Recently while surfing the web I came across a website of a person who wrote a letter to herself as a teengaer and addressed her younger self as 'Teen Me'. I thought it was one of the coolest things I had seen so far as the lettter was addressed to her younger self in the third person.
So I've decied to write a letter to Teen Me. As a teenager, I got transferred to ECOM High School and started school in the beginning of 1995. Below is a letter to my self as a teenager in ECOM.
Dear Teen Me,
It’s the beginning of the year 1995 and you have entered a new school. I know when you first entered the brick building known as the boys dorm at the old site, you must have felt uneasy and confused about what to do. Your dorm was just a few steps from the practical skills building and the girls dorm was just across a few meters away. Don’t worry too much about making friends. For the next two years, you will learn to develop friendships with some unique people especially the students of 9B. Don’t worry about the setting of the school – classroom buildings made from sago leaves and cane sewn blinds and floor of sand– as many years from now you will say you came from a humble school; -).
I think one of the best people you will ever meet and enjoy his friendship the most will be Nick Paran from Kawaliap. He will be your desk mate and over the course of the next few months, you will grow to like his character. You and him will team up with Kilepak Kiliwi and Simon Kawetan, two guys from your mothers’s island, Mbuke, and at certain times during classes you will make all kinds of silly jokes concerning food and the way it is cooked. You will laugh so hard as you have never laughed before and there will be tears in your eyes. The other students will get angry at you guys for laughing yourselves silly and will want to stop you. Teen me, these times that you laughed with these four guys will be some of your best memories of high school ever!
Teen Me, you will be a coconut climber and climb so many coconut trees at the old site and in the bushes surrounding the school area. Once you leave ECOM, you will hardly ever climb coconuts again and these days will be only treasured memories. Why I say is because some 17 years from now, you will be overweight and wear thick glasses and coconut climbing will never be a part of your world...hahahaha.
I think one of the teachers that will ignite your passion for Maths and Science will be Mr. Basil Pere. You will be enthusiastic about learning Pythagoras theorems and Odds ratio – subjects that you have had a distaste for when you were in grade 8. Another teacher that will stand out will be Mr. Henry Apo, the guy who actually was Bundrahei High School’s first principle, I think. Yep, he will teach you English, Social Science and Religious studies? Well after all these years you will still remember one bible verse he talked about: 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil and he explained that it was not money but it was the love of money that was the root of all evil and for the first time you will know the difference. Another task master aka teacher of yours will be known as Mr. Saramasi, the guy from Mortlock who married a lady from Pere village and who 17 years from now will be the principle of Karkar High School. Yeah one thing that you will remember many years after your stay in ECOM will that you will learn the scientific names of vegetable from his classes and they will become like second nature to you. These scientific names will include Ipomea Batata (kaukau) cocos nucifera (coconut) and colocasia esculata (taro). Another of your teachers that will have an impact on your life – well your cooking and dining life – will be Mrs. Pokawin, yes the wife of then Premier of Manus or was it Open Member for Manus? Anyway, since ECOM is one of the very few schools where all students are taught Home Economics and Practical skills, you will actually learn how to cook in her classes! And I tell you that her lessons from your days in ECOM will always have an effect on the way you will prepare and cook food. Wow does that say too much about her? Yes Teen Me, all these teachers of yours will influence your decisions about life and later in life when you are in you 30s, you will appreciate these people in ECOM. Yes don’t woory about starting a life chapter of your life in this church run school because Teen Me, many many years from now, you will very much treasure your time in ECOM because it gave you some many good memories about life as a teenager. So don’t worry, get up and mingle with your class mates and get to know them well. They will be your friend and family over the next 24 months.
Well Teen Me, I have to leave you now and go attend to somebody special. You know what? One day you will have a special person in your life - a child! Yes a child, Teen Me. A lovely, lovely human being that will light up your life. I will tell you more about her...yes Teen Me, its a girl!...Maybe next time, I will write another letter to encourage you during your time in ECOM. I have so many good things to tell you about ECOM especially in grade 9 and then in grade 10. So catch later Teen Me.
Your older self from 2012
