Assalamualaikum and a very peaceful greeting to all~
TIPS on how to SURVIVE your years at Headington School Oxford! (This sincere(chewah) post is made specifically for my two granddaughters who are currently studying at Headington School Oxford (Won’t say the names, because I don’t want to sell their precious names just to anyone).
Warning: there are a lot of jokes and sarcasm used so please do not misunderstand… Although people usually misunderstand me anyway so I guess it’s fine. I don’t really mind what you think of me…. maybe.
As far as I’m concerned, ranting on the internet isn’t a good choice for a healthy living so I’m going to keep it to myself… Or not.
Firstly, WHY didn’t they send you girls a Bruneian senior like myself? I’m sorry that you have to go through a totally new world without a caring and loving person as myself who would totally dig the ground to the opposite side of Earth if you told me you were going to plant a flower (this is so useless. Where would the flower go if you dropped it? I bet you would want to learn the Physics behind this because I guarantee you the answer is too interesting.).
Okay, back to my rant. It’s bad enough you don’t have any experience studying in a land far away from home, they leave you without any guide who can clearly understand how you feel the first time you got there? They probably couldn’t find someone as awesome as me to be your Bruneian senior there. I’m kidding. I don’t even know how to be a senior. They didn’t send me a junior when I was in Upper Sixth. No kids, no experience, right? True… or do I really not have any experience taking care of kids? *smirk*
I really do hope you fit into the peer-pressured, everyone’s-intelligent-and-you-have-to-keep-up-with-everything-yourself-because-it’s-a-bloody-independent-school sixth form college. It’s not that hard fitting in…because you don’t have to. Sure, everyone there loves to be involved in every single event but that’s just because they’ve been in the school since ages ago and they’re already adapted to the system. You don’t have to sign up to every thing if you don’t want to because I know it’s difficult at first trying to self-study because the teacher was a fast-speaking Australian with a super strong accent and the British teachers sound like they’re actors from Harry Potter. Yes, I had a few teachers who totally encourages independent learning who’re like “Make your own notes, research what you don’t know and ask me if you don’t understand and I’ll explain a totally different area which I know the answer to so that you think I’m answering your question but I'm not.” And yes, I dropped that subject when I advanced to Upper Sixth.
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS check the notice board in the Sixth Form Common Room(Costa Area) for updates. It’s the least you can do to catch up with what’s going on and trust me, they’re really proud of that whiteboard, because I see the teachers writing not just once a week but every single morning just to update the students with the latest events. Maybe troublesome for them but it’s good for you. Don't go to school wearing something opposite to what's written there in the case of a dress-code event coming up. People stare at you weirdly.
Follow the school rules(No school doesn't rule, a metre rule rules): No phones/electronic gadgets in school (in other words don’t let them find out you have your phone in your bag/pocket). They get really annoyed by it. I know this by experience. Haha, yes, I used to check my phone before the teachers start teaching and you wouldn't want that American teacher to say “Put that away” in her extreme American accent and poker face when she catches you texting. I still have the chills thinking about it. I hate these types of flashbacks.
No toasts in your room! Unless you know how to sneak them in. This goes to any other type of food. If you want to cook in your room, make sure to fan the aroma away (tip: use a small electric fan and point the smell towards your opened window) and be aware of the smoke detector. I believe you are smart enough to not set it off. I say this because my friends usually set it off using excessive heat on their hair-dryers and believe me when I say… I guarantee you would not like to go outside in the cold weather in your comfortable house clothing just to line up as a safety measure due to fire alarms. Imagine you were just giving your salam in your prayer and you had to rush downstairs because you heard the alarm. Thank goodness for my fast reflex. Otherwise I would’ve went with my white telekong. Picture the boarder’s faces when they see me then. *evil face* I recommend you to prepare a jubah and express shoes by your door in case this happens.
There will be visitors in the middle of the day starting 11 am and they come with staffs with keys(jeng jeng) and some of the staffs just don’t knock on your door and think it’s okay to unlock your room to show the parents of girls wanting to enroll themselves into Headington the next academic year. This was how I dealt with the problem:
Always lock your door and have your tudung express by your chair or the door in case someone tries to barge in when you’re in your comfortable state. Try to beat my record of jumping out of my bed and putting on my tudung in 1 second when someone suddenly knocks on my door or hearing the staff(with their chains of powerful clanking keys) trying to unlock my door. In this case, always wear long sleeved shirts or a jacket and long pants because it would take longer for you to grab one and your tudung, hence, you get caught with your aurat and you can’t beat my record. heheh
In terms of academic, I know you girls are responsible for your studies and would do your best when it comes to scoring your tests and exams, right? So I can skip this one out, because different people study differently. Just don’t neglect it :) D.U.I.T. (Do’a Usaha Ikhtiar Tawakal)
If you have time (especially on weekends) video call with your family. I’m sure they would want to hear from you <3 When you miss your friends, technology can help! You can chat with them and tell them you miss them and don’t leave them hanging and wondering if you still remember them.
In the end, life is about choices. Take care of your attitudes as they reflect on our nation. Be nice to people, but don’t get stepped on. Btw, the boarders in our house(your seniors) are friendly people, so, don’t be afraid to approach them if you have questions. Also, you have my number ;)
Reminders to myself and you :
"Verily, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves" (Al-Quran Al-Karim 13:11)
“Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest” (Al-Quran Al-Karim 13:28)
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