{"id":1898,"date":"2024-10-03T12:52:33","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T12:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quill.binabangsaschool.com\/?p=1898"},"modified":"2024-10-03T13:38:52","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T13:38:52","slug":"an-experience-that-changed-me-for-the-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quill.binabangsaschool.com\/?p=1898","title":{"rendered":"An Experience That Changed Me For The Better "},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dear Diary,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll be receiving my school report soon\u2026and it seems like I\u2019m moving to Leander instead of Coldrethan. It\u2019s not how I wanted things to go, but as much as I want to go to Coldrethan, I still think my parents\u2019 financial stability is more important than any school. I\u2019m grateful that I can even go to school in the first place, and at least, I won\u2019t have to deal with Kendall (and the entire school) being against me anymore.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bye,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liesel.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking through the halls for the last day of exams, I felt the other students eye me spitefully. It was akin to a predator with their gaze piercing their meek prey.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I\u2019m not their prey.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m unfriendly, quiet, smart, and hard working\u2013 eighteen months here and I\u2019ve already got the highest grades; which, unfortunately, only earned me the all-time-popular Kendall\u2019s sense of hatred (and thus, the entire school\u2019s). <\/em>Anyone who tried to <\/em>act friendly toward me was unsurprisingly treated with ignorance and ostracised, so eventually, no one tried to approach me anymore and this became the norm. I was, for a lack of better words, abandoned. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people whispered and snickered as I entered the classroom. Only Rougena smiled in my direction as a greeting. This Rougena was a special case: she was one of the three highest scoring students in the school\u2026and also the one with the heaviest pockets stuffed with money. It\u2019s no surprise that even Kendall dared not contradict her.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was the only person that I\u2019ve told about my imminent departure.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But aside from the loneliness \u2013 that I\u2019d never admit out loud \u2013 this school has a terrible curriculum, and the teachers are terribly rampant and disorganised: sudden announcements and changes of schedules happened almost as frequently as their absences, which could have been redeemable in some way if they\u2019d been successful in disciplining their students away from becoming gossipers who were so busy making enemies and failing tests that they had to take endless remedial classes. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve never felt apple to apple or orange to orange with them, and everything that happens here is so monotone that I\u2019m entirely convinced that it\u2019s withering my creativity \u2013 which is why I thought it was spectacular that my parents had talked me into moving out of it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They decided Coldrethan would make an enticing second option if Leander wouldn\u2019t accept me. At this rate, it seemed highly unlikely. My parents were to meet a representative of the school foundation soon, and my current principal, Sir Chris.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My mom approached me after I finished showering after coming home from school. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLiesl,\u201d she called, catching my attention.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having just checked my answers from the most recent exam, I put the textbook down.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure you know that Coldrethan\u2019s fee is quite\u2026heavy for your father. If we instead moved you to Leander High, where you\u2019ll meet your old classmates from Primary School,\u201d she muttered it all to me slowly, enunciating her words like a warning, \u201cWould you be okay?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first time in a while, much to my own surprise, I smiled. I had decided. \u201cIt\u2019s fine, really. What matters the most is my education, right?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I truly didn\u2019t mind. I was certain of my decision. That\u2019s why it surprised me when my mother suddenly bawled and pulled me into an embrace. I blinked up at her. I\u2019ve always been closely bonded with my family \u2013 especially to Mom.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It only hit me then that it hurt her terribly that she couldn\u2019t give me the one thing that I wanted most.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wiping her tears, she released me from her embrace. She cupped my cheeks and asked me softly, \u201cBut, if you could choose, you\u2019d take *The Cold?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I gambled it in my mind momentarily. In the end, I chose to be honest with her.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d I said, \u201cBut I\u2019ll accept it either way.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had prayed that night.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur Father who art in heaven, if it is in Your will,\u201d I whispered, \u201cPlease allow me to go to The Cold, where I\u2019ll be able to study well with the right support. Please. But, if it\u2019s in Your plan for me to go to Leander, then I\u2019ll accept it. I will entrust this to You, Lord. Amen. \u201c<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, I\u2019m sitting at my desk, finishing this diary entry. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signing off, Liesl.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suddenly, Dad storms into the room with anger etched all across his face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe it!\u201d he roars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My twin \u2013 Leigh \u2013 shares a nervous look with me. We aren\u2019t in the same school, but during my periods of loneliness, she was the one who always stuck around with me; to me, that made us undeniably close to each other. She understands just as well how much The Cold means to me, anticipating the meeting\u2019s results just as much as I did. She frowns at the sight of our father. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The single question signals Mom into the room with us. She sighs, looking at us almost pitifully. \u201cYou know\u2026how your current school and Leander are under the same foundation?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leigh and I nod mindlessly in unison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t have been any trouble moving you to Leander,\u201d she looks at Dad with frustration in her eyes. \u201cWell, for some unreasonable and some unclear excuses, they\u2019ve rejected you, Liesl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My eyes widened as much as Leigh\u2019s, and next to me, we looked entirely matched and identical. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe was as dull as a toad,\u201d Dad remarks, remembering with a shudder the representative that he\u2019d met earlier, \u201cShe said that it wasn\u2019t that Leander didn\u2019t need any more smart students, so I\u2019m not sure why\u2013\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He groans, a deep grovel eliciting from his chest, \u201cThat arrogance will be sure to bite her back someday!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leander was, in fact, one of the top schools around. It didn\u2019t beat The Cold, but it was definitely no loss in prestige. I looked at Leigh, her expression etched with unbridled fury as Dad continued to rant about how unclear Leander\u2019s reasons were. From what my parents had mutually concluded, I had almost thought that they would rather I stay in this current school even though it lacked any merit. I was utterly dumbstruck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was then when my mother\u2019s beam broke me out of my worry. She\u2019d taken the liberty to bite the bullet and look at the brighter side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo,\u201d she starts off giddily, her voice growing casual with every passing word, \u201cJust as we\u2019d told the representative\u2026we\u2019ll just have <\/em>to move you to Coldrethan, then.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The realisation crept in slowly, and then dove me deep into it all at once. My jaw dropped at Mom\u2019s statement, and my twin grinned. Dad brightens up his face \u2013 he\u2019d wanted me in The Cold, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe must celebrate,\u201d Dad announces grandly. \u201cWho wants some cheesecake?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leigh and I jumped for joy, and Mom wore a beautiful smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A week after taking the entrance tests for The Cold during the school break, I still wondered if God had made the representative stubborn so that I\u2019d get the opportunity to go to The Cold just like He did to the pharaoh when he needed Moses to show His power to Egypt and free them. I\u2019d grown more cheerful and enthusiastic, wiping off my sulking attitude at the drop of a pin. Just hearing Mom say that I\u2019d be going to The Cold back then\u2026it was an experience that changed me for the better.  Amen!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear Diary, I\u2019ll be receiving my school report soon\u2026and it seems like I\u2019m moving to Leander instead of Coldrethan. It\u2019s not how I wanted things to go, but as much as I want to go to Coldrethan, I still think my parents\u2019 financial stability is more important than any school. I\u2019m grateful that I can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[5,18],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quill.binabangsaschool.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1898"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quill.binabangsaschool.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quill.binabangsaschool.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quill.binabangsaschool.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quill.binabangsaschool.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1898"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/quill.binabangsaschool.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1898\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1899,"href":"https:\/\/quill.binabangsaschool.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1898\/revisions\/1899"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quill.binabangsaschool.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quill.binabangsaschool.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quill.binabangsaschool.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quill.binabangsaschool.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}