Heading to school
As a kid in elementary school, venturing into high school was my biggest dream, I was always eager, wanting to get through all my papers so that I wouldn't have to stay back another year while my mates were ahead of me.
To me high school was gold!! I would see seniors in well-ironed and neatly arranged vibrant-looking uniforms and I would always wonder to myself, "When would I ever get there"
I felt that high school was an easy-going life compared to the stressful elementary school, and I would have more freedom, going home with my friends and going anywhere I liked.
I hated being looked down on as a kid.
On a certain Monday afternoon in school, the sun well placed above the sky, I was just so eager to make friends with seniors, that I ran to one of them who came to pick his junior sibling.
He was about to go when I stood In his face, he was momentarily stunned, his face showed a certain displeasure, and his mouth was twisted in disgust, or more so I felt.
"Don't stare at me like that, I will one day be in high school and I'll get to stare at you like that too" I screamed, taking go my heels.
The boy, Jason stared at my retreating figure and smiled to himself.
Maybe if I had turned to see the smile on his face, I would have turned and asked him why he was smiling, but I was so engrossed in my feelings that I felt otherwise.
Still, I dreamed on, climbing higher classes, eagerly anticipating when I would get to go to high school, wear their uniforms and look clean and smart always, I felt it was all about that.
During my final year in middle school, I was overjoyed.
One day my Mom picked me up from school along with my cute little brother who was in elementary school then.
The atmosphere in the car was very lively whenever I saw a group of high schoolers I would run my mouth like a tap talking endlessly about them.
"Mom! Mom? Take a look at the high schoolers, they look so cool.... I'll soon be as cool as them, with my uniforms, bags and big textbooks, it's gonna be so much fun"
My mom patiently listened to my constant rambling and when it seemed I had stopped she threw me a question.
"Do you think, high school is what it seems?" She asked
I was too naive then, or I just didn't want to think about it but I gave a quick reply.
"Of course Mother, it is just as it seems and it's going to be more exciting when I'm finally one of them, you won't have to pick me up from school anymore"
Well, I guess I was alone in that reasoning my brother Wisdom, suddenly spoke up.
"Oh sis! Stop talking, it's not like it'll be that good" he mumbled
"Be quiet! what do you know, can't you see?" I hushed him up
"Honey you know, all that glitters is not gold, why don't you wait till you are in, before you draw your conclusion?"
I still wasn't wavered, holding on to my dream of being a high schooler.
Then the day came, I slipped into my white shirt and green skirt, black shoes, and black school bag, along with my glasses I looked sharper than ever.
I headed out to school did my registration and went into class, the first thing that hit me was when I looked at my timetable, I had ten classes every day and they weren't easy subjects.
The second thing was when I went to collect my textbooks, Physics Chemistry and Biology, I hadn't even gone to other subjects yet but my hands were already failing me from carrying such voluminous books.
Voluminous textbooks
It struck me the most when I realized that recess was only 30 minutes in between five classes.
I would return home every day with a lingering headache, aching shoulders, loads of assignments and stacks of textbooks to read, I didn't even have time to hang out with friends because doing so would affect my grades drastically.
Let's not talk about the constant fights you would have with so-called friends and classmates, including annoying males who wouldn't let you breathe.
It got so bad I came home one hot afternoon and screamed "Please take me back to elementary school!!!"
My mom heard me and approached me, giving me a head massage she asked;
"Baby, is everything ok?"
"How can everything be ok? It's just one class to another, one textbook to another, one assignment to another, one fight to another, gosh highschool is extremely frustrating, can I just quit!!?" I exploded
My mother let out a little laugh
"A few years ago, this was your goal, it was the best thing to achieve, it was so appealing, don't you remember?"
I let out a sigh "Oh I do... You were right Mom all that glitters is not gold, we should look into a matter before we conclude, not everything is what it seems.." I replied soberly
"I'm glad you figured that out yourself, now I'll give some tips to deal with your stress...."
She gave me tips and I was able to get through it, now I think twice before I jump into any matter.
My Mom and I
All images are mine
