Contemplating Change

Hi there everybody!! Sorry it's been a while since my last post but the last few weeks have been......well, a bit hectic. Actually, more than a bit! School has just begun again and it’s been very exciting and fun, but also very different!

On my first day back, I felt strangely out of place. In a school where I’ve been going to for the last 5 years, I suddenly felt odd, disconnected from everyone else. And it didn’t help that when I arrived I didn’t have a classroom to go to (we hadn’t been assigned rooms yet)! My friends began to arrive soon, as well as some new faces and we all mingled and chatted for a while. Introductions were made and slowly I began to feel better. But I couldn’t shake this weird feeling because deep down I knew that this year, everything would be different!

When you start the 11^th grade (at least at my school) everything changes. You stand in a different part of the auditorium for assembly. Move into a new building. Get a new classroom. Use a different type of desks and chairs. Begin new classes on new subjects. Have new teachers. Climb more stairs. Meet new people. Make new friends. Cope with higher expectations than ever before. Yes, everything changes.

All of this didn’t quite hit me till last Friday, when the school sorted us into our new houses, taking away our last connection to the years before. It was quite sad as Fridays go, and as we sat drearily around Kolam class (yes, we have a kolam class!!!) it occurred to me that this was only the beginning of big changes I was going to face throughout life.

Change is inevitable. They say that the only permanent thing in life IS change. Change is hard, and getting used to new things is hard. I’ve had to deal with change more often than I would’ve liked. It’s hard to let go of the past and step into the future. I guess the same is true for all of us (read: I hope I’m not crazy!). It’s important to remember that change, while scary and sad, can be quite exciting. It’s thrilling not knowing what tomorrow might bring.

So here’s to our old friend, Change, who is ever present and never, ever boring! 

Until next time,

Bianka

Caitlyn

Hello everybody! If you haven’t guessed from the title or have no idea what it means or haven’t watched TV or read the paper or gone on the Internet this past week, today we’re going to be talking about her (I’m pointing to the picture below but you can’t see my hands but I’m pointing trust me XP)

This is Caitlyn. She may look like just another woman, if not uncommonly pretty, but in reality she is quite extraordinary. Until a little while ago, she was known to the world as Bruce Jenner, Olympian and head of the immensely famous Kardashian-Jenner clan. A man. Caitlyn recently made the incredibly brave choice to become the person she’s always wanted to be. She made the transformation and when it was over, the world was in awe. Her story is not the first of its kind of course, yet it’s been splashed across every news outlet in the world and her name is on everyone’s lips. People say society will never be the same again.

And they’re right. Caitlyn’s coming out has changed us forever. To our generation, Caitlyn is so important because she stands as a mark of progress. She stands as proof that we, as a species, have evolved. If this had happened a decade ago, I don’t think the reaction would have been as kind, as welcoming. We live in the age of acceptance. We push to end racism every day. We rally for gay marriage. We call for equality. When a man of over 60 years decides he wants to be a woman, we cheer her on! And if haters ever try to bring her down, they will suffer our wrath!

We don’t often appreciate the circumstances we’re blessed with. Living in the world today gives us the freedom to be whoever we want. We get to choose who we are. We should take advantage of  this opportunity to find our true selves, and love who we find. Stand up for Caitlyn. Stand up and show the world who you are. Stand up today and be proud of yourself, no matter who you are, and be safe in the knowledge that there is always someone to stand with you, no matter what!

So here’s to Caitlyn, and the brave new world she represents.

Welcome to the world, Caitlyn! I think you’ll like what you'll find.

Until next time,

Bianka