so that will be an order of fish and memories
So, one of my workmates, who is a former harrison college alumni, sold me one of the tickets to the harrison college alumni fish fry.
Now normally I hate being anywhere in the vacinity of town on weekends(or weekdays for that matter, but lets not digress)but I said, what the heck, let me support the old school and eat some fish.
So, I arrived in town and made my way across to the minibus stand. Felt nothing out of the ordinary.
Now, dear readers, I had not stepped into harrison college for the better part of 6-7 years. I cant remember if i had even gone back since I left school.
But, the moment I started to walk up crumpton street, a broad smile just emerged across my face.I couldnt help myself. The many conversations and laughs I shared with friends walking down or up that road was just too much. I was grinning like a cheshshire cat.
So as I passed through the gate, a tidal wave of memories just ran over me. I stood and stared the the monument with lots of old alumni names on it. After about 10 minutes of that, I moved on with an even broader smile(if possible) and just looked at the place.
It struck me how truly scenic a school harrison college is. It is like a small city within a city. The grounds were in immaculate condition, as was always the case when I attended there. It truly is a testament to the ground staff how beautiful the grounds are manicured.
The further I walked, the more the sense of history struck me. Harrison College really does for the most part look like the way it did 15 years ago, 25 years ago, 45 years ago, 65 years ago. If you were to take a look at old GIS pictures of the school compounds you would understand what I mean. The same buildings, the same trees(gosh even trees have me nostalgic.
I went into the quadrangle and I swear it almost became too much. The quadrangle was the epicentre of the school. It was the place where so many laughs were shared, where arguments were debated furiously and where the best info was passed around. I sat down on one of the stone benches in the quadrangle which was outside of the windows of my old 4th form class. As I sat I remembered my old classmates as if I had left school yesterday. Hassan, dwayne, dwayne, dwayne, tara, jacob, andre, philip, laura, natalie, kelly maire, kwame, antonio, josea,karen,jamal, renee,kweisi,lisa among so many other names.
I walked to places where some of my best times in life occurred. The library window that yours truly broke while playing cricket, the woodwork building where yours truly among others used to stand by the wall and peep over into queens park and see some very scandalous activity going on.
The tennis courts where we shared laughs, saw dirty mags being traded, the dark crevices where schoolboy gambling sessions were carried on, the classrooms where we hid to play contraband games of dominoes, places to hide when you felt like ditching p.e. I even remebered the times when we ditched chemistry class because the rain was fallin. IT didnt matter that the lab that the class was in was only 6 feet away. The risk of pneumonia was too great :)
I walked past the pavillion on the small field which stored some of my most treasured memories. I remember spending a couple of summers in this pavillion playing under-15 cricket. We slagged each other, we were moral support, we talked about who the sexiest ladies were, we discussed just about everything. Even today, if I see any of my old teammates, the magic is still there. We could pick up and talk to each other like if nothing had changed.
This experience has shown me something. I will make an effort to attend alumni functions. I will make an effort to see my old school at least once every two years if I am in the island. And to the readers of this blog, go make time to see your old stomping grounds.Trust me, it will lift your spirits.
So i leave you readers with this snippet from the school song.
For its harrison, harrison all for harrison
those who will never give up
all for the love of it, all for the fun of it
harrison, harrison up
Now normally I hate being anywhere in the vacinity of town on weekends(or weekdays for that matter, but lets not digress)but I said, what the heck, let me support the old school and eat some fish.
So, I arrived in town and made my way across to the minibus stand. Felt nothing out of the ordinary.
Now, dear readers, I had not stepped into harrison college for the better part of 6-7 years. I cant remember if i had even gone back since I left school.
But, the moment I started to walk up crumpton street, a broad smile just emerged across my face.I couldnt help myself. The many conversations and laughs I shared with friends walking down or up that road was just too much. I was grinning like a cheshshire cat.
So as I passed through the gate, a tidal wave of memories just ran over me. I stood and stared the the monument with lots of old alumni names on it. After about 10 minutes of that, I moved on with an even broader smile(if possible) and just looked at the place.
It struck me how truly scenic a school harrison college is. It is like a small city within a city. The grounds were in immaculate condition, as was always the case when I attended there. It truly is a testament to the ground staff how beautiful the grounds are manicured.
The further I walked, the more the sense of history struck me. Harrison College really does for the most part look like the way it did 15 years ago, 25 years ago, 45 years ago, 65 years ago. If you were to take a look at old GIS pictures of the school compounds you would understand what I mean. The same buildings, the same trees(gosh even trees have me nostalgic.
I went into the quadrangle and I swear it almost became too much. The quadrangle was the epicentre of the school. It was the place where so many laughs were shared, where arguments were debated furiously and where the best info was passed around. I sat down on one of the stone benches in the quadrangle which was outside of the windows of my old 4th form class. As I sat I remembered my old classmates as if I had left school yesterday. Hassan, dwayne, dwayne, dwayne, tara, jacob, andre, philip, laura, natalie, kelly maire, kwame, antonio, josea,karen,jamal, renee,kweisi,lisa among so many other names.
I walked to places where some of my best times in life occurred. The library window that yours truly broke while playing cricket, the woodwork building where yours truly among others used to stand by the wall and peep over into queens park and see some very scandalous activity going on.
The tennis courts where we shared laughs, saw dirty mags being traded, the dark crevices where schoolboy gambling sessions were carried on, the classrooms where we hid to play contraband games of dominoes, places to hide when you felt like ditching p.e. I even remebered the times when we ditched chemistry class because the rain was fallin. IT didnt matter that the lab that the class was in was only 6 feet away. The risk of pneumonia was too great :)
I walked past the pavillion on the small field which stored some of my most treasured memories. I remember spending a couple of summers in this pavillion playing under-15 cricket. We slagged each other, we were moral support, we talked about who the sexiest ladies were, we discussed just about everything. Even today, if I see any of my old teammates, the magic is still there. We could pick up and talk to each other like if nothing had changed.
This experience has shown me something. I will make an effort to attend alumni functions. I will make an effort to see my old school at least once every two years if I am in the island. And to the readers of this blog, go make time to see your old stomping grounds.Trust me, it will lift your spirits.
So i leave you readers with this snippet from the school song.
For its harrison, harrison all for harrison
those who will never give up
all for the love of it, all for the fun of it
harrison, harrison up
posted by Splint at 6:32 AM
5 Comments:
Sometimes i just break into my school song down here
"Quiet and Ordered Hours
Work and leisure and play
here are the budded powers
growing to great the day
the world waits on our way as the gates swing slow apart
and around us rises the stir of the fray but it comes not into out heart!"
Yeah .. for a moment there splint i thought u was gine say u break down in tears...lol
But yeah i havent visited qc in awhile unless i have been taking my lil sis to school.. but no matter what "Fiat lux".. and i will make the time to go when i come home ..
stupse. junk. :)
ana, please see cliff and jump :)
I know the nostalgic feeling.. it hits me every now and again, but my lil bros are at HC now, so it's still close to home. :)
And I found you back! Bite me! :P Everything about this post connected with me. I pass there everyday and I have been through many times and to the limes etc. since being back but everytime man, everytime...it is just special. It is a beautiful school ground and the only thing missing from your return was Ronaallllllld! The sno-cone man! :)
See you at the next lime or before. Will touch bases with you. Sorry for being so bad in communicating :*( After all you've done for me!
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