The first day of high school was no walk in the park; it was more like trying to find your way out of a labyrinth. Literally. I almost got lost trying to find a bathroom and I wasn’t even sure where I was going. I couldn’t even use my locker so I just carried my stuff in my backpack; I gave up on trying to use my locker (except, I only use it to put away my coat) because there are just so many people in the halls I can’t even get to my locker. The walls are built differently than those of the Peekskill Middle School or any other elementary school. For three years (maybe more than that), I’ve been used to the hallways’ walls being straight so that I am able to see what’s at the other end of the hall. On the other hand, some of the high school’s hallway walls are curved, yeah it’s cool but, when it came to trying to see what’s at the end of that hall, you have walk all the way to the end to see what’s there. Some of the halls even reminded me of the trenches in WWI.

It took me three to four days to remember my schedule and the classrooms; it would be awkward to walk into the wrong classroom or something. The high school is much bigger than the middle school (or at least it feels that way to me); you have classes in different locations throughout the school and you only have about three minutes to get to them. It feels like you were set free and released to find your own way around the school and in time you get to know or recognize the school on your own. You get to meet new people in different grades in some of the classes you have and become friends with them, whereas in the middle school you would not have any classes with any upperclassmen or underclassmen. The lines in the lunch room are way longer, so get there quickly.

I do admit you have more responsibility in the high school and some people can adjust to it easily especially if you’re used to it, while for others it takes a little longer. Some things don’t change though; you still have your old friends there and teachers who can be funny and sometimes philosophical and wise. Well, maybe your first day of high school probably wasn’t all that great like mine, but it wasn’t all that bad. Time flies by quickly, it feels like the first day of school was just last week when it was really three months ago. The high school and its people start to grow on you, and you get to know everyone better when you’re not behind barriers or held in “captivity,” but you will never (can never) forget where you came from and what people have done for your well-being and future.