By Alyssa Maxine Balayo
If I was told I was a child prodigy, I wouldn’t have
believed it. Why? Because I’m not that intelligent, but I’m also not stupid.
I’m simply regular.
As the average Joe I am, I went to pre-school with
equally innocent children. I felt like I achieved something big by entering
elementary, but started getting intimidated the moment I stepped foot in High
School.
The first year—grade seven, was a mixture of feeling
anxious, excited and curious. It was like a leap into the teenage world which
will eventually lead into adulthood.
The feeling was something similar to jumping into a
pool of soda. It’s like I’m excited to find out whether I can really drink from
it despite bathing in it, and scared because maybe there are germs. But I am
curious, so I still jump into the water.
It was a really fun experience. But the ending of the
year was always the strongest force to bring me down to Earth. It was the
reminder that the High School experience isn’t finished yet, heck I’m just
beginning.
In the first year, everything was easier because I was
the newbie, but once I’ve finished the fresh year, I got pressured and expected
more from.
But that didn’t come until after summer. That’s where
the Eighth Grade came in.
It may have been fun being in the Eighth Grade,
helping lost little grade seven students, being all high and mighty (well,
compared to those toddlers) but once I got a taste of the first quarter, it
reminded me of the fourth quarter in grade seven—stressful and hectic.
Though, that was just the beginning. Because once I
adjusted, I came out high, mighty and newer. I became more experienced in
dealing with schoolwork and life and everything seemed easier than before. I
continued to move forward to forget the fear I felt.
But then the last quarter ended again and everything rewound.
It was like I’m an innocent toddler again who’s scared of the responsibilities
and expectations from a Grade Nine student, but I couldn’t stop the feeling of
eagerness. I was eager to try things I never got to do in the previous years
but scared because the year after that, I’ll be the role-model of some newbies,
I’ll be the superior of the younglings, I’ll be the one expected to… lead.
Although I didn’t know a thing about being a grade
nine student, I did have my experience from the preceding grade. So it came less
surprising because I knew what to wait for and I was ready for it. In this
year, choices were laid out, decisions were to be made and I was one of the
many to choose.
And these were not simple multiple choices from
pre-tests or easy quizzes. These decisions to be made were the stepping stone
for my other decisions in the future.
That’s why it was intimidating. That’s what was
intimidating. But that wasn’t the only thing.
When the end of year for Ninth Grade came, I started a
year of hard work and achievements. This was the Tenth Grade.
The younger ones looked up to me and hopes for me to
become their older sister or brother while being their friend and equal. Tenth
Grade was filled with preparing for the future and making some life-changing
decisions, but this wasn’t the end.
You see, even though I was in the Tenth Grade, I still
had the additional two years and College. The pressure never ended, along with
expectations, hard work and learning.
It was a never a race to be finished. I continue to
achieve things, maybe failed at some endeavors but preparing and learning for
the next level shouldn’t stop because of those.
Perhaps it was the mutual agreement people seem to make,
that despite some difficulties and problematic situations, we should keep
moving forward and continue to the next level.
