My High School Days

During 1992, one day I arrived Mandalay for my high school education. I was stationed at one monastery by my sponsor uncle who is working at Myit Kyi Nar Township as an auditor. He is admiring the chief monk of monastery that I stay in. So the monk and he have a good relationship being a regular donator in wht monastery needs. The monk is a discipilline man and my uncle also. He lives in MPPE quarter when he come back from MKN to MDY. His quarter is quite near to monastery as well. So there are so many ex-colleague family in the same quarter and he asked one neighbour student from that qurter to bring me to school at first day.
My uncle bought me a bicycle for tansportation during my study time. And gave me enough money for necessary items and asked me to record on my note-book for daily expenses. I do follow his instruction as I know who am I and who is he. I never live apart from my family before that and I everyday homesick and cry sometime. At monastery there is no same age boys. All are mostly older than me and they all are young and old monks. There are 2 ordinary men who are working in govt office. Another young man is attending university from this monastery. So I have no friend at monastery. I need to live in the kitchen and it make me easy to help in whatever monks need me to do sth for them. Usually I need to wake up around 4:00am to prepare some foods and drinks for chief monk. Also need to fill up water for toilet and sweap the compound to keep clean. At evening time, I need to cut firewoods and water some plants and make sure water tank is full by switching on/off pump. Some monks are kind to me while some are bullying. I have no right to complain them regardless of fair or not. Sometime some fair monk argues with another bcz of me. I don't like to see that oftenly bcz I am the source of that quarreling/fighting. Finally I am a victim of being a boy of a poor family. But no choice to avoid it and I ask myself that I have to take it.
At first day to go to school, one friend who is living in my uncle's quarter came and take me school. I don't know where is schoo or what is it's name. What I can do is just follow him. That day was my first day to ride bicycle on city. I take extra care and exactly follow my friend's bicycle. He is 10th standard student and I'm going to attend at 9th standard. When we got the school, he go to his close teacher and introduce with me. She is smart teacher and seems familiar with my friend. Later I know that she is also head-master of class-E. She stick school logo at my pocket and ask me to follow her. Being master teacher, she need to teach first section at her own. So we both together went to class-E and she introduce me to the class. Actually school has been open for more than one month ready at that time. In my home town school, it's usual start late bcz they are doing other things like registering and collectin money. So culture is different bew my home-town and mdy schools. I learnt that some subject already reached to its chapter 2 or 3. No choice I have to follow from middle of it. I have no pre study about 9th std texts. Our home town has no tuition like Mdy. Here students started to learn 9th std course after 8th std exam. So they already finished whole course before they start school for 9th std. They are busy with tuition during summer holidays. As a result I and my classmates are quite different in quality. I have been 5D in last exam (8th std) and it can't help me do better in 9th std. It's useless for me right now and I have to restart again. I was so disappointed with my first ever day in new high school. All classmates are shouting to respond teacher's question. But I keep silence as I don't understand what are they doing Q&A.
At lunch break, the teacher, my first ever seen one, called me and asked me where is school leaving cert from previous school. I say I don't have it and she say I cann't register this school without it. I was distraught and I asked her for any advice if any. She suggested me that I can temporarily stay at her class till cert come and register in school. I thanks to her and promise to manage getting cert asap. There are 11 classes for 9th standard alone in this school and class E just now I'm attending is the worst class among Science classes. I mean class A to E are science classes and the rest are art classes. So I'm attending at worst science class and my classmates are still clever enough for me to compete. My teacher highlighted it that I'ld be disappointed if I am studying at class A. According this school format, Class A for 6D students, Class B for 5D, C for 4D, D for 3D and class E for the rest students. So I am suppose to attend at class B bcz I passed 8th std with 5D. According to my teacher advice, I should stay at class E so that I can avoid unwanted atmosphere. In this way, I temporarily study in class E and finally my school leaving cert arrive to me. So I gave it to my teacher and she brought me to the headmastress room to register me. Actually at that time the school has been opened for abt 3 mth ready and no new students are not welcomed. Luckily my teacher and headmastress are very close and she lied to her that I am her relative from a rural village that are very difficult to come Mdy bcz of poor transportation. I need to show my cert bcz the time was near few years 8888 demonstration. As we know, some students have been fired by their respective school for participating in political sense. So some student try to reattend school at another area that don't know their history. That's why I was also needed to show my school leaving cert for good reason. The problem at that point was my home town school don't agree with my leaving and they refuse to issue my cert. Luckily deputy headmaster was my home town born teacher and he helped me to get cert finally.
On the way to headmastress room, my teacher told me that if she ask me which class i want to stay then tell her I want to stay at class E. Or she name particular class then she can't afford to stop her instruction, just follow her instruction. I nod my head and went to headmastress room. She see my results and cert and decided to stay at Class A which is suppose to study for 6D (All Destination) student and I automatically up grade to class A. She judged me by saying that I got 5D but no tuition at village. So I must be hard working student and eligible to study at Class A. From that day onward, I missed my class E mates and so do they. They accompanied me when I change to class A. I was pretty settle at class E and also don't want to change class and make new friends. But no choice, I finally moved in to class A.
As predicted before, all class A students are very smart students and always read the books and make exercise at all time. When a teacher come in and write down a problem on blackboard, then they shout an answer ready. Then the teacher don't want to teach anymore by saying that you all are expert ready and needless to teach anymore. Probably I am only one student who don't understand such problems. I am unable to attend expensive tuition and they all are rich and can atten what they want. They individually atttend 2 or 3 tuition for one subject. Do u believe it or not...it is really happened to them. For me, it' s impossible to attend very good tuition. My classmates have their home guide at home when they study at night. For me even my parent are not near me to support me in what i need/want. Instead I have a lot monks who always want me to do sth for them. Some time I am very concentrating in some exercise, but they don't care and ask me to do sth else. I have no right to complain that but upsetting. But I keep trying as hard as I can. I attended a tuition that a monk is teaching because it is cheap. I only need to give 100Ks for 4 subjects (Eng, Phy, Chem and Maths). The fees included for papers and exam fees. Later monk teacher selected me to come and study at hall under his management for good result of exam.
I am always late in rank in my school varity of exams, like weekly, monthly, and mid-term, etc. I can't beat my classmate at school. The are so clever and also hard working students. I always try my hard, but still not enough to beat their score. My tuition, my study time and my home everything I cannot compare to them. So I keep trying to get good result even I am not in top 10. Luckily tuition monk teacher take me care enough since after I got top scorer from his english exam. He declare nobody will pass his Question more than 80 marks. But I break his limit and he noticed me. There are about thousand students at tuition. Each class got about 200 students and tuition has its reputation for discipilline. I find some friends who are coming from a rich families there. So I am one of selected students among thousand and I need to speed up my trying to keep my record. My tuition teacher always push me at all time incl night time studying all subjects. I , in this way, passed my 9th standard at my first year. I forget to say one thing is my school first teacher is very kind to me. She teached me Chemistry at her home without charging. Sometime she even gave me foods when I was studying at her home. She know my situation at monastery and always kind to me. She is my most admire teacher during my school days.
After exam, I return my village for summer holidays. I aimed to attend 10th standard tuition during summer holidays but I again unable to fulfil my ambition. I was needed to work at my home town conpulsury. May be I am not brave enough to declare my wish to go back Mdy earlier and study 10th std courses. But what I could do is I return Mdy just before school are reopened. Now I am going to challenges for my future.....