Sometimes it feels like part of another life I had, in a dream, long ago...
Tomorrow is my best friend’s birthday. The date also reminds me of High School (HS) as this is where we met and his birthday was only a few months after we’d started our first term in 1987 so this means that we’ve known each other for nearly 20 years! Did I really start HS nearly TWENTY years ago? But it seems so long ago... and surely I don’t look that old, right?
But seriously – I loved HS and would do it all over again if I could – but of course it would never be the same. Other than loving it because that’s the place I met lots of my best friends (including Jose whose birthday is tomorrow. For the record: Happy Birthday!) I really loved the whole learning experience in those two years.
Previously my educational experience was of course Primary and Secondary school, which I also loved – I guess I just love learning. But we mainly stayed in one classroom, had very strict rules about everything and the school day was tightly regimented. HS changed all that – we had different classrooms for different subjects, there were free periods during the day, I sometimes had to stay and have lunch there, I had more independence. I loved having bigger papers to work on with longer deadlines, which meant that I had to be more organized and responsible (and has turned me into the responsible and organized adult I am now).
Since moving to the UK I have newfound respect for my HS education – it all works very differently here and I think that I like my way best. Kids here in the UK specialize quite early on and take only a few subjects whereas HS education is more global. For example, I had to take biology, chemistry and physics – subjects that I would definitely NOT have chosen but I actually enjoyed and learned quite a bit from. The same goes for subjects like ethics, enterprise, advanced math and computer science.
My favourite subject, however, is no surprise if you’ve read this blog before: English Literature. Oh how I loved reading all those books, having intelligent discussions and writing my daily journal! I loved it SO much that once I actually wrote a paper for Jose, who then presented it as his own. He got caught but the teacher never knew that it was I, star student, who had written the paper! I didn’t mind doing it for him as I quite enjoyed the process and was not-so-secretly infatuated with him (he never felt the same for me, I’m sorry to say) but of course it was for nothing as he got caught.
Anyway, HS holds a very special place in my heart and I have many happy memories of it all. I made most of my dearest friends there, had lots of new and exciting experiences and gained a well-rounded education. The best thing, though, is that if I ever want to remember what I was thinking and feeling at the time, all I have to do is read my old journals. Or call my old friend and wish him a happy birthday and reminisce about the good old days!
But seriously – I loved HS and would do it all over again if I could – but of course it would never be the same. Other than loving it because that’s the place I met lots of my best friends (including Jose whose birthday is tomorrow. For the record: Happy Birthday!) I really loved the whole learning experience in those two years.
Previously my educational experience was of course Primary and Secondary school, which I also loved – I guess I just love learning. But we mainly stayed in one classroom, had very strict rules about everything and the school day was tightly regimented. HS changed all that – we had different classrooms for different subjects, there were free periods during the day, I sometimes had to stay and have lunch there, I had more independence. I loved having bigger papers to work on with longer deadlines, which meant that I had to be more organized and responsible (and has turned me into the responsible and organized adult I am now).
Since moving to the UK I have newfound respect for my HS education – it all works very differently here and I think that I like my way best. Kids here in the UK specialize quite early on and take only a few subjects whereas HS education is more global. For example, I had to take biology, chemistry and physics – subjects that I would definitely NOT have chosen but I actually enjoyed and learned quite a bit from. The same goes for subjects like ethics, enterprise, advanced math and computer science.
My favourite subject, however, is no surprise if you’ve read this blog before: English Literature. Oh how I loved reading all those books, having intelligent discussions and writing my daily journal! I loved it SO much that once I actually wrote a paper for Jose, who then presented it as his own. He got caught but the teacher never knew that it was I, star student, who had written the paper! I didn’t mind doing it for him as I quite enjoyed the process and was not-so-secretly infatuated with him (he never felt the same for me, I’m sorry to say) but of course it was for nothing as he got caught.
Anyway, HS holds a very special place in my heart and I have many happy memories of it all. I made most of my dearest friends there, had lots of new and exciting experiences and gained a well-rounded education. The best thing, though, is that if I ever want to remember what I was thinking and feeling at the time, all I have to do is read my old journals. Or call my old friend and wish him a happy birthday and reminisce about the good old days!
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