Hi, my name is Hannah. I’m 15 years of age from Bishop Young Academy in Seacroft, Leeds. I am here because we were invited by the Archbishop of York Youth Trust. This year is Bishop Young’s first year of coming to Taize and I’m enjoying the experience a lot. As much as I am enjoying it there is a lot of challenges.

The first challenge is waking up early! It’s hard to wake up early anyway but waking early sleeping in a boiling tent is even harder.

The silence in church is also hard. Back at home everyday life is very hectic and busy. We go from one thing to the next and never have time to stop. Having 15 minutes of silence 3 times a day is such a strange practice to do and it can be very hard to not get distracted…especially if you’re an extrovert like me!

Although there are lots of challenges, I don’t mind as every challenge we face is another lesson learnt. I’ve said some challenges but there are positives too! The best part of my experience is meeting new people from different countries, backgrounds and languages.