My introvert school days
I can't deny being an introvert. Never.I sometimes think that's one of the reasons my parents decided to send me to a boarding school. Maybe to get social and learn how to interact with lots of people.
I was never in support of me going to a boarding school and begged like I was begging for my life, but they had already made up their mind. I didn't know how my life was going to turn out. My sister would always say I was going to change totally and even become a very loud person.
Finally the day I dreaded came and I was dropped off in the boarding school. It was a mixed school. My first day wasn't that bad at all. My mum left me in the care of the senior prefect who looked after me. At first I was still the same gentle and quiet guy. Even when they fought for food in the refectory, I wouldn't engage in anything, I avoided stress of any form. I would just go to my cupboard take out some biscuits and beverage and slept.
As for neatness I was very neat cause I had time to wash my clothes, I would always follow the boy who was my senior to wash the senior prefects clothes, that way I was not disturbed by anyone.
In class I was respected and even feared by some of my classmates because of the senior prefect. Many people knew me but I hardly spoke to anyone.
Well that was just my junior secondary one. When the senior prefect who took care of me graduated that's just the time I started seeing what school life was really meant to be like. I endured missing meals for the first few weeks, but later got used to the system. Yes I was still the quiet Joshua but now I hustled.
I was not a regular offender, infact I only started breaking school rules in my senior secondary two. Even my quiet reputation still saved me from some trouble some times. Some people never believe me when I tell them that I never fought once in my secondary school years, I never even got beaten. Not because I was strong or held any position, but because I respected myself. I was the kind of person that even if I decided to steal I would never get caught cause everyone knew that I never stole. I hardly even begged, even when I needed help from someone. Of cause I had a few friends who I kept real close to me. I was an introvert but I had a group of friends with different kinds of people. I hardly missed classes, even when I did I felt bad about it.
One time I narrowly escaped trouble that I will never forget was in my senior secondary 2. My school was a missionary school, owned by Adventist church, so we worshiped on Saturdays. That particular Saturday started quite well. The prefect position was already passed to my class so we didn't have any labor in the morning, we only had to supervise the juniors to do the work. On Saturdays there was no labor the only students who engaged in work were the prefects and the class assigned to arrange the chapel for the Saturday church service. So there wasn't any supervising to be done in the morning.
The only problem I had with that day was the baptism and holy communion that was going to take place, the baptism most times took more than two hours before we were allowed to have lunch. After the church service, we who did not participate in the baptism and holy communion were allowed to go and just walk around. When I heard the hostel was opened I headed straight to the hostel with one of my friends. Any time I was hungry the best thing I knew to do was sleep. When I slept I didn't have to feel the pain of hunger. We reached the hostel and there were a few people there who were having discussion and playing, they were gathered in one side of the hostel so I went to the side where nobody was. Because, I can't sleep in a noisy place. I found a suitable bed, took only my shirt off and laid there. I slept for long just until I was woken up by the school bell. I got up and noticed the hostel was empty. I almost started crying when I went to the door and found out that the door was locked. I knew I had already missed the meal cause there was no way I was going to get out. The vice principal for student affairs was the one who locked the hostel these days. It wasn't usually him but the stealing crimes these period were over flowing, and him finding me in the hostel was just going to implicate me for crimes I never committed. I was lucky I had some provision with me in my locker. I had to hide when he came to open the hostel to avoid being seen, I stayed quiet under a bed until he was gone. I could hear my heart beating against my chest. That day was one of the most frustrating days of my years in the boarding school.
I have had many people tell me that my life in boarding school was boring because of how quiet and compliant I was. But I went through somethings.
I just didn't think I had to be troublesome or notorious or even loud to enjoy or survive my stay in school. I wasn't that kind of student. And it worked out just alright for me.
Thank you for reading my post.
