Last Shabbos I was in BP to help celebrate my nephews bar mitzvah. I am still getting over the fact that my nephew is 13! Mind you, I have been to Bar Mitzvahs on my husbands side...almost a dozen already but this one was for MY nephew. My own flesh and blood. I remember when he was born. I babysat when he was a little guy...and now...he is a man.
For the kiddush I had invited some friends to come and crash. After helping set up and keeping me sane, I convinced them they are to stay for lunch and they did. (it helps that they are still single.)
During the course of the meal we started reminiscing about High School. I guess it helped that we were in the very same building that hosted us for our first two years of school, and that we went to school together. BUT during the conversation, I question whether or or not we actually went to the same high school.
You see, I seem to remember certain classes very differently than they do. Of the two girls, it seems that we never shared a class together. Surprising at it may seem, she remembers that she was never in my class, and I take her word on it. But we still had the same teachers and supposedly learned the same things. I say supposedly because we were talking about one class in specific.
Now this class was great. Great in the fact that I don't feel that I learned anything in it, yet the tests always had questions on the subject. Had the teacher asked us instead, to tell over the stories that she told, I would have aced the class hands down. Even now, ask me what stories she told over, and I can tell them over to you. Ask me the question about the actual subject, and then you will get some umm...humm....it was over ten years ago, leave me alone. But the stories and the tales she told, THAT I can repeat. Too bad that was not on the test.
Now we sat there for some time talking about this one class and we could not believe what we were hearing. Was I the only one to remember her tales and they actually learn? Granted, I admit that she did throw in some useful knowledge here and there, but by the time she did that I so tuned myself out that I could differentiate the facts from tales. So I never bothered. But to this day I can still remember her tales and not the actual facts of the class.
Being in the building did bring back memories. My mom remembered the last time she was there, was for PTA. I remember learning how to bake apple strudel there. My friend remembered the bathrooms in the basement, which shocked myself and the other girl. The other girl remembered that it was a shelter and pointed to the sign on the outside of the building. Okay, so I didn't remember much as I seem to have blocked out my 10th grade year for whatever reason. What we each picked up and chose to remember during our two years there and four years in High School.
Highschool seems so long ago, yet when get together with friends, it does not seem that long ago. A few weeks ago I got together with five other girls. Two singles and four married. These were different set of girls than my previous gettogethers. It is interesting to see how things changed but better yet, it was interesting to see how things stayed the same. We all moved on. We all were in different stages of life. Singlehood at age 30. Married with three kids at age 30. Picking up and moving out west at age 30. We were all so different yet certain things stayed. It made me wonder if we ever had another high school reunion, will it be like highschool all over again? Certain things you loved and others you hated. The dinner was great and we all wanted to do it again, at a cheaper place of course.
What shocked most was to know that I still keep in touch with 1-2 teachers from hs. Believe it or not I like them as people and still have what to say to them. I turned to them when I had some issues with schooling and asked for their professional opinion on things. Who else to go to than someone you feel close to and is in the field that you are asking about. I do feel that I should make it a point and visit with them the next time I am in "town", but who has time for that? Isn't email the same thing?
Anyway, enough reminiscing. My daugher wrote to her teacher from last year. We got word that the teacher received the letter, now lets see if she writes back. This year the teacher introduced them to pen pals. They each wrote once. My daughter wrote back but the teacher never sent it. I found the school and called to verify the address and told them that my daughter has a pen pal, and I am sending it to the school. A few days later my daughter gets a call. Her pen pal received it and is going to write back. IT would be great if they continue this writing. Maybe one day they shall meet.
Until then...
