High School Reunion

School was a such magical time- non-issues that seemed like life altering occurrences, the endless list of rules and the thrill of breaking them, water fights, the exhilaration of bunking (even though that meant hiding out in the bathroom), passing notes in class, the trepidation of o levels, the excitement of volleyball, the insanely gross yellow uniform, the obnoxious names we had for our teachers, the talent shows which always included a fashion show hahaha, the basketball matches with l.a.s and l.c.a.s which was, lets face it, a time to see and be seen hahaha…lunch at zouk, bowling, ice cream at chill out, the elation of a new crush, the endless giggles and laughing fits, the photo sessions- God we thought we were gorgeous when in actuality we were bushy eye browed, swollen nosed awkward teenagers who were pretty damn clueless when it came to “dressing up” hahaha (for the majority of our high school experience anyway)- then of course there were the cliques, the labels, the attitudeee and of course the studs who were “too cool for school” haha-we were convinced we were invincible…a world of possibilities lay ahead of us and it felt like it was ours for the taking…we were the Class of 2000 and life at The International School Of Choueifat was absolutely fabulous.

Five years later the Class of 2000 reunited unexpectedly and it was a surreal experience. It was the first time we met as people, as ourselves- without any cliques, without any labels, as all those distinctions seem to have faded away with the passage of time- except of course that there was voluntary segregation for most of the evening haha…it was heartening to know that each of us are excelling at our own field- some are pursuing law degrees, others mba’s, some have ventured into politics, others are tending to their lands, most have been initiated in to the family business, some are working abroad, a few are married, others engaged and most plain single and ecstatic. The “attitudes” had been shed for friendly conversing, bonding and lots of laughter…people had acquired better dress sense/style/confidence even accents but I couldn’t help but think none of us had changed all that much. It was surreal because so much time had passed without any kind of communication, we went to separate colleges, led separate lives, met different people, learnt new things- we grew up and grew apart, yet so much has stayed the same. I guess sometimes we overestimate the rate of expected change…after all we were expected to have Jetsonesque flying cars by year 2000…clearly that didn’t happen…and of course our very own city 2001- futuristic video game galore…how cute!!! So either we were expecting to transform drastically in the span of five years or it’s just that while we have all changed significantly as individuals, as a group we possess the same relationships/bonds/wave length as we did in high school and that’s why the change seems almost negligible…either way it’s a comfort to know that we can still relate to each other, it’s a comfort to know we still share this silent bond of having studied at the same place at the same time, being subjected to the same torture 8 hours a day…conclusion- some of the strongest bonds/ friendships are formed in high school and have the potential to become life long comradeships, but like every relationship they require constant nurture and care.

When I got home, I was tempted to go through my year book- whizzing through it I read the valedictory address and smiled to myself- the last paragraph read, “We first came to Choueifat so long ago as awkward kids. Over the years it has transformed us, against all odds, into awkward adults who can do calculus! Seriously, I am certain that we, the class of 2000, will be Nobel Prize Winners, famous doctors, leading economists, top scientists and renowned artists. Like the tree that symbolizes our school, we will by the grace of Allah, take root, branch out and enrich every corner of the world!” Bilal Aslam. Well we have a long way to go, but I think it’s safe to say we are on our way!!! Inshallah!

P.S those of you who couldn’t be there- just know that you were missed greatly!!!

reunion