I arrived in Aberdeen as an 18y.o. student to train to be a teacher at what was then known as Aberdeen College of Education. It was a daunting experience for a girl from a small island to fly into the city (my first flight) and find my way to my accommodation, a room in halls of residence on the campus at Hilton.
My room was number 32 on the second floor of Clifton Hall. There was a single bed, a wardrobe and a desk. When I closed the door behind me I felt like I was in an alien world. It was scary being alone and away from home for the first time. Back in 1978 there was little preparation for the transition from school to university. I think we saw a film showing what it would be like! The only part of the film I remembered at the time was that I should immediately introduce myself to my neighbours who would either be new, like me, and probably as scared as I was, or a seasoned student who could show me the ropes.
I waited. No one came to introduce themselves to me so I eventually screwed up the courage to knock on the door of number 31. She was also a new student and we went for a coffee together. Only months later did she confess she thought I was Danish (because of my accent) and couldn’t speak English very well!
I had a great two years at A.C.E. and made great friends, both in Halls and in the wider student community. However, I never did complete my degree there and did not become a teacher (thankfully for the teaching profession!). Over the years the College first merged with Dundee College of Education and later became fully integrated with the University of Aberdeen on the King’s College campus where it remains to this day. The campus at Hilton was sold for redevelopment and the Halls – Hilton and Clifton – were converted into flats and townhouses.
I can’t remember which year the campus was sold but I remember receiving an invitation to return to see it one last time before conversions began. I didn’t take up the offer. I am not one for reunions or revisiting the past. Driving to and from University over the years I often passed by the old campus and recalled great memories of my short time there but I have not revisited the site to see what changes have taken place. Until recently…
Friends of ours recently returned from living in France and have bought one of the flats in the old halls of residence. Last week they invited us over for dinner. It was weird driving onto ‘campus’ again. Of course, the old Student’s Union and classroom blocks are gone and replaced with new blocks of flats but the two Halls of Residence , solid granite-built buildings with their distinctive red roofs, have changed little from the outside. On the inside the apartment is definitely grander than my pokey single room! It was fun trying to remember the original layout and figure out how many rooms would have fitted into the space! The conversions were well done and it is now a fabulous apartment.
We had a wonderful evening catching up with friends and remembering the old campus with the added bonus that The Wing Commander could access the building by the door and stairs and not the old method of a ladder to the window of room number 32…
Significantly Different 