This week, fresh faces throng the campus. Seeing the innocent smiles, I share their joy, as well as their pride in finally becoming a member of the grand old school, YYHS.

The same innocent smile was on my face, too, when I matriculated at the school two years ago. Initially, so ecstatic was I that I imagined the coming three years at YYHS would be a breeze. I had expected there would be not only friendly smart classmates but also humorous sympathetic teachers with us. It was not long, however, before my rosy dream was dashed by reality: tons of homework every day, unconventional teachers (Shengliver included), and worsening grades, among other things. The reality even convinced me that I was a fool because I had applied to City High School rather than to YYHS before I sat the high school entrance exams in June, 2019. It was my dear father, a YYHS alumnus himself, who had changed my application at the last minute without my knowledge.

As a sophomore, I got accustomed to everything at YYHS before I knew it. Chatting with my friends, I often said that I did not like my school very much. However, when one of my middle school classmates, who is now a City High School student, commented that YYHS is the worst choice among the three high schools in town for junior high graduates, I got into such a fury that I started a fiery debate with him on QQ. Despite the problems, I have fallen in love with my GOS (grand old school), YYHS.

Looking back on the progress made over the past two years, I have to admit that I owe immense gratitude to YYHS. Although I still hate it sometimes for some reason, the class where I have belonged for two years, the classmates who have stuck with me through thick and thin, and the great masters who have taught me love and tolerance, have all become part of the challenging but exciting adolescent existence. Therefore, I have a word for the freshmen.

How you made your way into YYHS and whether you like it or not do not matter that much. You might, at a certain point, feel resentful about some school rules, some schoolmates or even some teachers, but they are all part of the real world we are in. Where could you find a problem-free school in the world, anyway? That “ideal” school exists only in fiction or in flyers.

What matters above all is, as far as I am concerned, that you have to find meaning for your everyday life. On the road to the destination, you might go astray at a certain stage, but you must not stop your steps forward. Keep exploring, Freshmen, and you will be getting, sooner or later, onto the right track. Hopefully, when you grow to my age and become a senior, you will still keep a brave heart and stay as aggressive as ever.