The Zoe: School

So apparently there's this thing called, "school".

Honestly, I think school is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. It's one of those things that I hated with my guts. I cried almost everyday in preschool, I hated leaving my mom and I was always late. I guess I wasn't a very brave kid. I was a wuss and a chicken who cried over everything. Then moving on to primary school, I cried on my first day because A. I was the only Chinese girl in the whole "Standard 1" and I didn't know how to converse with the other kids and B. I spilled my Milo on the streets. I cried my eyes out. Even then I already felt like I didn't belong. (Wow, that was fast, eh.) Then one week after being at that school, I was moved to a bigger school, and I think I was God blessed because I was put in the same class with a few of my preschool best friends, and we eventually got closer throughout the years of school, and I'm also super lucky to be in contact with one or two of them. Even at that young age, I already had to say goodbye to a friend who moved out of state, had a little girl drama (gosh, such embarrassing times) and made friends to last a lifetime. I also cried for every first week of primary school for 4 years. I'm so proud. But my few years in Primary school has taught me that you don't run away from your problems. I used to have this crazy music teacher who would I guess want everything to be perfect or you'd get your ear's pulled, and your books tossed and your shirts pulled by her, back and forth. And she scared the crap out of me. She was the biggest most feared person I have ever encountered. And that says something. I dreaded going to her class so much I actually asked my mom if she could send me late to school so I could skip her class. That didn't turn out very well. I ended up still having to go in for her class and I got pretty screwed for that. So yeah, lesson number one : Don't run away from your problems. Lesson number two : You'll make friends and you'll lose some. One of the things I hated about being in the last year of Primary school was the fact that my friends and I would actually end up going to other schools. And towards the last two years of school I was in a pretty good place. Great friends, no more scary music teacher, everything was great. And I hated the thought that I would lose all of that and having to start over was such a crazy thought for me. We all know that once everyone goes to secondary school after primary school, your bonds most likely won't be as tight anymore, and that's true. But it took me a few years to realize that your best friends aren't those you HAVE to talk to everyday to keep things going. They are definitely those who makes you feel like no time has passed by even after a hiatus of communication. Anyways, my first year of Secondary school was pretty crappy. I hated my school, I didn't particularly like the people I was surrounded with and my gut told me that I didn't belong there. Not even for a second. I didn't learn much there, not in terms of studies, but in terms of life lessons. I was pretty much a goody goody girl in secondary. (Guilty). So after my horrible first year, I moved (YES AGAIN) to another school a little further than where I lived, but that's okay. Because that school has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. EVER. I don't even know where to begin. I have had blood, sweat, tears, laughter and heartbreak in that school and I couldn't be more thankful. The teachers are great, the people, the environment, it was amazing. I'm pretty sure most of anyone from Hamid Khan would second that motion. Sure there were flaws and things that you'd dislike. Like the assembly sessions that dragged on for wayyyyy too long and over priced and completely unhygienic canteen food. But other than that, I enjoyed my 4 years there. And having to have left school earlier than everyone else did, it's discouraging. BUT, back to the lessons part. Here's a few things I've learned. Lesson number three : There will be different types of people in the world. There will be those you'd wish you could rip their heads off, those who has absolutely no sense of common sense and humanity, those you'd hug to death, those who just makes you smile like an idiot, those who will stick by you even when you get into trouble, those who cause trouble, those who gets into trouble with you, those who points fingers when they get into trouble, the rebellious ones, the smart ones and the "famous ones". And its just a little introduction to the people you'll eventually meet when you're older in a more massive quantity. Sometimes even more vicious and cunning. There will also be those who you're supposed to stay away from and those who brings out the best in you. Lesson number four : People can hate you, but they can't do much about it. This is hard to admit. But no matter where you are, no matter how hard you try to please everyone, there'll always be someone out there who won't like you. And you know what? They can't do anything about it. Sure there'll be the stares and glares and sometimes even the whispers and even the almost too direct murderous Facebook statuses. But so what? Yes, you'll get pretty mad and annoyed and you'd also want to rip their heads off, but so what? They can't do anything about it. They just have to suck it up and deal with it. *flashes huge grin* Lesson number five : You learn to have fun. As much as being in school and studying goes, I've learned to have fun. Because you can't do one thing and feel complete without the other. Where I came from, we had a lot of fun practicing for school events, taking opportunity of free periods and in between lessons and even our second recess times. But if they were to trap us in the classroom for 7 hours of a day, I honestly wouldn't know how crazy I'd be right now. Lesson number six : You learn to immediately come up with excuses. I'm guessing it'll be convenient in the future. And the triumph of when your "excuses" saved you. Hehehehehe. School also taught me to stand up when I fall. How? Well, for around 2 years, I dreaded going to school. I hated waking up early and having to put on a face and go to school, go through my day when all I really wanted to do was cry my eyes out and sleep for the whole day. Because everything was crashing and burning and I was dying a little everyday inside. And I didn't want to go to another place that reminded me of all that hurt that I was going through. But what do you do when you have to do something you don't want to do? You do it either ways. Why? Because its a responsibility. Because its an obligation and because you have to. The world doesn't work according to what we want when we want and how we want it. Because if it was, I would still be on my lazy bum crying my eyes out and hiding out in my little hole. But we have to do what we have to do. And it also means standing up when you fall. When you crash and burn, when you just want to stop everything and let yourself wallow and drown. But no, you don't quit. You get up, you go to school, you finish your homework, you keep on going. Then there's also the fact where you learn to improve and be better. If you just stop for a moment and look back to the moment when you first stepped in to school and compare your life from when it was and how it is now, let me point this out even if you see it already. A LOT HAS CHANGED. And that's a good thing. Because change always happens for the better. And most of the times things has to crash and burn before they turn out to be beautiful. Also, not forgetting the friends you have made, the people you surround yourself with, your little chosen family. I think its pretty amazing. So the whole point is, you don't go to school just because of your academics. Going to school teaches you things that even schools can't teach you. These lessons that you learn, you won't learn until you've been through them. And no amount of money can help you until you've gone through them. And every lesson is unique to everyone in their own special way and that blows my mind, because its pretty darn amazing. I have made memories to treasure, lessons to learn, people to love and cherish. It's all there. And having to leave that and go to somewhere new to learn more lessons without anyone I know is pretty terrifying. But life is a learning process. And I'm so thankful to be a part of it. The good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. So as I start school in 2 days, here's to many more lessons to learn and people to meet and places to go.