Date for Entry: (Friday 28th April, 2017)
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Tuesday 23rd November, 2021)
Dear Diary,
Today I went back to Hillview to perform the school song and national anthem because on Wednesday night around nine o'clock our Captain Ifeaye had asked us in our WhatsApp group chat a request to come back to Hillview to perform the National Anthem and College for the last time as an Ensemble. I saw Joshua comment soon after and then he said he will see but for me, I wasn’t going to miss it.
This morning, I woke up and oh my goodness it was so super hard to get up early as if it was a day of Hillview class but I did. I got showered and waited for dad to bring my black and grey stripe shirt and black pants I wear for church. It really felt like I was dressing to go to school at Hillview. I even packed my bookbag with books and other stuff last night too. I was a bit nervous seeing that I was not in school clothes and that I was wondering if the new Hall was built and they were having it in there.
Upon walking into the gates, I switched off my phone and put it into my bag. Before I could walk up into the compound, I asked the security where the service would be and she said to follow the feller who’s walking up right now. I walked a good space behind him and then went to the two glassed sliding doors where two boys on both sides were holding programs. I took one and walked into the hall on the red carpet. Without looking at the student with eye contact, I could see how they watched me as to how I was dressed and I was like, “Keep it calm, Daryl. Don’t be worried” in my mind.
I went up to the front row and rest my bag. Then I walked up on the stage and then went over to say hello to Ifeaye and then he said, “Aye, I really thought you weren’t coming this morning yuh know.” He laughed and then I saw a new pan but I had a feeling that it was his tenor pan. It was a boring tenor pan that I got to try a time in individual pan class with Mr. Sharma. It looked good and Ifeaye even played a solo and another girl from the sixth form did another solo by voice.
I sat a while reading the program and then the bell rang. I went to look outside and then I saw the five tenor pans in the long corridor behind the school's podium ready to play for the assembly. Then it was there that I saw Harold and when she spots me He said, “A! Daryl! Way yuh doing dong dey so?” I was wondering how come all these fellers got so taller than me. Then I saw Christian from the ensemble too. He came and shook my hand.
Soon after I saw Mr. Narish and he asked me how I was doing I told him that I was doing music in UWI when he asked me. Soon, Mr. Hawkins came and then he gave me a nice good hug and then asked me the same along with if I was the one who sent him a towel for Christmas in the office and then I said yes. I played for the morning assembly. I must admit that I forgot to practice the national anthem and felt so rusty but as soon as the song started, I remembered playing it and went right into playing it.
While the pan boys and I sat there in the front row, I gave Ifeaye a copy of the full score of the school song I went and put together yesterday along with a fancy design of the sixtieth Anniversary logo and the real Hillview logo on it. I knew that by the time I gave Ifeaye and he showed it to the rest Christian would have wanted one. I was thinking of printing one for him too but when I finished making one for Miss Saunders, the ink in the printer was about to finish. I didn't get to share the textbook I made with them because the timing of things went so quickly. The persons from my older Form Five class were far to the back and mixed up. Didn't see the rest of them.
The service began and then I saw Mr. Mahase there on the stage with the others who were leading the service today. A very nice lady was the leader of Worship and then I soon got to learn that she was the school’s new Vice-Principal. She spoke very lovely and gave really good inspirational words.
After the end of the
service was the College song and then the Choral Benediction, which we do at
Aramalaya. After the service, everyone left. I saw Jordan again and for
nicknames, since Form four we used to say “onks” as short for Uncle and also a
good friend Isaiah. Then I saw Christian again and I asked him for his e-mail. I
didn’t have much paper again so I lend him my program paper to write it down and
then when he said that he only had a marker I didn’t mind. However, it would have partly destroyed my program copy for the music journal, lolz.
While Ifeaye and the
rest of the boys left the school with their parents, I took my book bag and went up to the staffroom
door to see if I could have gotten to see Miss Saunders. When I knock and wait
which was a big problem in my days, Mr. Ramsingh came out. It was so nice
to see him and then I asked him to see Miss Saunders. He told me that I
could go in if I wanted. I felt like I was given special treatment because
a student wasn’t allowed to be in there.
As I went in the door, A lady gave me a nice
hug and then I knew the lady's voice was Miss Saunders'. I can’t believe I didn’t
recognize her at all but it was so nice to see her after so long. We both sat
there for a long while near her desk chatting about me and how UWI was going. I also carried
three volumes of my Magical Creatures paintings to show her and Miss Tappin the Visual Arts
Teacher. I still used some of the tips that Miss Tapin told me about in Form One about
outlining with a black marker. She then gave me tips about putting a border and then asked me about the intended audience. At that
present time, I wanted it for little children but my main idea was to have it as
a carton story for adults. Miss Tappin told me that if I wanted it to be for
children that I "have to be really specific to make sure that they understood
what was happening, especially with spelling because this is where they might
be learning from as well."
Miss Saunders also showed me the trophy I gave her. I didn’t remember I gave it to her at the end of Form One and two others to two teachers. Then I got to show her some of the textbooks I did over for UWI at DCFA. She looked impressed and then say, “Hmm! You write book already? I didn’t even do oneself.” I didn’t get to explain myself properly because there was too much to catch up on. One of the other things she told me she said that she kept on noticing that I was keep on pulling things out of my bookbag. It was a lot of things because that bag was really heavy on my shoulders as if it was a regular day of school at Hillview. I couldn't speak to the class about doing Music for CXC so I waited for daddy to come to get me at the gate and we went down Curepe.
Link(s):
Daryl Zion M. Ali
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