Open night and things
The Open Night wasn't actually all that bad...okay, so it was pretty boring listening to Mr. Pollock's "Yes we are loving and caring and wonderful so please come to us" (yeah right) speech again, and there were moments when I felt slightly obsolete, but msot of the time was fine. While talking to one wee girl from Ballydown, I lost about half my bunch before we even made the Atrium-honestly, I've never met such a pack of wanderers-but gathered up what looked to be about twenty people and shoved them in H.E.2 so that was okay.
For most of the rest of the time I stood at the entrance to Comfy and threatened people into asking for assistance (no, I didn't...I smiled until the corners of my mouth started to shake and said hello to practically everyone who passed) but I did get to take a few journeys to other parts of the school: up to Art about three times, out to the Sports Hall, up to Maths with one friendly family and across to the toilets with one slightly weird one who became exasperated when I told them I bought my shoes in America. There was also the interesting incident of the people who wanted to know "How you we get OUT?" (apparently someone locked the atrium doors) and the pair who walked past me about six times...possibly had something to do with the pancakes and things in H.E., none of which I got to sample :( Jennifer and Danielle turned up and talked to me for a while, and I introduced them to Mr. Bleeks, who was Philip's Year Head about twenty years ago.
Someone fired a brick through one of the girls' toilets windows...nice timing ;)
Definitely the oddest moment was after I had taken a group down to Biology and got called into Physics...Dave, Katy and I ended up singing one song about Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation to the tune of How much is that doggy in the window and one about magnetic induction to the tune of the Hokey Cokey. Bizarre, to say the least. I also was put on the Van der Graaf, but it didn't really work as my hair was too heavy.
I got to thinking, afterwards-seven years ago I was one of those tiny kids, thinking how big and exciting the Academy is and how old I was to be going. For years in juniors I kept looking forward to being a senior, being tall and confident and grown-up like the sixth years. And then fourth year, fifth year, Lower Sixth all passed so quickly-the Fourth Years now are just kids! I have three months more classes at school, and that's me finished. Next year other people will take our place as the leaders and achievers and "important people" in the school; there'll be new prefects, new people in the studies. It's so weird...the teachers who seemed so intimidating at the beginning have become my friends, the awe-inspring equations I used to see written on the board are second nature to me. In one way I feel like I've earned the right to be an Upper Sixth without having the time to enjoy it, and i just want this term to go on for longer, but on the other hand, that's the way life is. I was talking to Daddy about it...things just keep moving on, and we're on a journey, after all; nothing is stationary or secure in this world. But heck-the Academy has been a huge part of my life for seven years; I can hardly remember anything before I came. I was ten the first time I walked around school, short and skinny and hardly more than a baby, and now I'm almost eighteen, able to vote, almost able to drive-I've been and gone and grown up without noticing it! It'll be strange letting go.
I was reading Stella in class today: I don't particularly enjoy doing parts in class, but I was kind of relieved to be doing one myself since hardly anyone else knows the meaning of italics and insists on using a monotone. And I used to think they were bad in primary school =)
We were making azo dyes in Chemistry-I turned one of my gloves yellow :) Amines really, really stink.
On Saturday I drove to Garvagh and back, about 120 miles round trip. We were at the farm for about three hours, but I'd brought some SS work and Physics to do so it wasn't too bad. Daddy also took me round Lisburn for an hour. I hate, loathe and despise roundabouts. I'm starting to get to know the city a bit better...it might help if all my lessons weren't in the dark!
The Dorcas dolls went down pretty well on Sunday, I think. Bethany particularly liked hers, despite being late and so only getting the condensed-version story. I saw her playing with it in church-and she talked! It was amazing =) Caleb told me, among other things, that Isaac had cut two teeth...four year olds can be extremely enlightening!
For most of the rest of the time I stood at the entrance to Comfy and threatened people into asking for assistance (no, I didn't...I smiled until the corners of my mouth started to shake and said hello to practically everyone who passed) but I did get to take a few journeys to other parts of the school: up to Art about three times, out to the Sports Hall, up to Maths with one friendly family and across to the toilets with one slightly weird one who became exasperated when I told them I bought my shoes in America. There was also the interesting incident of the people who wanted to know "How you we get OUT?" (apparently someone locked the atrium doors) and the pair who walked past me about six times...possibly had something to do with the pancakes and things in H.E., none of which I got to sample :( Jennifer and Danielle turned up and talked to me for a while, and I introduced them to Mr. Bleeks, who was Philip's Year Head about twenty years ago.
Someone fired a brick through one of the girls' toilets windows...nice timing ;)
Definitely the oddest moment was after I had taken a group down to Biology and got called into Physics...Dave, Katy and I ended up singing one song about Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation to the tune of How much is that doggy in the window and one about magnetic induction to the tune of the Hokey Cokey. Bizarre, to say the least. I also was put on the Van der Graaf, but it didn't really work as my hair was too heavy.
I got to thinking, afterwards-seven years ago I was one of those tiny kids, thinking how big and exciting the Academy is and how old I was to be going. For years in juniors I kept looking forward to being a senior, being tall and confident and grown-up like the sixth years. And then fourth year, fifth year, Lower Sixth all passed so quickly-the Fourth Years now are just kids! I have three months more classes at school, and that's me finished. Next year other people will take our place as the leaders and achievers and "important people" in the school; there'll be new prefects, new people in the studies. It's so weird...the teachers who seemed so intimidating at the beginning have become my friends, the awe-inspring equations I used to see written on the board are second nature to me. In one way I feel like I've earned the right to be an Upper Sixth without having the time to enjoy it, and i just want this term to go on for longer, but on the other hand, that's the way life is. I was talking to Daddy about it...things just keep moving on, and we're on a journey, after all; nothing is stationary or secure in this world. But heck-the Academy has been a huge part of my life for seven years; I can hardly remember anything before I came. I was ten the first time I walked around school, short and skinny and hardly more than a baby, and now I'm almost eighteen, able to vote, almost able to drive-I've been and gone and grown up without noticing it! It'll be strange letting go.
I was reading Stella in class today: I don't particularly enjoy doing parts in class, but I was kind of relieved to be doing one myself since hardly anyone else knows the meaning of italics and insists on using a monotone. And I used to think they were bad in primary school =)
We were making azo dyes in Chemistry-I turned one of my gloves yellow :) Amines really, really stink.
On Saturday I drove to Garvagh and back, about 120 miles round trip. We were at the farm for about three hours, but I'd brought some SS work and Physics to do so it wasn't too bad. Daddy also took me round Lisburn for an hour. I hate, loathe and despise roundabouts. I'm starting to get to know the city a bit better...it might help if all my lessons weren't in the dark!
The Dorcas dolls went down pretty well on Sunday, I think. Bethany particularly liked hers, despite being late and so only getting the condensed-version story. I saw her playing with it in church-and she talked! It was amazing =) Caleb told me, among other things, that Isaac had cut two teeth...four year olds can be extremely enlightening!