Eric Zykov Task 1

FIRST TWO WEEKS AT REDDAM HOUSE 

Since kindergarten I have never experienced being to a new school before, therefore I was very anxious to see whether I would be happy at Reddam House.

As I woke up on the first day, I could not help, but notice what a wonderful sunny day it was. I remember feeling very nervous and excited. I put on my new uniform and made my first ever journey to my new school. When I got to Reddam there were already lots of people there. It looked like the city at rush hour. I was making my decision, of what to do first, when Mrs Karney and Mr Mesimeris came and greeted me. This calmed my nerves down. The first day turned out very entertaining, because I got to meat lots of new students and teachers and we also did some fun activities, but the streaming tests were pretty annoying because of the hard work we had to do. Overall it was a great start to high school.

The next day was the swimming carnival, which was held at Drummoyne Olympic swimming pool. The pool was a nice crystal blue colour 50 metres in length. Even though I have been swimming in pools for years, I still could not resist the temptation to feel nervous. I only participated in the 50m-breaststroke competition. I remember standing ready to start my race, and thinking about how wonderful my dive is going to be. Unfortunately Mr Pitcairn spoiled these magnificent thoughts as he fired the pistol. I quickly dived in and got completely mesmerised by the wonderful feeling of cool water wash over me. I felt pretty good when I finished and wanted to do the race again, but unfortunately it was time to go. 

The next day was camp. We were going to Cataract Scout Park, which is near Waterfall. The time to get there was one and a half hours. Usually I dislike long rides but this one was pretty enjoyable as I admired the beautiful surroundings, and I felt comfortable in my big seat.

When we got off the bus I smelt the nice clean forest air that made me feel good. I remember how hot it was that day and how I really wanted to go into an air- conditioned room, luckily I got just that as the canteen and the lodges were all well air-conditioned. Everyone really enjoyed the activities. We had a lot of fun, but the highlight for me was orienteering. I enjoyed it a lot because I loved searching for hidden checkpoints in the forest and I also loved the fact that we got to explore the bushes. There were lots of interesting flowers that were all different colours. I could not stop looking at a vivid orange flower that apparently smelt like oranges. There were also a lot of noisy insects and animals. I was also searching for the animals at the same time as checkpoints. I saw many immense spiders and some light green grasshoppers, but my favourite insect was the brown stick insect that lazily crawled onto my shoe. I was also favoured by numerous mosquitos that liked me so much they kept coming back for more.

Camp was very enjoyable. I had a great time, and I am sure everyone else had a great time too, including the mosquitos.     

The next week studies started. I remember walking into the dance studio where year 7 students were waiting to meet Mr Johnson and the tutors. Mr Johnson gave us our timetables. I did not understand a single bit of it. To me it just looked like a list of jumbled letters. Thankfully, Mr Johnson explained how it works, and now the timetable is as easy to read as a television guide. I do not have a favourite subject or a least favourite subject. I really like the Reddam mini merit system. I try to get as many as I can. Currently I have 37 mini merits. I have got no demerits and I hope it will stay that way for the rest of the year.          

So far I am really enjoying Reddam, because of the kind teachers, funny students and great facilities. It usually is tricky to adjust to a new environment, but the Reddam community makes everyone feel welcome.