Page 28 - The Cormorant Issue 24 Crest Publications

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Beckett House Quarantine
Lt Col Rob Wietheger
PLEASANT ROOMS, TIME TO relax and reflect, meals delivered to one’s door, beautiful sunshine, green space to stroll in, peace and quiet, a diverse range of neighbours... it might have been a Mediterranean holiday. But it wasn’t. This was the Student Isolation Facility at Beckett House, the temporary home for international students
as they returned to the UK from their nations in anticipation of face-to-face teaching in term 3.
Carefully planned and organised, the Facility was critical to allowing students to self-isolate in line with government direction. Our ‘jailers’ were the pick of the Directing Staff who gave up their time to feed and water us. Even one of the Deputy Directors was seen pushing the tea trolley around...
The Escape Committee sat on a regular basis, but attempts to break out were hindered when a second tunnel had to be dug so we had somewhere to hide the dirt from the first tunnel.
Student reflection time
The food was good, although the plastic cutlery and “ instant coffee was initially a challenge for the air
force personnel. The wifi was free, the garden for
(socially-distanced) exercising was peaceful, and
there was plenty of time for reflection. In fact, the lack of distraction actually enabled much more productive essay-writing.
Ultimately, the Beckett House experience was all about the ability to adapt to circumstance and make the best of things. That said, it was one aspect of ACSC 24 that I don’t believe any of us will miss...
The food
was good, although the
plastic cutlery and instant coffee was initially a challenge for the air force personnel
No-one went hungry in Beckett House
Security was tight