My plane flew over Cabo da Roca, with fantastic views of the coastline and the westernmost tip of Europe. Somewhere down there, I would be in a bar meeting St. Julian’s friends the next night, soaking up the blue sea and caipirinhas. A bit like weddings, it was good to spread out the fun prior to our school reunion the next night and have a chance to catch up properly with more friends.

We immediately connected as if time, careers, kids, life hadn’t intervened in the past decades—true friends and a real community. For me this is a richness of St Julian’s and something to treasure. I’ve also felt this with my college in Cambridge—I can always go back and feel welcome, part of the community, a sense of belonging that we take out into the world. This isn’t something institutions can take for granted or find easy to create. It’s the magic ingredient.

We recreated our year photo on the Palácio steps and sang A Long Road to Freedom out on the terrace after dinner — you may laugh but I enjoyed it, along with Miss Sousa saying I looked the same!!

Our heartfelt thanks to those who planned it all, Joana Balsemão, Vanessa Romeu, Pedro Pinho and Gustavo Teixeira, our classmates who came from nearer and further, to the staff that made it happen and those teachers past and present (including my mother!) who came to reminisce and catch up.

As I watched the sunrise over the Tejo prior to catching my flight back on Monday morning, I reflected on the big sense of community I feel. In today’s global world, this is what we most need. 

Ana Lisa Tavares, Class of 1994

Time flies and suddenly we are back on the patio of the main building, 15 years later, listening to playlists that are now even more dated and still just as much fun, catching up with years of changes, gossip, fantastic life decisions and also the inevitable sad news. 30 years have gone by since we last left the school grounds but so much feels the same.

I sometimes pass by the outside of the school campus, as I live in Lisbon, and think back on those 2 amazing years that opened my mind and horizons and widened my world view. The people I met at St. Julian's changed my life forever and some of them are still woven into the fabric of my current life.

Communities are made of people and for people and memories are our way of honouring the many communities we have shared and have created. Wanting to come back and bask in the memories and enjoy the warmth of our community shows how special it was to us, through all its ups and downs and rainbows and storms.

Cecilia Shinn, Class of 1994

Please see a gallery of photos below.