For All Time

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this road we once walked
our footsteps faded with time
but the warmth remains

© 2016  Balqis

A Sweet Reminiscence

"Excuse me, teacher. May I go out?"

The rest of the school children listened very carefully whether the teacher would give permission or not to their classmate and they were also expecting the teacher to pinpoint the errors in what the little girl uttered. It was a typical school day in the small village where eager school children between the ages of 7 to 12, from standard one to six,  learned many subjects and  English  was taught as a second language. The English teachers were the locals who had undergone training in the teachers' colleges in the country.

Studying English did not come easy for the children who were from diverse backgrounds and to make it more challenging, English was not even spoken at homes. Nevertheless, the children picked up the language slowly. In every English lesson, the teachers used English and spoke English only even if sometimes, the children rolled or blinked their eyes in an effort to grasp the language and to be good in it. Blessed were the teachers' efforts in educating the children with their strategic lesson plans that had made their lessons successful.

In one of the English lessons, her teacher asked her to read some stories in front of the class. She was a great fan of Cinderella, Razpunzel, Red Riding Hood, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, Thumbellina, and the list went on. She liked those stories with a happy ending "...and they lived happily ever after", a phrase that sticks to her mind even to this day. As a little girl, she fantasized being the Princess who met Prince Charming and lived happily ever after - such a sweet dream even time could not tell of its happening.

Later, when she reached Standard 6, she began reading Enid Blyton's and Nancy Drew's and felt so inspired to be adventurous and thrilled to become a spy who solved many mysteries.  When studying in high school, she started  reading romance novels which she could read one each day. The passion grew and among all, she could not help but falling so much in love with Sidney Sheldon's superb novels. Age did  make a difference in the choices of the stuffs she liked to read and reading was something which she could not do without. It was like the staple food which at the end of the day really fulfilled her.

She did learn Literature and much more in her tertiary education. She loved it though sometimes her head spun when trying to make out what Shakespeare meant in his classical ways.  Her little nonsensical mind sometimes thought it was Shakespeare who did not understand her! Nevertheless, she held him in high regard for his great contributions in the world of Literature. She recalled the difficulties she faced in accomplishing her assignments that should include the works of Shakespeare or Robert Frost  or any other great writers. Among the ones she loved were Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day? and Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow

She remembered those lines in the first stanza which would continue to live in her memory.

How nice it was since the first day she set foot in school till her tertiary education and each year showed her progress in academic.  It was possible with the dedications of all those who are called  teachers.

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Today, 16 May, is a special day for teachers in my country. It is Teachers' day which is celebrated nation wide. With this opportunity, I am wishing Happy Teachers' Day to all my teachers wherever you are. A special mention here for Madam Cecilia Goh who had given me much encouragements  and instilled the  confidence  in me to speak and write in English, who guided me with patience, who could bear the simple English I wrote in essays, who always boosted my ego by asking me to read in front of the class though there were some mistakes in my pronunciations, who trusted me that I could go further if I had the determination and passion of learning.

Thank you, my dear teachers!

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©Balqis2013

The Way It Was......

A couple of days back, I had the sudden urge to look and read the modules and texts I used during my university days. It was kind of bringing back the bitter sweet memories of how it was being a student having to burn the midnight oil at most times, well, that was me! It was not because  I did not organize my time properly but the number of courses in each semester was too many and that made me feel there was not enough time to concentrate on each course. That's what I thought! There were times when I dreaded  assignments and especially when they were really very tough and needed a lot of references. Now I am thinking of the lack of sleep I went through in trying to accomplish all the tasks in hand.  But on the other hand, thinking of the golden opportunity I had being accepted to further my studies, I determined to strive for the best in the examination and to get a good CGPA in each semester. There were so much sacrifices just to get that university scroll.

Looking back at how it was, I am thinking now, it is worth all the sweat. For me, the time as a student is one of the most memorable times in one's life.  No matter how tough it was, nothing could beat the immense satisfaction once everything was completed. And of course, the greatest joy of all was on the graduation day itself receiving the scroll from the Chancellor. I feel as if it was just yesterday! I miss those days and it is not surprising if I say that I wish to go back to the campus and study again.  I am inspired by my friends who had been continuing their studies for the second degree and who are now PhD candidates.

A special note :

Congratulations to my blogger friend, Jojo Tiffany of Sabah, who will be furthering her postgraduate studies at University Otago, New Zealand.  Jojo, "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes."  The dream is realized through deligence and it is to be fulfilled. All the best to you!

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