College Orientation: The First Day.

You know how time seems to pass incredibly slowly when you’re having a horrible time at something, be it partying or studying or what have you? That’s kind of how I’ve figured that on the whole, Day One of JC didn’t actually go too badly – because I didn’t feel as though I was spending my whole life just living out the first day of orientation. Phew. Thank goodness!

Waking up this morning, my nerves were threatening to make me double over (with butterflies fluttering wildly around in my stomach) and make my head explode too (with a splitting headache from all the worrying about what the day ahead would reveal). Well, turns out I wasn’t the only one freaking out, because when I picked Jean up for school, she was all nerves too! And many others I asked shared my sentiments about being rather scared for this first day at JC.

Stepping into ACJC, the most stunning thing, I suppose, was the sheer number of males around the place. I mean, it would have been the same in any JC, of course, but goodness! The MEN! They were swarming the whole compound, every nook, corner and cranny. But as it turns out, this year’s intake into AC contains a larger number of girls than boys, I think, so the ratio’s a tad unbalanced. I was wondering, is that a bad thing?...Like…maybe some poor girls won’t be able to find their Mister Rights? Haha. Oh, and I was completely overwhelmed when all these JC2s lining the entrance started thrusting sweets into our faces and pressing them into our hands, pasting stickers on our shirts and yelling, “Welcome to ACJC!” at the top of their lungs when we first entered the school. I was really quite taken aback – talk about being (overly)friendly!

Anyway, before the supposed fun stuff started, there was morning assembly and the principal’s address, followed by a discipline talk (by a discipline master with mannerisms reminiscent of our beloved Mister Jeremiah Choy), and finally…THE talk. Yes. That’s what it was called – THE talk. I am absolutely, one hundred percent serious. THE talk. With the ‘THE’ capitalized on the power point slide and in the orientation handbook. Can’t you just guess what kind of talk it was? Haha! The girls and guys were split up, of course. On the girl’s side, it was all pretty mild stuff, no explicit details, just mainly about grooming, dressing, accessories, throwing yourself at men (this part was quite funny), and certain more important issues (doing things at the wrong place and at the wrong time; things which are likely to bring about “dire consequences”, in this lady teacher's words). According to one of the boys though, the male teacher giving them the talk made them all sound like “serial rapists” (and I use the exact phrase this particular young man used). He (and I wouldn’t be surprised if more of the boys) felt rather offended by this. Haha!

Okay, so I don’t know about the other JCs, but I’ve always been told that AC has REALLY fun Orientations. After today, I would say that I agree…to a certain extent. It was fun, certainly, all the games and cheering, but at the same time, it was weird, strange, queer. Sometimes when I wasn’t trying to be nice by initiating conversations with my Orientation Group (OG) members (none of whom were fellow SC-ians!), I’d be pretty silent and looking quite spaced out, I believe, because I was actually thinking of what was happening back within the four familiar walls of SC, my family – how my brother and sister were managing on this first day back at school, etc. There was one point when I was feeling quite out of it, where I actually wondered to myself if I’d made the wrong decision; how maybe despite being so sure of myself when I listed ACJC Arts as first choice, I should have put something else in its place. But then I realized that it being only the first day, it’s really very hard to make judgments so soon. Like mom says, just make the most of it, then I’m sure by the time the O level results are released, I’ll be more certain of what I want to do with myself. Besides, I guess the orientation was fun.

Basically, all the JC1s are split into four clans, each representing one of the elements – Erif (fire), Earfalas (earth), Saralonde (water) and Aldaron (wind). In each clan, there are twelve (whoa!) OGs, each headed by two or three Orientation Group Leaders (OGLs). Hmm. Me? Well, I’m in Earfalas! OG name, Ipotane. Both my OGLs (one girl, one guy) seem to be pretty fun and interesting people, and most of my group members are rather smiley, so that was a relief. Still, we were quite a silent, lethargic group today – hopefully everyone will feel more up and about tomorrow, and that we can bond more as an OG so the awkward silences will be kept to a minimum. (I'm crossing my fingers and praying hard!)

At present, I really don’t know what to expect. I don’t know what to do, or what to say, or what to think even. I don’t know if I’m happy in AC (or JC in general), I don’t know if I made the right choice, I don’t know if I’d have done better elsewhere, I don’t know if I’ll make new friends, I don’t know what’s going to happen with the old friends. For now though, I take comfort in the knowledge that God is there to guide me and that He'll be with me always.

For the bible says: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
- Proverbs 3:5,6