Have you experienced that feeling wherein its strange and familiar at the same time? Looking at it, you’ll have that sense of I know this and not so. It felt nostalgic going back to the place. To the place I once called my second home, my high school.
I’ve got a pretty dramatic opening right there, huh? Its funny, actually, but sometimes going back to the place where you figured out most of your life is kinda emotional and dramatic. I was, actually, thinking of a place where I know I can explore without thinking that I was exploring it, and my high school, which is Bangkal High School in Makati, felt quite right.
I think the last time I went there was last year. I was with my friends visiting some teachers and after that, done. But every time I came by the school, I always end up feeling happy. So, last Wednesday, me and a friend went there. And it was crazy. Lots of kids, laughing and gossiping and talking and smiling and studying and even blushing. And what’s crazier is that, in that moment, I see my 16 year-old self to every kid in the lobby.
To cut every sentimental words that I can write here, let me just tell you what I saw physically. I discover that our school has a conference room that I, in my four years of studying there, never knew. That there is another HE Room that I always thought was a storage room and there was two dressing rooms in the AVR. But, I also discover that this school is build for a lot of kids to be ready. We are always thought about the real world and high school felt like the last fantasy shop that we can buy something from. But the truth is, high school is not a fantasy shop, its that real small world that prepares us for the bigger world. Our laughs, our stories, our words, our smiles, our love and our pain seems small in high school but sooner or later it will define us as humans. ( I really felt old writing this high-school-things. Haha)
I guess that’s why I’m always happy going back there. Its quite funny that the school is just a four-storey building but what’s inside has much bigger stories than it seems. Because you may not see it but somehow you’ll feel that your story is written in the hallways. Like its a milestone. Like its a celebration. It was once my home, and I guess, it will always be. ‘Cause for me, High school is like a first love’s kiss, ya’know, sloppy, rigid and warm yet so memorable.
Beks in the City 