Visible Essence

CHAPTER ELEVEN

We sat on the long bench under an orange tree in from of the school gate where other parents are seated.

We were waiting for the assembling to finish as I admired the wide space and large field the school has, which has being filled with tall grasses during the holidays, the football nets, lots of buildings in the premises and how some obviously senior students stood at the gate and ordering the late comers to kneel on their knees.

I heard one allocating portions of grass to some students to cut as punishment for being late, while some got strokes of cane on their asses and I wonder which one was a better punishment.

"Hello, are you a fresher?"

I heard as I looked up to a young girl standing right in front of me, smiling.                                                                                 I nodded in acceptance, and smiled as I reciprocated the question. She smiled and answered “yes” she sat down beside me.
“my name is Ujunwa”. She said

"Kasiemuobi, I said but you can just call me “kasie”.

We sat down together gisting about how secondary school might be as a fresher, while we listen to the instructions being given to the old students.

When the assembling was over they all matched to their respective classes in orderly form.
When it was time, we all matched to the administrative block for further instructions on how to commence with the registrations. An elderly woman whom I suggested to be the principal to uju, talked to us and we commenced with the registrations and was told our respective classes.

I was in Jss 1b while uju was in Jss 1d. After which we went to pick our respective lockers and find a good sport in the class room, which I was lucky to get a good spot on the second roll. When we were done with everything, we beaded each other good bye and departed.

My first day at school was hectic; the pressure was much nothing like what I have experienced in my primary school. It was extra work, and no particular teacher took more than one course or sat with us in the class just as we had in primary school. Several teachers entered the class, introducing different subjects and one is meant to have separate note book for each course.

The school bell kept ringing repeatedly and that got me real confused. I wandered if they were all bell for break, but each time anyone wants to leave the class, another teacher enters the class.

It took me four good classes to understand that the bell was meant for subject changing. Before school closes, my head was already aching real bad and my temperature was very high.

At home, mama said it was as a result of the stress I experienced; as my body was not use to that much work. She asked me to go take my bath and by the time i was done, she had already prepared and served me food. I eat, took two tablets of panadol extra and slept off.

Ada and Obinna came back few minutes later and it was the noise of their arrival that awakened me from my sleep. We all talked about our day in school as we sat in our room attending to our assignments, before dinner was served.

Fresher’s orientation was fixed Friday. So after assembling on that day, the new students were asked to stay behind for the orientation. The principal, Mrs. Okeke who was an aged but beautiful and well shaped woman, spoke to us first. Even at her age one could see how naturally endowed she was.

Followed by few teachers mostly those who would be taking us on some subjects introducing themselves and their courses and just by the way they spoke, one could dictate which one is a kind or wicked teacher amongst them.

After the official part of the orientation was over and the teacher had excused themselves, the senior students, mostly the school monitor took charge.

They all introduced themselves and the posts they handle. The sanitation prefect spoke to us on the important of cleanliness and the punishment that comes with disobeying while the head boy made sure we understood that being in secondary school was different from what we experienced in primary school.

By the time the orientation was over, it was time for dismissal, so we headed back to our respective classes, packed our bags then awaited the dismissal bell to be rung.