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03| No Eye Contact!
What is worse? High school, the notorious breeding ground of cliques and the tumultuous journey toward adulthood. Or university, the supposed pinnacle of freedom and the gateway to independence for countless individuals.
To (Y/N), it seemed like both had their fair share of challenges, often leaving her questioning the state of education and the ability of her peers to grasp even the most basic reading and punctuation skills. She couldn't help but cringe as she witnessed one of her classmates attempting, and failing miserably, to read aloud from the textbook in front of their professor. The constant "umm"s and occasional apologies for mispronunciations grated on her nerves, making her yearn for the more advanced courses where such struggles were hopefully left behind.
Her tuition felt wasted as she sat through these introductory classes, desperately wishing to move on to more engaging and intellectually stimulating topics. (Y/N) tried to maintain her composure and an air of indifference, but the concerned look on her professor's face nearly broke her stoic façade. She had to fight back a loud chortle, desperately trying to stifle her amusement.
"The umm grain gran....grandeur! Of the Islamic empire ranged for a century con-quer-ing Christian cities such as Con-stan-ti-no-ple," the classmate stuttered, looking up at the professor with a mix of uncertainty and hope for validation.
"Thank you, that will be all," the professor responded, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes, disappointment evident on his face.
(Y/N) couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief. She understood that reading aloud could be challenging for anyone, including herself. However, the fact that they were provided with textbooks and assigned readings prior to class made the lack of preparation all the more frustrating. It was a simple plea to her classmates: read the assigned material to avoid such moments of embarrassment and to create a more engaging and productive learning environment.
It makes the class go by faster, so suck it up.
However, one rule about college is if you were extroverted in high school, you were most likely anti-social in college. Somehow, all the people who peaked in the high school environment ended up being the one's who had stopped talking in their college classes and saved their energy for outside their classrooms with their close friends. Weird.
(Y/N) thought college kids were chaotic and crazy without the restraints of adults upon their education and lives, but it turned out to be the exact opposite. As adults you become more isolated and less willing to engage with people.
As she closed her textbook, (Y/N) couldn't help but hope that the next class would bring a more inspiring and enlightening experience.
College, the land of supposed freedom and newfound independence. Yet, it seemed that the very individuals who thrived in the high school social scene were now mysteriously quiet in their college classes, reserving their energy for the intimate gatherings with their chosen circle of friends. It was a strange reversal of roles, leaving (Y/N) contemplating the irony of it all.
