Into the Jungle
By Christina Muttavanchery ('23)
Welcome back to school! It has only been a little over one week of being back and sumo wrestling has already made an appearance in the hallways! Elbows bumping into stomachs, walking right into someone’s backpack (since they decided to stop out of nowhere). Oh, and don’t forget the wonderful attitude shown on upperclassmen’s faces when freshmen (AND NOW SOPHOMORES TOO) walk incredibly slowly in the hallways, and decide to stop and hug their friends (it’s not like we’re in a pandemic or anything!). If you were in school last year, too, you probably noticed a tiny increase in hallway traffic now…and by tiny, I mean a lot. This, combined with students that haven’t been able to really socialize with their peers, can cause social chaos.
If you're an upperclassman, remind yourself what it was like navigating through the halls on the first day. Horrible, I know. Use that trauma to your advantage, though! There are tons of kids in the halls in the same shoes you were in a few years ago. If you see someone is lost, and you have time before your next class, point them in the right direction and make their day; it helps out a lot more than you think! If you’re feeling adventurous and want to make friends this school year, school clubs are a wonderful opportunity! It would also help you to be involved in our school community through food drives, service events, and much more!
If you’re a freshman, feel free to ask an upperclassman or even the security guards for help in navigating the school. It may seem embarrassing, but in actuality, it’s normal, and no one pays any mind to it! We’ve all been there before! You’ll get the hang of navigating soon, and you’ll ease into the swing of things. It’s all going to be okay, and you’ll laugh at your freshman mess-ups in the future!
Now that we know what shouldn’t be taken for granted, shock yourself by signing up for a club you’ve always been interested in, but never made a move on, which is better late than never!
And remind yourself, as simple as it is to say “make friends”, it can be tough! It might be awkward at first, but cut yourself some slack! Remember you’re not the only one going through this. It’s extremely easy to be pessimistic with this school year, but maybe try challenging yourself and have a positive outlook. Take comfort in the fact that we are all different human beings going through the same experiences.
