Today morning was special. Excitement mingled with the nostalgic familiarity of past experiences, and the anticipation of what was about to happen added an element of surprise that had been missing for quite some time now.
There was no waking up from bed at the eleventh hour today. Nor was there last-minute login into classes only to stare at a screen all day long. Rather, the nostalgic clanking of the tiffin and a dusty schoolbag lying packed in a corner convinced me enough that school was, in fact, re-opening after what seemed like a decade.
School didn’t feel like school, though. With all of them having donned masks and various precautionary measures put in place, and with the regular clicks of sanitizer bottles being heard, this was not the kind of school that I, or anybody for that matter, had experienced. Yet, undoubtedly, it felt amazing to be back to school again. Meeting my teachers and getting back in touch with friends was highly rejuvenating.
If someone asked me my preference between online and physical schooling, I would undoubtedly choose the latter. Going to school today made me realise how much I missed the very atmosphere of learning, encouragement, healthy competition and socializing one gets to experience in offline education.
Overall, it was satisfying to see school reopen and experience a day in the ‘normal’ that most of us had been used to – with a few precautionary tweaks, of course.
Hussain, 16, is an avid reader and writer. He has a keen interest in water sports such as sailing, surfing, and stand-up paddling.