DISCLAIMER: it would be wise to keep a box of tissues next to you as you read this. Apologies in advance.

What started off as a casual conversation evolved into a friendship, a friendship that evolved into something special. In this short span of time that we have known each other, all of you have left an unforgettable impression upon us, and it truly is hard to bid farewell to a batch with whom we have forged such deep (and hopefully, everlasting) bonds.

8 years and then 1 – Rashmil Tufail

If I were to be completely transparent, we want you to stay back and guide us further, but alas: good things don’t last long. For me personally, it was more than special mainly because I’ve known one of these seniors for a very long time: of course, I am talking about my brother, Nofil. However, my attachment to such a well-decorated batch doesn’t end there. I’ve known Zaryab and Uzair since childhood and it has been an experience, to say the least, to be in their midst for such a long time. 

In the blink of an eye, all those inside jokes and all those shared moments have come to a halt. Before I go on, I’d like to make it clear that A-Level was a platform for us to meet some of the most intellectually and morally gifted individuals. This special set of people include Sadeem Sajid, and of course, TLC’s editor-in-chief (and someone who I hold closest to my heart out of everyone), Hassan. If I had enough power when it came to writing this article, I’d make it a ‘Hassan appreciation post’, but Arooj insists on it being divided praise. Oh well, he’s a communist so he’d love to hear that.

Moving on, despite being someone who is completely unaware of basketball, a certain- by my personal definition- ‘King’, has made me fall in love with the sport. I’m not that good yet, but I’ll get there Hamza. 

The list is never ending. Each and every single one of you has never failed to wow me. I remember being so dumbfounded by the amount of work Emmad did for the Chemicae Biologus category. I am glad that I applied for it because it was an honor working with such a ‘wholesale’ and smart individual.

There’s so much to cover and so little space; words can’t define how nice Aaleen and Mahnoor were to all of us. They left their mark and made A Level something worth remembering. Moving on, I would be doing this article a disservice if I didn’t mention Anoosh: smart, talented, and most importantly, a good friend to us all, she was always a lively presence on the campus; The cream of the crop when it comes to debaters and the complete package. Thank you for everything!

It’s difficult putting pen to paper when you realise you’re writing something so disheartening but then you remember that you got bullied by Wasiq and Wasif, and then you feel like maybe it’s not all bad. Jokes apart, it’s more than unfortunate that both of you are leaving. There were no ups and downs, only ups. 

Now moving onto another person who needs no introduction; Mohid Amir, or as I like to call him, ‘G.O.A.T-ed senior’, is one of the nicest people on campus. He will undoubtedly leave you feeling like you have known him for decades with his words of inspiration. Some may even say he outclasses his own friend Sheheryar Ahmad with his speeches, which is funny because I don’t remember Mohid making the Pakistan debating team.

Pain, suffering, and agony has been the main theme of this article, and it continues with us bidding farewell to Istafa ‘Egg’ Niazi and Zara ‘Rao Rana Rajput’ Imran. You both are such amazing seniors and oh, the things we’d do for just one more month with you.

There’s no better summation for the mark Alisha has left on us than my response to her saying, 

“Well, damn. That was it?”

 Which was, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.” 

And rightfully so, you were one of the most talented individuals and the closest thing to a mom for us A1s. We’ll miss you Alisha.

A Forlorn Farewell:

A glimpse into my abandonment issues encased in 600 words. -Arooj Tiwana

It would only be appropriate to put Asad Hasan and Mueez Khalid into the same paragraph because of a certain characteristic (read: C-man) that one may have an excess of, and the other, a lack. I absolutely despise the fact that I’m writing a sappy goodbye note to someone like Asad but let’s not ruin the moment. These two have been amazing seniors—I can say with confidence that I might never come across anyone like them.

As Rashmil and I were discussing who to add in this article, we made a list that was quite literally never ending and realized exactly how much each individual mentioned in this article means to us. That being said, I would like to talk about one of the first seniors I interacted with—the first senior that I could call a friend: Asfandyar Malik. I worked with him during LACASMUN and he has unknowingly taught me so much. I truly believe that Asfandyar will go on to achieve so much and he will always remain someone that I look up to. Another senior that we have unfortunately not interacted with as much as we would personally want to, is Daaniyal Sumbal. One odd day, he randomly got added into the MedPub WhatsApp Group and since then, he has become one of our favourite seniors. 

Now this person is less of a senior and more of a very close friend to me: Eman Hussain. Eman, I think it goes without saying exactly what you mean to me. Despite having said goodbye twice to you now, I know that this isn’t the end.

Amongst the names of the friendliest, sweetest, and nicest people in our senior batch lie the names of none other than: Rida Amir, Eshaa Fatima, and Aisha Malik. The embodiment of a sunshine personality, these three will never fail to make your day brighter. As this term comes to an end, we want all three of you to know just how much your presence was valued on campus and how much we’ll miss you.

And of course, this list would be incomplete without a mention of our favourite curly haired and ex-curly haired seniors from the batch: Ali Rizvi and Saad Shahid. These two remain an integral part of the memories that we have of the A2s.

I’ll admit, I was hesitant to write this paragraph just because it means acceptance and this still feels like a dream. Nofil Tufail, the only person in this article that has received a mention twice, and rightly so. Nofil has been less of a senior and more of a best friend to not only me but countless other A1s. Words do not possess the capacity to properly encapsulate and express exactly what Nofil means to me—the impact that he has had. This year has been unfair to all of us, and the time I have spent with Nofil despite being short, will be treasured in my memory forever.

As this article comes to a close, we want to apologise to all of you for putting you through this. 

We will cherish the time spent with each and every one of you and keep all of you safe in memory. At the start of A1, we had absolutely no clue how much all of you would end up meaning to us, and just how dear all of you would become. In the midst of innumerable students saying their goodbyes, tears were shed and a sense of denial prevailed. As of now, we are uncertain how we are to cope with your absence on campus, everyone. You all will be missed greatly. 

Until we meet again.

Rashmil Tufail & Arooj Tiwana
TLC Writers