HOME + SCHOOL?

One down. Three more suckers to go. Before you jump to conclusions, I'm referring to the summer exams that I have to endure. Oh that feeling of joy when you run out of the examination room with the stupidest grin on your face and that little voice in your head going " YIPEEEEEEE WHO DA BAAWS". I seem to have voices going on and on in my head all the bloody time. No I'm not crazy, I'm just a simple, eccentric Aquarian. Or a Psychology student.

It's rather entertaining every time I have to explain my life's achievements and timeline to Earthlings. I get looks of WTDOUBLEF?, question after question about how exactly studying from the confines of four walls that I call home works, whether I'm REALLY a graduate because I studied from home. It's endless! But I don't blame anyone really for all the doubts, when you tell people, " I dropped out of school, finished year 11 and 12 in one year and decided that I want to save animals, headbang and work for the united nations for the rest of my life, and my parents are down with that", people do tend to wonder what planet you've come from.

For those of you ignorances who don't know too much about home-schooling. It's simple really. You study from home.

And that's what I've been doing for the past, wow. Six years! I dropped out of school in ninth grade! Blimey I'm old! :O Anyhoo, after seeing my sister study via distance education and shizz, I really wanted to do that too. It just seemed so fancy and effortless. You don't have to wear a uniform everyday. You don't have to get up at ungodly hours. Heck you don't have to polish your shoes with chalk just because you're a vice captain. Don't judge me, I loved my shoes just the way they were. But with great power comes great responsibility. And a lot of chalk.

I never really thought about it, but it's been six years. And I'm really happy that I made that decision. Despite all the naysayers, the critics, the people who think my family and I have absolutely lost our minds, I got through it. School was so mainstream. Literally. I didn't learn jacksquat. Some teachers were nice, but some just did not know how to teach goddamit. And I'd get sent out of class because I didn't "do my homework". Can you blame a person for not getting the right guidance? This pretty much sums up my school life so here goes - Ponytail, baby frogs, pranks on weird girls, football, lunch, football, stand outside class, more food, stand outside class, throw squeaky toys around Hindi class, punishment under the Badam Tree ( X3), ( our class got sent to sit under the hugeass tree on the side of school three times because we were just that notorious, and I'm proud to say, two of those three times were because of yours truly), check out seniors ( there really weren't that many hot ones but you make the best of what you get yeah? ), football, football, poison ( basketball game ), get yelled at, stand outside class, forge signatures, spiders, weird dances for school day ( I don't dance!!!!! bah ) Robin Hood, weird quizzes, free noodles and hot chocolate, football, cops and robbers, the slide game ( get those dirty thoughts out of your head, it's a game we play on the slide ), food, and yeah that's about it.

That was my life in school. And then it began. I left. I needed to. And I wanted to. I wanted to live my own life. Not by the rules of a system. However rebelliously weird that sounds, that's the truth. I had all these big things that I wanted to do and I wasn't getting anywhere leaving for school at 7.30 am and getting home by 4.30 and then doing homework for god knows what reason. And that's how the journey began.

I've met so many different people, had experiences I can never forget, and it's all made me the person I am today. Some people are surprised I'm not this vampire that cowers at the crack of dawn and when exposed to sunlight and that I actually am a very social person. Jeez yo, I just studied from home I'm not a juvenile delinquent. At every point, even at the difficult bits, I've always made sure that I don't completely lose my sanity although I have come close.

Lots of people have asked me the extent to which my life is boring. And question the exposure I have to this big big world, or the lack thereof. And my answer every time is exactly the same. I tell them I've learnt more than I would have going to a college here. I just couldn't bring myself to go. It didn't feel right. Even my principal said I'd be a misfit. And that was in fact, quite a compliment! I've learnt and done so much over the past few years and I never thought it would turn out so well for me. Come to think of it, it's turned out kickassedly. It's given me six years of time to figure out where I really really want to be, what it is I want to do with this life. I've spent crazy amounts of time with the even crazier family that I love so much. Honest to all gods, I couldn't have gotten this far without them. So trust me when I say, don't ever try and push your family away or brush them off because they just 'don't get you'. You'll regret it. Dead serious. But most of all. Mom. She's been my everything. My professor, my best friend, my worst nightmare, my movie buddy, my chef, and my mother. She's seen me through everything and all I can say is, I'm just darned lucky that I have her.

You know? Home schooling isn't what it sounds like. There's a much bigger picture to it. It's just that the bigger picture isn't seen because most people don't open their eyes enough to see it. And now I'm all set for University. It's even more exciting for me because I've never been to college and it's a whole new life to look forward to. Everything that happened before this, that's in the past. I get excited thinking that it can only get better and better and there's no space for things to blow up. At this point my squirrel is sitting on my head and chewing my ear. Couldn't have that happening if I wasn't at home now could I?

And here I am today, writing my third year finals from L.S.E and I've gotta say, it feels good. Home school? Best decision I ever made.

Sydney I'm on my way.