The Food was Better than High School

I spent my last two years of primary education in a boarding school. The photo below is the evidence. I won't even say which of these boys is me, although my ashy knees and smile should give me away instantly.*facepalm*

You can blame Facebook for this atrocity hitting the internet

 Whatever I can remember of this educational institution is bittersweet. First of all the friendships we made in that environment were of an enduring sort. There can be absolutely no pretentiousness in an environment where all your worldly possessions fit in a 2' by 1' metal box liable to rust. A snobbish brat could only be a snobbish brat for a week, MAX, and then he or she got with the program. (Despite the picture's suggestion, it was a mixed "coed "school.)

Quite a program it was. Watchtowers manned by bow-and-arrow bearing watchmen ringed the premises.

Academically, "bringing marks" was the name of the game. Many exams were administered in quick succession, and then each student's marks output was, um, rigorously evaluated after each exam. "You have refused to bring marks," was an accusation from a teacher that accompanied a ruthless lashing. The canes were fanbelts - rudimentary whips. Luckily for me, for the most part, I was "bringing marks" in bucketloads. So the cane and I interacted mostly in the extracurricular departments - which still covered an extensive scope of life disciplines. I remember getting caned once for drawing cartoons in class.

I particularly remember a stretch of depressing loneliness when my clique of buddies suddenly and inexplicably turned their backs on me, and weeks later, just as suddenly made friends again. I was torn between rupture of joy and feelings of betrayal at the instant they came back. I will never forget that moment; I cried on the spot.

Fond memories remain. Here, I made friends with the girl who would later became my best friend; we were deskmates.

PS: the photo is enduring evidence that I have historically never been very conscious about my appearance. But this photo-sermon reveals that its been a crisis.

PPS: I don't even smile like that any more. Sad.