Kindergarten

I didn’t go to nursery school nor K1 back then. Instead, I hopped into K2 when I was 3 years old and stay in the same kindergarten for 2 years before moving to primary school.

Regarding my memory in K-school, I still remember bit and pieces of how my first day went. I had to take school van to go to that Catholic K-school which was located few miles away from my home. I was taken by my dad to wait for the school van at the gate of where we leave which was a complex of subsidized housing of my dad’s employer. At that time, I was in white school uniform with a red schoolbag. I had no idea where I was going and what. The reason why I still can remember that today was because I was put on the school van by my dad and being left there. Then, the van left. I remember that I look back to see my dad waving me and I just cried out loud. I tried to stand up and looked back but the van was moving down the steep road quick and made a left turn. I couldn’t see my dad anymore and was left in a strange vehicle with few other kids and didn’t know where we were heading. It must be a terrified ride in my early life.

Once the van stopped, I got off the van with many other kids of my age, it was probably the first time I saw many others of my age, dressed a like in the same premise. I remember that I looked up to the stairs to the K-school which was built up on a hill with 2 compounds. Certainly, I remember that I wasn’t crying when I arrived there.

I don’t remember much of my K-School life there. I only remember few bits and pieces:

Sister Tam who had taken care of me very well. She even visited my home and met my parent.

I could recite few prayers that I learned back then word by word even these days.

The K-school is co-ed. I remember that there was a girl with 2 pony tails who loved to imitate what I did and followed me around. I found that to be annoying and went to wait in line to go to the boys’ room. She queued behind me but was pulled away by the adults to the line for girls’ room.

There was a white porcelain Holy Mary statue outside the school compound.

Other than the above, not much else.

I think I had revisited my K-school in my second year in secondary school. I don’t remember why I went there. I only remember that happened on a non-school day as there were no kids around. I tried to sit on a chair there and found that it was so small.

My last memory about my K-school was that Sister Tam died when I was in my third or fourth year in secondary school. At that time, I went to supplementary English courses in the evening at a Catholic school nearby. I learned of her dead on a noticeboard there at the staircase.

The K-school was closed. I don’t remember exactly when that happened. The compounds are still there, they had been converted and are now being run as retirement home for the elderly.