The Hundred Acres

(No, don't get me wrong, I'm not promoting the "Pooh" franchise.)

Vacation's about to come to an end, and soon we'll be seeing hundreds of thousands of students, armed with books, pens and open minds. I bet you'll really be noticing that "School's back!" with the sudden onslaught of heavy traffic that got the metropolis momentarily relieved during the sweaty summer days. Well, I'm also plunging myself headfirst into this pool of eager, curious youths... as a college freshman.

When I was younger, the thought of earning my high school diploma would've been a great achievement for me already, so much that I never even dreamed of crossing over to the next territory! One time after my sixth-grade graduation, I was wondering if I'd EVEN reach college. It seemed like a long way to go yet, and I believed then that the world will end very soon. But here I am now, just waiting for that first bell to ring.

I am about to enter an exciting new horizon. The journey that I'll be facing will be much in contrast to what I have gone through before. As I was educated in a private institution that served both elementary and secondary levels, matters were usually spoonfed to us. We were pampered like babies (more like bondyings, if you'd like to know) and the brats get away with a lenient scolding on the average. We were quite protected not just by our families, but by our second homes too. Moreover, since we were quite a homogenized class, all mostly from the same social rearing and thinking, we were never fully exposed to the outside world. A number of my classmates will only know what's happening on their surroundings if the news was major-breaking, or when the teacher name-drops a current event while discussing the lessons and then naughtily taunting the class that the "blind item" (which wasn’t so blind, if you were all-ears) will be included on the next test. Or if you were given an assignment on an issue you barely even know. We were heavily dependent on the syllabus and note-takings, and lest we forget, the neat scribbles of our more conscientious friends. When all else fails, pesky ones can nonchalantly egg the exam altogether or conjure their devious, nearly-foolproof spell of you-know-what. It is from this point and more that the tables are turned against the spoiled preppie once he's in the throes of university life.

College is a whole new ballgame. It's a hodgepodge of many different things, offering you a smorgasbord of races, religions, physiques and favorite pastimes, all culminating in a melting pot of diversity and individual sense. You shun your ideas of "support groups" as you enter this strange world, because chances are you're not running in the same circles with your high school friends anymore -- or may not have ran into them yet. You pause for a while and observe, like most of the greenhorns, how the mechanism works. Many collegians I know said that they felt a massive 'culture shock' on their first few days as freshmen.

There are the neophytes who dare to fit in easily with the Establishment, the jet-setter sophomores who spew discriminatory jokes, the third-years who frankly didn't give a hoot, and the senior Godfather-types who feel they're at the top of their ivy league. Many other quirks and stereotypes sprout all over the place. College, apart from being an esteemed degree facilitator, is also a haven of shadiness: the clean-shaven genius who transforms into a sadistic pervert during fraternity initiations, the timid colegiala who's willing to give herself at night for tuition money, the hippies who hang out at isolated university areas smoking pot, and the occasional streakers who want to show their... ahem, activism. And with these pervade the all-too-tempting invites: "Join us, we'll protect you"; "Your identity will be disclosed anyway, so what's the fuss?"; "Smoking this little piece of heaven won't hurt"; "Come on, it's time to make a difference! Everyone will soon fawn over you!" The motto in mind once you step into the campus halls is Trust No One, not even the kindly seatmate who's offering you a ride home. Everyone has their own agenda, and every action a purpose. So, either you're with the full-time geeks, or you're with the 'errorists'.

The professors are no such luck either. Consider them the Devil's Angels. They're highly volatile, inscrutable, unpredictable, and at worst blameless. They come in whenever they want -- just when you think Nasty Prof is absent (from the fifty minutes of waiting and bladder restrain) the unmistakable scent of her perfume whiffs the class with nausea as she enters the room with a toady grin and gives a frightening pop quiz. Roll calls will be the worst part of the day for students who have surnames that the Chem 101 prof's tongue thinks is fun to drawl. And like warrants of arrest, anything you say or do will be used against you in the Court of Terrah... even the slightest unstifleable yawn. Consider yourself at ease if he doesn't give a damn about you, or maybe not. Play as the professor plays it, but don't even think of winning the match. Just lay low and be a good boy, will you?

And if the stuff I've just mentioned doesn't throw you in a fit of paranoia, then FRET NOT! Preconceived notions, tabloid reports, people's testimonials and whatnot about entering college are usually true, BUT that doesn't mean you have to banish yourself from the rest of civilization! College, after all, is a place for learning all things known and yet to be discovered. It's the framework for nurturing your dreams; well if not, then your futures. It's your starting ground to the Real World, preparing you for snakes and crocodiles whose populations thrive faster than all the wild animals (and politicians) combined. It's where you find the most fascinating people and cultivate great friendships that will last until all your teeth have fallen. And the memories and experiences you've gained in college will be one of the most enduring, best times of your life.

For me, I'm happy with the fact that I can start anew, now that I'm studying in a place where I am an unknown. I can shoo away the small stigmas and personality burdens that has hounded me throughout my former school life, and become more improved and confident in myself and in my capabilities. I can now be a "new me", saying and doing what I want without a "branded impression" from my past schoolmates stilting my psyche. I am now a citizen of the public, commuting as many of my peers are wont to do. Unbound from the grasp of authoritarian protectiveness, I am now in total control of my behavior out of the house, and responsible for all my actions conscious or otherwise. I will enter college with the determination that it will produce the best alumna the universe has yet to see.

And beside all the doomsays and the storms, I'm still as hopelessly giddy as ever.