just when i was starting to believe that schools, or more particularly universities, have become tolerant to the ‘older students’ (note the emphasis on the word older, lol), i was once again reminded that heck, it does not always maintain that friendly and receptive atmosphere.

although it does not directly remind you that you are overstaying in school, or that you ought to be somewhere else, lulling a baby to sleep or working overtime perhaps, it does so in a subtle way — subtle, but nonetheless, it strikes you where it hurts the most — your ego.

i was in PE class earlier today, and as i was sitting there (with no real friends because kids nowadays have their own cliques, and you have to befriend them or give them a sacrificial lamb for you to be part of their circle) not really minding what’s going on, i heard the childish chuckle of two young boys who sat beside me. one of them, a rather burly kid, tapped the back of the person sitting in front of him, and then loudly (and i must say, confidently) blurted out: “miss, my friend here likes you, can he get your number?”

and then both of them erupted in boisterous laughter as they high-fived and laughed as though what they did had solved the current rice crisis, and had earned for them a nomination in the nobel peace prize.

i was appalled by the childishness of the situation — and seriously, i was expecting the girl (her name is margarita, fyi, lol) to slap them in their faces, or perhaps make a scene — because i thought what they did was reminiscent of barbaric practices (okay, i’m being harsh, but let’s face it, we need to be sensitive to the feminist claims of steeped patriarchy in society, blah blah blah, hehe).

but lo and behold, not only did she not reprimand those darn boys for disrespecting her, but she acted as though nothing had happened and continued chatting with her seatmate.

i wanted to talk to her, and tell her that she was being oppressed (err, too harsh, but it’s actually true, given the very skewed societal standards that we need to adhere to), but it got me thinking: they were just a bunch of high school kids who were newly thrust into college life — that, for them, was acceptable simply because that was acceptable in high school.

and where was i?

i was in a roomful of kids — thrust in the world of childish pranks and silly jokes about tae, and other stuff that you eventually and inevitably outgrow.

school is indeed harsh — but it’s harshness is subtle, implicit — but then again, it strikes you where you are most vulnerable — your ego.