It is surreal to think that only a week or more remains till the batch of 2023 begins a new chapter of their lives, leaving behind memories of black and white uniforms, midweek tedious assemblies and an artificial grass carpet that should have been replaced ages ago. Having grown up consuming an unhealthy amount of Disney shows featuring protagonists that experienced events akin to the plot of a Jason Bourne film certainly riddled me with expectations far too high from high school, conveniently forgetting that I am a Desi WomanTM living in a patriarchal society. And whilst my time may not have been like Mia Thermopolis, it can very much qualify as the plot of a Ghibli movie (wishful thinking mayhaps).
As the days of this school year and our childhood came to a conclusion, we were all hit with the realization that adulthood is drawing near: a world of taxes, 9-5 jobs and impending anxiety about death galore. Part of what I regret is having spent so much of my time worrying about the future in high school when I should have been living more in the moment.
A’levels itself was like Taylor Swift’s era tours, oscillating from the thunderous melodies of 1989 during finals week to the sad ballads of evermore making us become completely different people from who we once were (cue nothing new). Starting as mere sixteen year old ingenues, our life experiences limited to restricted timetables and even stricter uniform checks, a new environment felt liberating, enough so to make the wrong friends, opt for difficult subjects (steer clear of World History), buy the canteen pizza and fall for the wrong people.
As our routines settled into a steady rhythm, procrastinating for the monthly tests turned into procrastinating for the exams and applying for mere event positions turned into applying for the council. Just like that, the first year of A’levels came to a startling halt. And that is when we realized the staggering amount of change we had undergone in one year alone—akin to Kafka’s metamorphosis. The deterioration of our A-1 friend group, academic heartbreak and disappointment in all its glory had made us all completely different people for the better or worse (think Cillian Murphy’s Oppenhiemer meme).
A-2 rolled around and it was a blur of university applications, managing school events and the plethora of council work. not to mention the threat of CIES looming over our heads like a sign from the Oracle of Delphi herself; the sight of a crying A-2 individual in a bathroom stall was not a rare spectacle. Some of us were fighting even tougher personal battles and the fusion of such circumstances resulted in weekly mental breakdowns.
And as someone who made it out alive, always remember “this too shall pass.” Such happenings may seem life-ending but they aren’t; they are merely your main character moments, and I hope you come out of it prioritizing love and kindness for both yourself and others. Despite the busyness of the final year, my favorite moments are those I’ve spent with my loved ones. Waiting for my friend during her Maths class so we can drink chai and watch Gilmore Girls together as the campus cat lies beside us to chatting with a beloved junior every Thursday morning or sitting in the art room beside my friend watching the cars go by as she continues to paint: it is these moments that I remember and miss the most out of the abundance of memories. So please remember to calm down and appreciate the smaller things in life for they will be gone before you know it. If you ever feel like you are on the verge of a breakdown, remember that all you need to do is to pet the beloved campus cat and all will be well.
By Khadija Zahra
Culture Editor 2022-2023
Note: the views expressed in the article solely belong to the writer and do not reflect TLC.