Aside from cheap food prices and free periods, there are some other things about high school life you only learn to appreciate after you’ve left. Here are some of them:
1. Clear definitions of black and white
This is mainly attributed to the existence of written rules (not to say that there aren’t any in real life lah, okay? Getting saman-ed is a real thing, people) but it sure does make things easier on your conscience as well. Written rules were used as a guideline of measuring what is right and wrong, but in the real world, there are no clear rules or black and white.
2. The Uniform
This is something that most of us take completely for granted until you leave high school. The uniform wasn’t all that great, but at least you didn’t have to deal with figuring out what to wear everyday.
Back then, it was all so easy–wake up in the morning, shower, put on the same thing you wore for your entire schooling life and BOOM. DONE. These days, you’re more than likely to end up standing in front of a closet full of clothes, thinking, “I have absolutely nothing to wear.” The worst part? Not only girls experience this.
3. Not having to deal with Big Life Decisions
Ugh. This. I mean. yeah, you probably had to decide what you had to study and what-not, but until you graduated, you had the option of saying that you’ll decide when the time comes. When you leave the comforts of high school, you can’t afford to hide behind the excuse of being young anymore.
THEY’RE COMING TO GET YOU, BARBARA.
4. Seeing your friends every day
It’s pretty easy to maintain friendships during your adolescence because there is simply no way to avoid people. You sit in the same classroom, at the same desk, with the same forty other people. Every day. Every week. For a year, or at least until you get placed in a different class.
When you leave high school, you start to notice friendships fading away, and who actually bothers to keep you updated with their lives and actually puts in effort to maintain it. You’ll also come to realize that true friendships that are built upon stronger foundations don’t require that much upkeep, and you’ll be able to talk as if nothing has changed, even if you haven’t seen each other in ten years.
5. The simplicity of life
Ah, youth. How wonderful it was. Our sole focus was simply to do well in exams, and even that was optional! As you grow older, you’re forced to face certain adult realities that seemed pretty cool when you were in diapers. The reality? Uh…not so much.
6. ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ opportunities
What you needed: a mouth and the ability to bullshit your way through anything (including exams. Remember the dreaded ‘Explain’ questions? Ugh.) In life, it pays to be charismatic, if you can call it that. It’s kinda like the ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card in Monopoly games, only you can whip it out to use more than once. When you’re a grown up, you can’t do that anymore. But you will still encounter people who can really talk their way through a parking ticket. Damn it.
7. Colourful school characters
We all have that one friend (or teacher!) who is well-known consistently throughout the school. They’re like mini celebrities in their own right, even if you haven’t met them before you somehow feel as if you know them already. That’s not to say that there aren’t some quirky personalities when you start growing wrinkles, but life sure does get a little dull without them and all those random, wonderful stories that come with being in their company. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, or so they say. What are some things you only learned to appreciate after you graduated high school? Let us know in the comments below!
Written by: Peh Xin Ying
