Memories
This day two years ago was November 5th - Guy Fawkes. It was also the very last day of school. I think I can remember my first day of school, and I can certainly remember the last. It was the end of one of the best weeks of school I'd ever had - class was extremely relaxed, most periods were just spent hanging around outside class doing nothing. I remember fourth peroid on that last day we walked out of physics and played rugby in front of Hillary. Fifth period we had our final assembly and were kicked out of school.
It was a beautiful, balmy day that day. The evening was one of those nice, still, perfect ones with a warm sun and gentle breeze. We came back to school in the evening for the Great Art Exhibition in the Arts block. There were sausages outside and we were all relaxing, wandering from room to room looking at the art. I remember being unable to find Henry's photography exhibit, and being freshly amazed at Sonny's ability at graphics drawing. Simon's work was out in the main corridor. There was someone playing guitar in the next room.
Afterwards we left in groups, with promises to meet up again later to do something for Guy Fawkes. The sun had recently set, and the breeze was starting to turn colder, but some of us went down to Bucklands Beach anyway. Chris and Simon went to get fireworks. Rikky had to go home at some point, but the rest of us just played around on the beach waiting for our friends with the fireworks. As the night got darker, the beach got more crowded and yet our atmosphere was one of perfect peace.
Tonight I'm sitting here, I should be studying, but I'm thinking of what was. I'm thinking of all that has happened since then. The experiences I've had, the new people I've met, the people who have become a part of my life who I didn't even know existed back then. And I'm thinking of the people who were a very big part of my life back then, who I've become more distant from as our lives have moved in different directions - a fact I very deeply regret, when I think about it.
Eventually the fireworks arrived - several boxes of them! We had an awesome time. I remember one particularly narrow escape when someone else's firework tipped over and fired straight at us - we scattered in panic, although Janko (I think it was him) got a burn hole in his shirt. I remember when some of the Batten people came past with fireworks, completely drunk, and wouldn't leave again. They were shooting roman candles or something at each other and I thought that was incredibly stupid. It didn't know it at the time, but it would be another year before I discovered the joys of a roman candle fight.
Eventually the fireworks drew to a close, but a lot of us wanted to do something else - something more. The freedom and the peace was exhilirating, and we didn't want it to end. A few of us decided to watch a movie or something, and to do it at Janko's. So those of us who were left, who from memory were me, Janko, Henry, Simon and Julia, walked to Jankos. I think there was another person, who we dropped off on the way, but I can't remember who it was. It was as we were going past Pigeon Mountain that someone mentioned the idea of a race to the top. So we did. It was 1am and we were sitting exhausted at the top of the mountain, looking down on Auckland. Everyone else was sound asleep but us. Someone took some photos of us. I think it might have been Julia. I wonder what happened to them?
Once we got to Janko's we were too tired for a movie, so we just all crashed on the floor of his room and went to sleep. When we woke up, it was the day after the end of school, and even though we still had exams, it was the beginning of a new era for us. That friday two years ago was just the first day of a long, glorious, care-free four months of summer. I had applied for a job at the cinemas, a job that I never realised would be as life-changing as it was; we had hopes and plans, and we didn't have any worries. Our school obligations were rapidly falling away, and university was just a dim fog in the distance.
Those were the glory days.
It was a beautiful, balmy day that day. The evening was one of those nice, still, perfect ones with a warm sun and gentle breeze. We came back to school in the evening for the Great Art Exhibition in the Arts block. There were sausages outside and we were all relaxing, wandering from room to room looking at the art. I remember being unable to find Henry's photography exhibit, and being freshly amazed at Sonny's ability at graphics drawing. Simon's work was out in the main corridor. There was someone playing guitar in the next room.
Afterwards we left in groups, with promises to meet up again later to do something for Guy Fawkes. The sun had recently set, and the breeze was starting to turn colder, but some of us went down to Bucklands Beach anyway. Chris and Simon went to get fireworks. Rikky had to go home at some point, but the rest of us just played around on the beach waiting for our friends with the fireworks. As the night got darker, the beach got more crowded and yet our atmosphere was one of perfect peace.
Tonight I'm sitting here, I should be studying, but I'm thinking of what was. I'm thinking of all that has happened since then. The experiences I've had, the new people I've met, the people who have become a part of my life who I didn't even know existed back then. And I'm thinking of the people who were a very big part of my life back then, who I've become more distant from as our lives have moved in different directions - a fact I very deeply regret, when I think about it.
Eventually the fireworks arrived - several boxes of them! We had an awesome time. I remember one particularly narrow escape when someone else's firework tipped over and fired straight at us - we scattered in panic, although Janko (I think it was him) got a burn hole in his shirt. I remember when some of the Batten people came past with fireworks, completely drunk, and wouldn't leave again. They were shooting roman candles or something at each other and I thought that was incredibly stupid. It didn't know it at the time, but it would be another year before I discovered the joys of a roman candle fight.
Eventually the fireworks drew to a close, but a lot of us wanted to do something else - something more. The freedom and the peace was exhilirating, and we didn't want it to end. A few of us decided to watch a movie or something, and to do it at Janko's. So those of us who were left, who from memory were me, Janko, Henry, Simon and Julia, walked to Jankos. I think there was another person, who we dropped off on the way, but I can't remember who it was. It was as we were going past Pigeon Mountain that someone mentioned the idea of a race to the top. So we did. It was 1am and we were sitting exhausted at the top of the mountain, looking down on Auckland. Everyone else was sound asleep but us. Someone took some photos of us. I think it might have been Julia. I wonder what happened to them?
Once we got to Janko's we were too tired for a movie, so we just all crashed on the floor of his room and went to sleep. When we woke up, it was the day after the end of school, and even though we still had exams, it was the beginning of a new era for us. That friday two years ago was just the first day of a long, glorious, care-free four months of summer. I had applied for a job at the cinemas, a job that I never realised would be as life-changing as it was; we had hopes and plans, and we didn't have any worries. Our school obligations were rapidly falling away, and university was just a dim fog in the distance.
Those were the glory days.
posted by David | 8:36 pm
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