What Ori Means to Me

Claire Chng, Class 6.08

Sweating over the screen, praying to get into your “dream school” was just yesterday and now you’re walking into this dauntingly gigantic, unfamiliar compound. The slope up to the third floor seems like an endless trek that leaves you gasping for air, calves burning. (“Maybe those pineapple tarts weren’t such a good idea”, you think to yourself)

It was not long ago when it was my turn, awkwardly attempting to navigate my way around school in my “potato sack” uniform, burning calves and all. I distinctly remember shoving in my earphones to drown out the anxiety induced throbbing in my head, worried about where my “impeccable” sense of direction would take me. “Up this staircase to level 4” looped in my mind as I kept my eyes peeled for the stark purple flag of my orientation group. I shakily sucked in a deep breath and pushed open the door with the most natural smile I could muster, finally letting it sink in that my two weeks of Orientation had finally commenced.

In short, my orientation experience can be summarised in this acrostic poem:

O: once in a lifetime opportunity to have 2 weeks of pure fun without any input from my kiasu Asian parents

R: readying myself to come out of my shell and meet new people

I: invaluable opportunity to enjoy my last burst of freedom before IA/EE/TOK/other commitments catch up.

O is for the way your mouth will be shaped when u gasp in shock at the way your tiger mum gives you extra allowance to plan activities with your OG on a daily basis. Instead of asking for your whereabouts or discussing plans of shifting your tuition/study schedule around to accommodate play, you will be given a “golden ticket” that bypasses all the interrogation for two weeks. Questions like “don’t you have work to do?” on a school day? Not for these 2 weeks of jam-packed fun.

R is for revving up your social engine to engage in bonding games. Whether it is for morning casual conversations or for organised games, your extroverted tendencies will go a long way in forging friendships within your OG. You can also look forward to immersing yourself in the school’s “play hard” and often “try hard” culture as you compete against other OGs in exciting games planned by your OGLs.

I is for the (I) and only time you will be care-free till the completion of your IB journey. Relish your last deadline-free weekends before IB hits you in full-swing. Draft and final submission dates compiled into miserable spreadsheets will soon taint your colourful IB life and leave you reminiscing about all the seemingly insignificant worries you had during orientation. The seemingly huge crisis of not wearing the right uniform or being in between skirt sizes won’t matter like they used to with more pressing things on your mind. Such simple days will be behind you and soon, you will relate to this article much more than you would like to. You have been warned. Now, go and seize the day before it seizes you by the throat and chokes you with all the upcoming IB requirements.

So when seniors tell you orientation will be the best time of your life, you must believe that it’s true. 2 weeks of fun occasionally interrupted by mildly sobering “welcome to IB” talks will most definitely be your best time within these gates. While IB will be a fever dream, the memories made during your orientation will be a core memory for the history books.