Many farewells and some unexpected welcomes for the penultimate BISC event of the summer term.The party had started in the early afternoon, when a team of international barbecue consultants arrived from near and far: representatives from Iran, Finland, Germany, Sheffield, Redland and Weston-Super-Mare were all present and ready to help out.
Students and friends were welcomed to a traditional summer garden party experience. Amazingly, the rain held off but the wind didn’t. A gazebo had been put up and the barbecue was already flaming away as the guests arrived.
Despite the sadness of saying goodbye to so many friends, there were still opportunities to meet new folk: some people from Iran and South Korea had never been to BISC before.
As the weather cooled, the warm atmosphere did not. Guests were invited inside for coffee and desert. The small living room was filled with over 50 people from the four corners of the globe: from Korea, Japan, China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Kazakhstan, Iran, Mexico Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka and beyond.
Neil Edbrooke, a familiar friend at BISC, encouraged us to reflect on what we had learnt this year and what was important to us in our lives. As students return home and to new chapters in their lives, he spoke of returning to familiar surroundings with new eyes in the light of the love and friendship they had found here in Bristol.
The night ended with some singing. Hannah strummed along on her guitar, a hidden talent that a handful of us had the privilege of sharing accompanied by the BISC Team Harmony Singers. “Good bye sweetheart, well it’s time to go….I hate to leave you but I really must say, well goodnight sweetheart, goodbye.”
O.K ...so it’s not quite the last event of term: Ruth’s leaving party is on Saturday at 4.30pm at Alma church - all are welcome - and the final Jazz Walk of the term will be this Monday 25th June. We hope to see you there and wish you all the best for safe travels home for your next adventures.
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