“High school is like the training wheels for the bicycle of real life.”
Ghost World (2001) – Graduation Speaker (Rini Bell)
“High school - those are your prime suffering years. You don't get better suffering than that.”
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) – Frank Ginsberg (Steve Carell)
“I don't know what it is about going to high school with someone that makes you feel you're automatically friends for life.”
Tequila Sunrise (1988) – Gregg Lindroff (Arliss Howard)
“I bet in high school, everybody made somebody's life hell.”
Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997) – Michele Weinberger (Lisa Kudrow)
Ask anyone something positive about high school, and you'd be lucky to get anything besides 'friends' - and that too can be a rare response for some.
For many of us, high school's just a fancy name for prison, asylum, or any other institution infamous for justifying the torture it inflicts its inmates.
Sure, there are others who find the above analogy quite exaggerated, but then, it's always easier said than done; easier being a witness than a victim.
My experience in high school was, thankfully, not so bad. Like a roller coaster ride it had its ups and downs; it both thrilled and terrified me at times, made no sense at all at others, but hopefully will be something to be proud of in retrospect.
Joining ADIS in 2006 was one of the smarter choices I've made in my scholastic life. Not leaving it in 2008 could end up being the biggest blunder I commit.
But leaving all regrets aside, I'm gearing up for what I hope to be my final year in high school.
More than a wish list, this is a blog on mistakes I pray I'll not repeat in the academic year of 2009-2010.
Now, why the year is so important is self-explanatory, but how is it important?
First comes my passionate desire of becoming a doctor - internal medicine, pediatrics, endocrinology, cardiology, oncology, etc. being my current choice of specialties/ super-specialties.
For one to get the very best of medical education in India, government colleges are a sure-bet. Not only do they receive the most outstanding quantity and quality of cases, the entire experience paves way for an easier access towards better post-graduate courses.
However these prestigious institutions welcome only those who're prepared to study their heads off for the entrance exams which is just as easy as cycling backwards in the endless Dubai traffic, hands-free & blindfolded, making it through unscathed. No, actually, it's worse.
So, unless I'm ready for that, I'll be tossed aside like stinking laundry into an ocean of rejects with shattered dreams. Naturally, that is NOT what I want.
Next comes the navigation through the various emotional whirlpools we'd be thrown into, the coming session. Senior year will be filled with lots of nasty revelations that remind you this is the last year you'll be home in Abu Dhabi. They'll keep hitting you painfully like hailstones, but it'll all remain surreal till past the very end.
12th grade will also be completed with infinite number of 'goodbye's, 'I'll miss you's, and 'till we meet again', each accentuated by streams of tears and bittersweet smiles. Amidst the looming board exam panic will be the frantic exchange of autographs - signing each others' shirts, filling everyone's books with cheesy messages from your teachers, best friends, classmates, bus buddies, anybody who was somebody, irregardless of whether it's a person you loved, hated, never heard of or secretly admired.
As soon as the major headache of board exams comes to pass, half of us will divert happily towards blissful rest & celebration till the results, while the other half (which I belong to) struggle to get in line to give what may be one of the biggest official tests in our lives - entrance exams. Jumping at the opportunity to write each and every exam that comes our way, the one common trait to be found in all these students would be stress from lack of confidence.
After all, who can blame us?
Pitted against 100,000 immensely intelligent, totally hard-working and often well-deserving candidates, who not only had the advantage of studying in a deadly competitive atmosphere, but could also be coached under teachers and institutes with valuable experience, UAE CBSE students vs. students in India is like letting a mouse wrestle an elephant. The only safe option is to flee, but that means running away from our coveted prize which was the only reason we went through hell in the first place. So, the safe choice isn't an option at all in reality and thus, chasing our dreams instead of running away from fears, we have to bite the bullet and take the risk.
Again, entrance exams are only as hard as one makes it out to be. Instead of focusing on the studying itself, if one gets carried away by the enormity of the task ahead, inevitably, the difficulty of passing the exams will rise exponentially. Instead, by accepting the truth that we're all in the same boat - but at different levels - trying to make it ashore in one piece, there can be some hope of getting through. Unfortunately, this is where I falter the most.
Final year means the final chance to do a lot of things. It'll be the last time I can participate in the Talent's Day, Annual Day, bid adieu to school with admirable grades, fool around (& get into trouble) at P.T., go for various quizzes(one of the bittersweet events in 11th grade), etc. Sure, these will be around in college too, but who knows whether I would want to, be able to or have the time & energy to take part in all those activities?
This year will be the last episode in this high school drama; so no matter how good the plot was till now, the ending determines the success of it all. It'll also mark our landing in to the real world, which will sweep us along with the tide whether we're ready for it or not. It's up to us either to learn swimming this year and survive, or drown in that sea of madness.
Everybody wants to leave their mark in the world - but how many of us will truly sacrifice everything to achieve that greatness? All of us want a piece of incredible success - but how many of us want a share of the sleepless nights, the painful efforts and the struggling journey? We've all been fed clichés of 'can't have your cake and eat it too', yet we never ponder over the truth of the statement.
In short, it's way past time we woke up from this slumber and stand up to what is required of us. Darn right it's boring, hectic, annoying, etc. but that won't count in your college application. You won't get a degree just because you were the most popular kid in the city. You can't get 6-figure salaries by sitting pretty the entire year, complaining like someone 60 years your senior.
Absolutely no one cares if you were the trendsetter, faithful follower or the rebellious outcast of the school; at least not unless you can prove yourself by achieving the best of what counts. The reality is harsh and the truth hurts, but it's way better heard than actually felt.
So, first and foremost as a reminder to myself, 'If you want your dreams to come true, wake up...'
Here's wishing for a happy ending to this 14-chapter story!
