When you are a new girl in town -- especially when you have a big stamp on your forehead that says, "I'm a foreigner!" -- the locals passing by take a glimpse of you through the corners of their eyes and question your origin. You just know when this is all happening. And the funny thing is when the whole starring business gets to a point where you start questioning your own identity. Where am I? Am I really in a new place? If I am in a form of a human, then why are all these people staring at me? But when you are a new girl in school, nobody except for your teachers seem to be genuinely interested in your arrival. Everywhere you go students are walking busily up the stairs with their schedule sheets and binders tucked under their arms. It makes sense. No one wants to be late to their classes, and everything goes by like chop, chop!
My first day of school didn't go exactly as I planned. Instead of getting to classes the first day, I went over my schedule with the counselor and principal. Then I spent the rest of day in the library waiting for my sister to get her schedule done. In some ways, I was glad that I spent my first day of school this way. After all, who doesn't want to enjoy an extra day of freedom?
My official first day of school began the next day. I entered the main gates with a breath of fresh air, hoping my bag wouldn't grow any heavier throughout the day. In the morning, I met my buddy and toured around the school while engaging in a small conversation about school life in general. It was surprising and interesting to find out how much we had in common. But despite all the excitement, I felt exhausted by the end of the day. Being around new people is always tiring. So when I got home, I collapsed on the bed and fell asleep in a fetus position. Although I haven't made many friends on my first day of school, I felt everything would fall into its place over time.
My suggestion to students out there, who are going through the same adaptation process, is to relax. I wasn't particularly nervous on my first day of school, but I came home almost dragging myself into the bed. If you are all tensed up, think positively and imagine that you are in your old school but in a different place with different people. What could possibly go wrong? Be strong; be lively; be relaxed; be yourself -- and enter your first day of school with those four Bs in mind.