I still remember seeing these gates for the first time that June. It was 1990 and I was really excited. Most people dread boarding school, but for me, this was the moment I had been waiting for. The thought of being in a boarding school just gave me the thrills, maybe I wanted freedom at the age of 10 or maybe it was just the fact that I wanted to be with my brother.Of course, it wasn't like I had never seen the Woodstock gate before, we'd been to Mussoorie several times earlier to meet my brother. But this time, it was a whole new experience. I wasn't here to just see the gate and spend a couple of days here, I was going to see that gate almost everyday for the next 7 years of my life!
We (my mum, brother, uncle and I) that rainy day only to find that I had missed my orientation day and had it not been for my brother already being part of the school, I would have missed my admission.
Well, the excitement soon faded and turned to home-sickness quite soon. Unfortunately, initially it wasn't the place I had dreamt about all these years. I hadn't made some good friends and was really feeling out-of-place. Back then, I was like a disease to my brother, so he would deliberately avoid me. I think I must have been one of those pestering younger sisters always wanting to hang around with him. He was in Grade 9 back then (just entered High School) and I was an irritating Middle Schooler at that time.
But over the seven years, I developed many memories (both good and bad) and many great friends, some who 10 years later, still keep in touch!
I thought of sharing some special memories from each year. Unfortunately, all the pictures to support these memories got damaged in the memorable July 26 floods that we experienced in Mumbai... have to tell you that story too!
Grade 6... What I remember most about Grade 6 was our room-wars. We were only 11 girls at that time. Four of us were new girls... Khandu-Om, Yuko, Laura and I. The latter three, Arpana and Honoholi were in one room, while Ruth, Nisha, Karuna, Priya, Vindhya and Khandu-Om were in the other room. There would always be some kind of competition between each room. We were never good friends with the other room. Yuko barely spoke english when she first came; Honoholi would have different haircuts everytime she went home; Laura was my first friend (I think we had a bit of a British connection) and Arpana and I would play "five stones" together.
Grade 7... The Uttarkashi Earthquake. I'll never forget this event. It was the first time I had experienced what an earthquake was. I remember clearly waking up in the middle of the night to rumbling outside. I first thought it was a landslide, Mussoorie being a hill station had quite a few landslides. Arpana soon woke up and we were discussing what we thought it was. Then we heard the other girls in our dorm screaming and running. That's when we panicked. We too ran upstairs to our dorm-parent's room. By then, the rumbling stopped and we were explained that it was an earthquake. The next night, we were actually told to sleep fully dressed and ready-to-run in case there was another earthquake. Alter Ridge (our dorm) apparently had moved according to some unreliable sources (a High Schooler).
Grade 8... Class Night at Mrs. Singh's house. We had a great time and were coming back, when I slipped and fell into a hole. That itself was emabarrassing enough. To top it, I couldn't walk and David M. had to help me back to the dorm, the worst of it being, I had a crush on David during those days.
Grade 9... Ok, this one has been a secret. Karuna and I were bored one Saturday evening, so we thought we'd hide near Alter Ridge and spy on the class guys. We were about to leave coz nothing exciting was happening, when we saw Joel approaching Ryan's room. I have no idea what was happening, since we couldn't exactly hear the conversation, but the next thing we knew... we saw Ryan mooning Joel. Of course, we felt bad for him, but we couldn't stop laughing all the way to back to Midlands. The other was the day Mark died.
Grade 10... Advisor Night with Mr. Hanisch, where we played a "game" with him where we put a bedsheet on him and asked him to take off "anything that he didn't need" and watching and giggling as he took off each piece of his clothing (fortunately only till his belt).
Grade 11... Going with Brian to JSB with my foot in a plaster. I had managed to sprain my ankle bad enough for it to be put in a cast just days before JSB. Brian, who never danced, finally got down from the AV Room where we had spent most of the night watching the others, and comically danced around. We got the award for being the "Most Unexpected Couple", which naturally we didn't mind at all.
Grade 12... Of course has to be Graduation. There's nothing more exhilarating than getting your diploma in front of your parents. My parents gifted me with a camera (which I still have). I remember singing with the choir for the last time and standing on the ramp while everyone congratulated us as they passed us by.
The memories will always remain... the many Open Houses, all my roomies that I've had over the years, being part of BC, sneaking into the guys' rooms and hiding in the closet, our wonderful apartment that we stayed in the first sem of 12th, celebrating birthdays with Karuna's creative ideas, JSBs, Choir, Retreats, Mrs. Biswas screaming at Ruth, Nisha and I for playing together in the cells, sneaking out of class while Miss Singh read "Why Bananas Don't Chew Gum", Activity Weeks... I could go on.
I can confidently say that I know that I'll NEVER forget Woodstock, for its teachers, friends and the memories that have been engraved in my mind and heart
No comments:
Post a Comment