TRIIIING! TRIIING! I woke up with a start and hit the snooze button on my alarm clock. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the table calendar that was placed beside my bed. 3 January 2000. I immediately jumped out of bed with a wide grin that was etched on my chubby face. I went into the bathroom and took a warm and soothing shower, brushed my teeth and combed my hair as nearly as my mother had taught me to do. After all that, I quickly got dressed in my brand new school uniform which consisted of a school badge that was sewn on the pocket of a crisp and smart white shirt, a pair of dark blue short pants and also a pair of white socks. When everything was done, I ran down the stairs happily to meet my parents and little brother who was sitting at the dining table having a slice of toast that was smothered in jam and butter.

"Wah, boy, so eager to go to school?" my father said as he smiled at me. I nodded in approval and took a seat beside my brother who was poking a finger at his breakfast.
"Haha, of course he is. It's his very first day in school. The start of a brand new life in his childhood days," my mother added.
"Come on, boy. You wouldn't want to be late for school on your first day, would you?" my father asked as he took the car keys and put on his coat. I quickly gobbled up my breakfast and located my school back that was placed beside the shoe rack. I noticed a pair of little white shoes too. After putting them on, I raced to the car while carrying my bag and almost tripped on my dog's tail. The surprised animal got up and barked as if to say ,"Hey! Watch it!". I patted my dog and told him to be good as I would not come home until school was finished. He licked my hand sadly and whimpered when he saw me getting into the car. I closed the door and could not wait to start the journey for school. A few minutes later, my mother and brother walked over and wished me good-bye and told me to enjoy myself. I nodded and after that, my father slowly reversed the car out of the house and then, we were on our way.

"Here, boy. Take this money in case you want to buy some snacks or you might want to call us," my father said while holding out a 50-sen coin. I accepted the money gratefully and thanked him for it. While listening to the music that was playing on the radio, I could not help but think of the things that I would experience when I was there. 15 minutes later, I saw a huge signboard that was placed in front of a big building. 'S.K. St. Francis' it read.

"Go on now. That's your school. See all the children there? They are of the same age as you. Come on," my father told me as he gave me a little push. I took my bag and stepped out of the car nervously. A male teacher, fierce-looking and holding an unbelievable long cane, came to me and said ,"Boy, are you a Standard 1 student?". I nodded my head meekly as a sign of approval. "Go over there and wait for the rest," he said and pointed out the spot with his cane. Mr. Ee Gim Siong, a teacher that I will never forget in my life. I walked sheepishly to the big crowd of children. Some were crying, some were running around but most of them seemed to be excited and happy at the same time to be in school. Suddenly, a bell rang loudly and those who were crying, cried louder. I saw all of the students rush to the stage and lined up, two by two, according to their class. I heard the headmaster announce.

"Good morning, fellow students. It's the start of a new year. Be prepared for another year of fun, joy and unfortunately, sadness. Now, may we sing a few patriotic songs before we leave for classes?" He gave a signal to another teacher and music started playing. We sang the national anthem, the state's anthem and the school's anthem. After that, we recited an oath and then, the headmaster dismissed us and allowed us to return to our classrooms. The Standard 1 students were required to stay back in front of the stage as they announced which class we would be placed in. After hearing a few names.
"Isaiah Tan Chung Zhen, 1 Putih," I heard a teacher say. I walked over to a row of students and sat with them. After everyone was placed in their respective classes, we headed to a small classroom that was situated beside the school's tiny garden. The form teacher, Pn. Saras, came in and took our attendance. I raised my little hand when I heard my name and when everyone's name was recorded, the teacher started her lesson. It was a Bahasa Melayu lesson and we learned how to construct sentences and also how to spell. When her period was over, another teacher walked in. Before she came in, we wished Pn. Saras and greeted the next teacher. Pn Tan, our Mathematics teacher. A teacher who would not stand any nonsense but was kind in every way a person could think of. She taught us how to add and subtract and later, gave us our very first homework. As both teachers had a double period, we had recess after Mathematics so when Pn. Tan had to leave, we quickly thanked her and scrambled our of class. I took my sandwiches that were made by my mother and sat under a tree. I observed the other kids quietly when suddenly, my classmate walked up to me and sat beside me.
"Had fun during Maths?" he asked
"Yeah. You?"
"Same as you," he replied. "What's your name?" he continued.
"Isaiah. Isaiah Tan," I answered.
"How do you pronounce that?"
"I-zay-uh," I replied.
"Oh, sorry for being ride but I've never heard of that name before. By the way, I'm Dwayne. Nice to meet you," he said as he held out his hand to shake mine. I took it and we both became friends. After chatting for a while, we heard the bell ring again and we immediately ran to the stage and took our placed. A teacher stood on the stage and told a few of the remaining students who were in the canteen to hurry up and when he said a few things, he looked the prefects to lead us back to our classroom. Everyone was still excited even after recess was over and it was very noisy. The helpless prefect even had to shout to keep us quiet but to no avail. Our next subject teacher walked in and told us to settle down and prepare for the next lesson which was English. We learned how to spell as we did in Bahasa Melayu and had a dictation test to see how good our listening skills were. I was overjoyed to know that I had scored full marks in that test and received a pat on the back by that teacher. Pn Chang. Another teacher who would not tolerate nonsense but had a good sense of humour. English was also a double period so finally, school was coming to an end. Next was Pendidikan Moral. We greeted him and when we were about to sit, he suddenly shouted loudly.
"YOU!" he pointed at a small boy who was sitting by the door. The boy immediately broke into tears and started crying in his seat.
"Goodness, you guys can't take a joke?" he said as he walked over to the boy and started to comfort him, telling the boy that it was meant to be a joke. The whole class started laughing and in the end, the boy started to laugh between his sobs. After an exhilarating 30 minutes of Pendidikan Moral, it was time to go home. The bell rang and after everyone had thanked the teacher, we quickly grabbed our bags and waited patiently for our parents to arrive and bring us back home. I caught sight of my parents who were smiling at me while waiting at the school gate. Before I left, I wished Dwayne a good day and also told him that I hope to see him again. He thanked me and shook my hands once more. After all that, I got into my father's car and smiled to myself.
"So, how was school?" my mother asked.
" It was fantastic," I replied.
" A full day in school and all you can tell us is just three words?" my father questioned me.
"Oh, alright. Let me tell you ALL of it," I sighed. As I told them everything, they laughed when it was funny and when I had finished telling them everything, we had already reached home. After taking my lunch and my bath, I fell onto my bed and smiled again. Thinking of my new friends and also my first day in school.