Going Home

A few days ago I spoke about how I went back to my high school to speak at Career Day. It was a great experience to be able to discuss what I do with young girls and to give them an idea of the world out there. The best part of the event wasn’t even talking to the girls; it was the nostalgia and comfort I felt with going back to my high school.

I, unlike a lot of people I know, thoroughly enjoyed high school (c.f. blog entry ‘A Safe Place’). I was allowed to be creative and I was challenged at every stage by my teachers. But at the same time I felt supported which was a great feeling during those awkward teenage years.

So going back to high school, albeit in a completely different school building, still brought back fond memories. I saw a number of the teachers who taught me and we reminisced. Some of the teachers haven’t aged at all which helped me feel like I was back in my uniform again. While talking to them, I felt like I never left because the discussions were the same – open, welcoming and yet challenging. They asked a lot of good questions of me – the same as those I encountered back in the high school but with the ‘real world’ twist.

As I rushed back to work I found myself dreading leaving the building. It was so nice to be there – joking with the teachers – in a way I never would have back in the day. The high school student had now grown up and was accepted by her former teachers in her adult version.