"11th grade..that's like Form 5 for me..and in Hong Kong, after Form 5, most would go out and work," my father reflected out loud. I met these words with silent shock.
My father was raised in the urban mess of Hong Kong in the years when Britain had considerable influence in virtually every aspect of Cantonese life. As a result, the educational system was quite British as well, and Form 5 was the grade that nearly all men reached before settling in for economically-driven adult lives. To hear that 11th grade was the American version of Form 5 seemed surreal to me: I am most certainly not ready to move out, get a job, and start a family.
Junior year has been hectic, busy, relentless. Filled to the brim and about to burst, the myopic activities my life currently revolves around fundamentally leaves me unprepared for the much larger picture. How to live out there in the big world where there isn't a friendly Harker teacher to help me along the way.
Looks like I have a long year ahead of me.
that's how junior year is gonna be
ReplyDeleteits gonna suck