old Boy of the school, I'd probably say to him these things: 1.) Enjoy, young grasshopper - Your time at Grammar is very short, so grasp on to every opportunity that presents itself. But more importantly, enjoy the little moments. For it is all these little moments that will eventually accumulate to make up your five year term with the fine...

To Josh Hamilton, I am writing to you now 4 years on to provide you with some advice for your Grammar journey. You have chosen simply the most exciting and action packed path to go down for this next chapter of your life. You might not see that you have yet but trust me it is. I shouldn't spoil your possible future so I'll just stick with some wise words - that may or may not affect my life at the moment. Take what you have learnt from you intermediate years at school and apply those to your studies and your interactions with others so that you have a solid platform that you then can build off later in school.  When opportunities rise, take them. Within reason, take everyone. I can honestly say I let a few slip by - don't let that happen to you.  You will make mistakes. That is okay though. With mistakes there is learning, so I encourage you to not be afraid to make more mistakes in the next 4 years because if anything you will learn something from each one ...

Let's start by saying a big "Happy New Year" to each of you, wherever you are celebrating/recovering today. It would be fair to say our New Years was a bit different to yours.  Having danced until 1.30am with hundreds of Indian men,  New Years Eve on the Goan beach was one that we're sure the boys will never forget.  The day started out with the 'Great Shave Off' which consisted of each boy getting shaved twice over (just for good luck) by some Indian barbers who used the old school single blades. Then things  became a little strange for each group member when mud packs were applied, facial steamers were heated up, gel masks were pasted on and torn off, and a head and neck massage which felt more like an assault was 'executed'. In short, it was a violation of each participant's face. To forget the trauma, a huge group game of beach football followed that evening until the light had faded.  We then proceeded to hit up Papillon, one...

Lachie, you are about to embark on a life changing journey in which you are in control of. I can't tell you what's going to happen but here's what I do know: You are going to make some big mistakes. But mistakes help you learn and become a better person from the experience. You are going to learn you are a small fish swimming in the big ocean, keep working hard and you will be recognised. Don't sweat all the small things. Sometimes it will build up unnecessary stress that you don't need. You are going to be hit with a number of opportunities. Take them and make the most of them, as they could change your life. You are going to meet some awesome people, influential people and some not so awesome people. Surround yourself with the awesome and influential people. Most of all Lachie, enjoy yourself. If you wake up everyday and dread the day that is about to start, something needs to change. Don't get caught up in having to be someth...

  To Leo   As you begin the third form, you are bound to have a lot of questions. Coming from a school as small as St Kents, grammar will seem like an almost impossible task, however with this advice you should be fine. Firstly, don't stress out. One thing that you are bound to do is not realise that everyone is on the same boat. All five hundred boys are equally as stressed as you, and they are all sitting the same exams as you. You may not realise but if you put on the hard work, no matter where you begin, you can achieve great things both academically and musically. So in the end, you can achieve great things if you don't stress and put your mind to things. Then, go with the flow and don't over think things. As I'm here on India immersion, I have had time to sort out my priorities and think about what really matters. In third form, you will have your eyes on Med School, and you will start to base your subject choices on that. However, what you mus...

Joshua Roberts A few nights ago I had the privilege of chatting to VJ, the founder of the Magicians Rugby Club in Bombay. I posed to him the question: "Why rugby?" In a country dominated by cricket, where the basic laws of rugby are unknown to most, it seemed to me like a strange choice of code. He replied by saying that he had fallen in love with the sport in part because of the core values which are integral to the playing of rugby. These are, as outlined by the irb: integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline, and respect. He explained to me that in these values he sees more than just a guideline to playing rugby, he finds in them a guideline to living life. In the children who pass through his programme, he sees a huge shift in the direction in which life is taking them, a change in the hand that has been dealt to them. Rugby teaches them these values, and these values teach them how to live. During this chat I was reminded of Tom's talk at the Leavers' Lun...

To Roni Chapman, I could tell you everything that happens from the next four years in life and you may be better off. If I told you everything I could say what to get involved in and what to not to, whether that be in or outside of school. I could tell you my regrets so you could avoid making the same mistakes I did. I would stress how special the India trip has been to me to assure you would do it. I'll tell you to keep working hard but also tell you not to be so focused on getting into an Australian Uni because it will put too much weight on your shoulders. I think you would enjoy your next 4 years even more than I did.  However I think the one thing you will find is that the most special part about being a teenager is seeing yourself grow and mature. If I were to tell you everything that happens in the next 4 years of your life I don't think you would truly grow as a person because you will have no tests to face or problems to overcome. But the one thing I will tell you ...

Matt Leo asked me to do this blog after he found that he could not write the final round up as he was struggling to put his 'monstrous' effort into words. Today was the day that most of the boys were dreading, the day when everyone gets shaved. Ben Lerner has tried his best to get out of it, but the bookings were fixed.  So here are the current standings before the final award ceremony tomorrow: Firstly staff- this category would definitely be the easiest to judge as there is really one true leader- Mr Jordan. Mr Jordan has more hair on his beard than he has on his head, though his insistence on having ginger hairs in his growth is yet to be proven to us he definitely claims the prize of Best Beard. Speaking of ginger hairs, one can't not mention Reuben's superb effort. Some speculated that he was an underdog for taking Best Beard but he has been disqualified on the technicality that he was never clean shaven at the start of the tour or even after his 's...

To all in Goa, and all those family and friends following this wonderful blog, Happy New Year to you all and may 2018 be one filled with adventure, challenges, friendships and acts of kindness.  I would also like to add my thanks to everyone who has contributed to the blog, been brave enough to share their thoughts, feelings and discovering about themselves and in turn made us examine our own lives back home, and wherever else we have been. I thought I would worry this whole month, but I haven't- Tom and Reuben, the trip has been so well organised, everyone has had such an incredible time, and the blog posts so informative and reliable ( 2am in the lobby post movie!) that I quickly realised, that along with trusting my son, there was no place for worry, just joy that he had the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful program. So thankful to everyone involved. Enjoy the last moments, safe travels and Happy New Year! Gabrielle