Journey Within the (Yellowish) Walls

I'm new to this blogging thing, and I notice that I always end up writing more about my thoughts than my regular activities. But that doesn't necessarily mean I'm some kind of solemn philosopher person.. I'm only sixteen and around people who actually know me, I'm crazy and childish. But I have my thoughtful moments of seriousness and philosophy too.
I'm just finishing off with 10th grade. My 'O' levels exams are just a little more than a month away. I should totally be revising my lessons and NOT blogging, but here I am... being lazy and procrastinating once again. That's just what happens when your exams are right here and you just want a vacation SO bad, but you don't get one. Well, I'll get one as soon as I'm done with these exams! I can't wait till June.
But then again, it feels so strange that I'm going to be done with school.. and college awaits. The years just whirled by, and I still feel nothing like a grown-up. Of course I'm NOT a grown up.. But when you're finishing off with school, all the adults around you keep pressuring you about being all responsible and mature. Now that I reflect over the years... as much as I hated a lot of things about school, I'm going to miss this life... a bit, at least!

Journey within the (Yellowish) Walls

The countdown has already begun. Only half a dozen more weeks or so left to go. Sitting down with a neglected Pure Math book in front of me, I decide to take a trip down the memory lane. It’s not like I’m really nostalgic, but between math and memories, I’d pick memories any time. Even if it IS school-life memories.

                My first day in Kindergarten-I, section-Orange (Why ORANGE of all colours?!).  I walk into a tiny room with yellowish (at least better than ORANGE) walls. All eyes are on me and I notice three girls giggle, probably because I forgot to ride in on a unicorn. I smile and receive a wrinkled nose in response, so I sit next to this harmless-looking boy. Yes, a BOY. Everyone whispers and stares with shock and repulsion.

Kindergarten-II. [I don’t even remember the name of the section]. I have two friends. The classroom is larger but still yellowish.  I try to point something interesting outside and accidentally poke my best friend in the eye. She is furious. Despite my futile pleas, she entwines her tiny little finger with mine in the form of a crucial ‘katti’. Oh well, there goes one friend (until the teacher makes us shake hands).

1st Grade.  Everyone is working day and night on writings that they wish to submit for the yearbook. We are shepherded to the roof of the yellowish building so that we can take a group photo there. We smile and try to look as best as possible in our lame uniforms. I can’t be too sure, but I think someone made donkey ears on the back of my head when the photo was captured. That was the first and last time we set our feet on the school roof (Ha! That’s what they think!).  And to this day, I still wait for a copy of that very yearbook. 

2^nd grade.  I believe we are more social and civil, but befriending the opposite gender is still unacceptable. Being a class captain seems to be the most lucrative of all occupations.  One fateful day, I lose a baby-tooth in the middle of English class. Everyone stares with awe as I spit blood out on a tissue paper. I’m treated like a war hero for the rest of the week. The drama queen of the class glares at me.

3^rd grade.  A young, female teacher walks into the classroom and a guy quietly utters the forbidden four-lettered adjective. We gasp. We have now become witnesses of an unforgivable crime.  I’m not sure about my aim in life, but I think I want to be a Pokémon Master. I actually have a friend circle (although it tends to fall apart about half a dozen times a day). I have two guy friends. The class drama queen continues to glare at me.

4^th grade. My friend and I get caught passing notes in class. The teacher isn’t too pleased with the topic of discussion. However, we are very pleased when she lets us off with only a lecture. We pat ourselves for being good storytellers. My friend circle falls apart less frequently now. I think it’s sort of normal to be friends with guys. Either that or the drama queen has just grown tired of glaring at me.

5^th grade.  I lose a few friends after they’ve been placed in different sections, but I gain some new ones. This new circle seems more stable, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed just in case. We actually dare to talk in class even after the teacher warns us not to, but we still fear the deadly detention box. We secretly laugh at the teacher’s accent.

6^th grade.  The rivalry between sections is at its peak. We’d compete in anything and everything. There are ‘groups’ with cool and kick-ass names. A few basic swear words pop up now and then. There’s more music, gossips and giggles. And, um, some of the seniors seem nice; not that we spy or anything. We tell answers to our friends during the tests. Some teachers get on our nerves. We have facebook accounts. Okay okay! I lied about the not spying thing, happy?!

7^th grade. Friendship has a whole different meaning. We let our classmates copy every answer during tests (the ones that we DO know anyways). Due to the lack of any space resembling a playground, we only hang out in the classrooms during games classes. Let’s just say that truth or dare has reached a whole new level. We sing, dance and eat during most classes. I feel sorry for the Biology teacher. There is some amount of graffiti on the desks. We now laugh openly at the teacher’s accent.

8^th grade. We have a huge, amazing friend circle. Threats involving hockey sticks and ‘boro bhais’ (gangsters) are very common among the guys (and some girls I could name, but they shall remain nameless).  The Linkin Park mania is dying out with the rise of Bullet for My Valentine. There are lyrics, thoughts, quotes, random stuff (both appropriate and inappropriate) scribbled down all over the books, copies, desks, walls (still yellowish), curtains, etc. My grades deteriorate slightly; I’m more into poetry now.

9^th grade. It’s surprising how you can keep losing old friends, gaining new ones, and reconciling with ones you lost ages ago. Everyone’s tired of drama (even that drama queen seems a little less attention-seeking). We barely bother to submit class works. We LOL in the teacher’s face if he/she ever mentions the word ‘detention’. We eat, sleep, text, and play ‘fool tokka’ (unlike truth or dare, THIS game is drama-free) during class. Don’t even get me started on the bunking rate. I realise that my poetry was a waste of time; my grades begin to improve again. The guys somewhat lose their obsession for ‘ganjaam’ (blood and gore). Can it be that hockey sticks are actually for playing hockey and coaching centres are meant for studying after all?

10^th grade [so far]. They keep telling us that we barely have any time left (happening at this INSTANT). The exams are hammering on the door and we must start acting responsibly if we haven’t done so already. Yet, we find ourselves being more immature than ever before. Parents fuss, teachers pressurize, friends still offer to play ‘fool tokka’. We all need a vacation above everything (applies more importantly for the parents).  And everyone says that school-life is the most memorable era of one’s existence. Thus, I ignore the trigonometry revision (as usual) and sit here, wondering if I’ll remember any of this a decade later. Too bad they never gave us that yearbook.