As someone who was not the subject of attention in the past, I was oblivious to the fact that I was garnering the attention of almost all the students just by walking to the front. Being the unbothered queen that I was, I was not the kind of person who looked around to see the attention I was getting. In my past life, I was not the type of person who got the attention of everybody in the room, so I assumed it would be the same this time. Oh, how wrong I was!
At the moment, all I was thinking about was dreading the flag ceremony because I knew it would take up more or less an hour, and it would be too hot by then. I knew this because it always happened in the past, especially when there was an occasion or important situation, and the first day of class is definitely an important situation in their eyes.
While all I was thinking of was the time spent standing and being under the sun, the students still hadn't taken their eyes off me. They only looked away when a teacher went in front of the whole student body to conduct the national anthem. After singing the national anthem, there was the oath, followed by the prayer. However, it was not yet done, as the school direction and principal held a speech. After that, there was still the introduction of teachers. So, when the ceremony was finally finished, the sun was already blazing. The bell rang, and we immediately went inside our classroom, still lining up and in an orderly manner. The teacher was there to make sure we were disciplined.
Entering the classroom, we all seated, and the teacher stood in front and introduced herself again. "I am your class adviser as well as English Teacher, Chrisnela Cordero. As your class adviser, I am here to guide you along the way and teach you all I know that will help you become better learners." We all clapped as a way of response. Ma'am Chris then said, "So one by one, go in front of the class and introduce yourself. Start from left to right.
"And so the introductions commenced, and as new students eager to know more, most of their attention was in front. After a short while, my seatmate was next, and after him, I would be introducing myself.
"Good morning. I am Darren Bautista. I am 12 years old. I graduated from Central Primary School...
"I was not much interested in what they were saying since nothing was new in their introductions, and I was bored. Then finally, it was my turn. I stood up confidently, went in front, and said.
"Hajimemashite! Watashiwa Carmela-desu. Watashiwa Central-kara desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Nice to meet you. I'm Carmela. I'm from Central. Please be kind to me.
"After saying my piece, I immediately went to my seat. The teacher was the first to recover and said, "Well that was a nice way to introduce yourself. Very different and unusual. Thank you, Carmela. And that concludes the introduction part of our class. I hope you all are able to quickly become good friends with each other. Get ready for your next class since it's almost time."
And the bell rang.
After the teacher went out, all of the class' attention was suddenly on me. So I said, "Yes?!
"And one of my former classmates in primary school, RJ, asked, "Carmela, what language was that?"
"Oh, that? It's Japanese," I answered."You are great, Carmela. You even know Japanese.
"Almost all of them had surprise and wonder on their faces as they looked at me, and I was getting really bothered. It was only broken when the next teacher was present. And another round of introductions commenced.
This time, I introduced myself normally to avoid being the center of attention again. I was just really bothered by the continuous same introductions, which is why I wanted to be different to show others that they can introduce themselves differently. Still, it went well because the next round of introductions, some of them opted to try differently. But not many were able to get the attention like me.
Although there were some who came close to me, they were also popular in my past life, always the center of attention, not only because they were beautiful but also smart. Which I appreciated this time because it would help take some of the attention off me.
My first love, Treize, was also popular; he had a boyish, charming aura. What I was relieved about this time was that I was able to prove that my feelings were not as strong as before, maybe due to my changes as well. I became more confident and became a better version of myself. Although there was a bit of nostalgia, I was hoping it would also fade away someday. However, another worry came because we are classmates again, and I worry that my feelings would come back. I just hope I would be stronger this time.
Most classes usually have a lot of introductions at first, especially for us in grade seven. We have two classes, a snack break, two classes again, and then lunchtime. The afternoon typically consists of four continuous classes, and the last 30 minutes are usually taken for cleaning or, in some cases, when there are events, as practice time.
Our classroom is located near the staircase, and all the classrooms are on the second floor. They are arranged as follows: from left to right, Third year, Second year, Staircase, First year/Grade 7, Fourth year.Our class should be called Grade 7, but since we are the pioneers of the new curriculum in the school, we are the only ones called as such. The 2nd year to 4th year still follows the old curriculum. So our class is near the Fourth year class, where we can find our senior sisters and brothers.
As the day went on, I found myself enjoying the classes more than I thought I would. We had a variety of subjects, from math to science, and even art. In art class, we got to express ourselves through different mediums, and it was fun to see what everyone else created. I found myself bonding with some of my classmates, and we began to form a tight-knit group.
As the week went on, we had our first field trip to the science museum. It was exciting to learn about different scientific concepts and see them in action. Treize and I even had a friendly competition to see who could answer the most questions during the tour. In the end, it was a tie, and we both laughed about it.
As we continued to spend more time together, I found myself reminiscing about the past and the times we shared. However, I also realized that I had grown and changed, and that was okay. I was no longer the same person I was when we were together, and that was a good thing.
As the days turned into weeks, I found myself looking forward to class more and more. I had made some great friends, and we all supported each other in our endeavors. We even started a study group to help each other prepare for exams and quizzes.
As we approached the end of the first semester, I felt more confident and proud of myself than ever before. I knew that I had come a long way, and I was excited to see what the future held for me and my new friends.
Little did I know that this was just the beginning of a new adventure, and that there were even more challenges and surprises waiting for me around the corner. But for now, I was content with where I was and the people I had in my life. And as we said our goodbyes at the end of the semester, I knew that I would always cherish these memories and the friendships I had made.