[Livia]

I have to say it was one of the most traumatic times in my life. I know that sounds melodramatic but it's true. I had an idyllic childhood at primary school, and when I left I also left all my friends - most of whom were boys - and went to a girls' school where I knew no one, everyone else in my class had friends from their old school. I was an odd kid anyway, a bit bookish and, well, frankly weird and you know how that can be in a class full of kids, especially girls. And what singled me out more was that when they had assembly or anything with even a mild religious connotation, I had to wait outside. I hated secondary school; I keep in touch with no one from then and have no wish to see any of them ever again. On the plus side, it made me concentrate on my studies and I did better than anyone in my year… that went down well.