My Very Own Version of Back to School

For 18 years, I've been going back to school. On an autumn day, just like today I'd be enjoying the very last of my summer vacation. On a day like this, I never felt bad or depressed. Going back to school was always exciting for me. Ever since KG and up until my very last year at my dear GUC. Yes, I loved school, no matter how hard it was at times, or very boring at other times.

How can't I get very excited about it? How can't I look forward to buying my new uniform (no matter how ugly it was)? How can it not be fun to receive my new books? How can I not like to go on my back to school shopping quest? How can't I enjoy picking all the new name tags and copybook covers (that's in primary of course =D) ? How can't I be wanting to meet my new teachers and see how they're like? How can't I think of all the new things I'm going to learn soon?

Why would I be depressed if I'm going to see my best friends for eight hours everyday? How can one not want to know all the new school gossip? How can one not like to name the new teachers, and other students, funny nicknames? How can one not like to go back and enjoy an hour of breaks full of fun and laughter with the most amazing of friends?

I always loved school! I wasn't an excellent student, except in high school of course =D, but I was always good enough not to have a problem with studying and having quizzes and homework. I hated studying (except in high school when I used to miss being busy studying since we never had enough stuff to study =D), but I loved making countdowns for when I'll stop studying, I loved writing in my fun notebook which I always took to school. 

This notebook had lots of fun in it, it had things that my teenage self enjoyed so much. It had Backstreet Boys lyrics, back when I was crazy about them. It had lots of countdowns for many many things, the end of the exams, the Millennium back in 1999, the Eid vacation, and many many others. It had to do lists of all kinds, which I've always enjoyed doing. It had play lists, shopping lists, outings lists, my savings lists, downloads lists (even though it was still the dial up days). It had my thoughts. It has the stupid poetry I used to write and never won anything, and they were right never to let me win =D. It had notes about the novels that I've always finished way before we did in class. It had quotes that I heard or read, loved and decided to keep with me forever. It had my spelling bee practice. It had some studying notes that I never minded just because they were in that notebook =). 

I hated waking up at 6 in the morning each and every day, but I've enjoyed arriving to school and skipping my morning lines in high school. I've enjoyed hiding in the third floor, between the classes and the bathroom that had the worst mirror in the world. I even didn't mind being caught by our awesome principle, who'd shout with his Microphone in our faces then bring us down to the lines. I've enjoyed who I always managed to stand behind a tall guy so I don't sing the National Anthem, although I do now whenever I get a chance =). I enjoyed how I was never chosen through all my years to salute the flag =). I enjoyed how we laughed when they made us salute the flag in English and sing an English version of the National Anthem in prep school.

I've always thought that classes were boring. But there was always the fun of fighting with the guy you're stuck sitting next to for the whole year in primary school, fighting quietly though, you'd never want the teacher to hear you fighting together, especially the class teacher  that forced you to sit next to the guy you hate most so you'd stop talking =D. There was always passing notes, or simply talking to my best friends during class in prep school, but also quietly, who would want to get caught and get stuck sitting to the guy you hate most all over again =D. There was always doing whatever we please during classes in high school, or simply skipping Arabic and SAT classes, there was the fun of watching the teachers fight with all the bullies and you'd keep thinking who would win =D. 

In high school, there was always the History class that had five students at the beginning of the semester and they became three at the end. There was always the suffering and the laughter, both at the same time, of trying to understand the Canadian history teacher who speaks with the speed of a 100 words per second. There was always the scary Accounting class with the scary Accounting teacher whom we still loved very much. There was always the English classes that were even better than breaks, classes that were full of creativity, classes that always gave us the space and time to speak of whatever we want. There was always the English teachers that made me fall in love with the language even more than I already did. The teachers that encouraged me to keep writing and keep reading and keep trying to use my imagination. There was always the Business and Economics classes that I never ever wanted to end. There was always the Mathematics classes, where we never learned anything that was of any significance during my first semester at the GUC. But this class had all of us, the whole gang, that was the time for laughter and fighting for extra pens =D. There was the Biology classes when we'd laugh so hard that we'd all turn red =D. Yes, yes, high school was definitely my favorite.

And then there was the GUC, that had no fun of the kind above, but it still had LOTS of fun. There was the fun and excitement of being part of this very respectable place with the bonus of having three of my best friends with me, and half my school =D. The first year was very scary and hard and somewhat depressing for me after three years of doing nothing but playing and then coming out as an honored student. So on the second year, there was the fun of knowing I can do it. There was the encouragement to try harder and do better, to prove to myself and everyone that I can be part of this place and do a good job. The third year there was fun of knowing I did better last year than the year before and the excitement of finally knowing the meaning of Digital Media Engineering, my major =D. The fourth year had the fun of going back to the GUC family, my second family and staying for long long hours in the GUC buildings, my second home. The fun of staying long long long hours working very hard, but working with people you adore and around very very nice people, my lovely DMET class. In the fifth year, there was the fun of going back after staying a whole semester at home for the Bachelor's Thesis, there was the excitement of being a senior, and there was the bitter-sweetness  of wanting to enjoy every single moment of your very last year in the place I loved so much with those people that I've been lucky enough to know. 

Years have passed, and my Back to School days are over, and I miss them. I wish people would know how precious these years are, how fun school is, how exciting it is to go back to school. How much they'll be longing for these day later... Last year I had no back to school, and I missed it. So this year, I've decided to have one, or at least I'll do my new semester shopping during the back to school season, just to remember the fun of it =D...... I'll also keep my back to school memories deep in my heart, every autumn will remind me of the fun I've had in school in these 18 blissful years.