Drone Convert

I've been searching out the time, motivation, and muse to sit down and blog again, but finding it gruelingly difficult for a few different reasons.

1) Nothing happens in my life.

2) Nothing happens in my life.

That isn't fair. No, no, I'll retract that... it's just that I feel a little dead inside surveying the amount of posts where all I write is, "I am bored. Nothing happened today"; or, "Today I went to [this place] and blah, blah, blah with so'n'so  and then I went home, and now I am blogging."

Curse my uneventful posts! No wonder I only have...7? 8 followers?

So, now that I've thoroughly berated my subject matter, I find it only fitting to make a new summer's resolution: Blog once a week about something meaningful. Even if it means I have to Google 'things to blog about' on my dad's iPad. Because the computer is evidently under the weather, and not planning on getting better anytime soon. (I'm typing this on my brother's laptop.)

Today's post is actually featuring the newest installation into my life, my major time-sucker: school. Cue creepy music. Yeah, I finally joined the ranks of public-school rats and juvenile-delinquents-in-making. All I need now is a tattoo and leather pants.

Kidding! ♥

Really, the reason I decided to take a peek into the dark side was experimentation at first. Being a home-school success story for the past three years, I didn't really consider anything different until I was handed the choice while washing dishes with Mum on a Sunday night as we discussed my future plans or something like that.

When she asked me if I'd ever considered public school, I realized that I had; never once fathomed it would be an option. But I was wrong, because two days later I was holding my new class schedule and facing a hallway of rushing peers.

It was kind of weird, at first, adjusting to the continuous period-by-period schedule. It was weird being surrounded by so many people who had been doing this every day, who weren't fazed by locker combos (still haven't gotten the hang of mine) or dashing from one classroom to one at the other end of the school in three minutes. It wasn't elementary school where your classmates size you up day one, and friendship starts from there. I had seven different classes, and different sets of students in each one. Cliques and friendships had already solidified by the time I showed up mid-year, and I started to feel like I'd have morph into one of those hermits, hide under a dark hoodie, and listen to emo music just so no one would feel bad that I was sitting there all alone.

But lucky enough for me, my new colleagues took a liking to me after not too long, and all previous fears of loner status were shed completely.

One thing I noticed about the difference between public and home school (aside from having to sacrifice sleeping in on weekdays) is the structure you get. To me, its helpful to have deadlines and schedules. It helps me achieve. Yeah, it's difficult. Like, I'm totally not used to teachers getting in your face and demanding that 3,000-word-count essay on slime molds, because it was apparently due last Tuesday. But you pick it up pretty fast after getting used to 'the system'. I guess it's not for some, but this girl likes it.

Then there's the drawbacks. Time for the con list. My only complaint would have to be this:

When you're stuck into a population of 400-odd students, something's gotta give. In my case it was my academic individuality. At home, where the student population consists of three brothers, it's easy to be the star pupil with shining colours. But try bragging about a three-point-eight at school, and you're met with a couple unimpressed eye rolls. My peers were so not having it. I was initially a little shocked by a subtle grade-drop upon entering school, until I realized that strict adherence to the teachers and instructions was now vital. No more was the occasional format mishap 'no biggie'. It's a biggie.

Then, of course, there's the social aspect of school, the popularity game, the rumour mill, and all those fabu perks to being a publicly educated drone. I'd like to think I'm liberated, free from the cliques and the gossip. As far as the hierarchy goes, I'm not exactly a top dog by any means. But I think I've escaped the bottom-feeders at this point. I have my friends. My acquaintances. So far no enemies, but I'm wary of hungry gossip feeders; if I can avoid them, I've learned, my seas are smooth-sailing.

With the approach of summer, I'll be graciously accepting a two-month break for tanning and Seattle trips. I'll be getting my permit this week (fingers crossed!) and I've officially started putting feelers out for summer jobs. My iPhone committed technology-suicide, and I'm stuck with a backup cell until I can raise enough to get the update.

Until next time, ciao! Let's hope I can find my muse with equal enthusiasm next week!