Confessions of a Cat-holic (11)

I knew I kind of needed a way out, out from this state of chaos. But I was not sure where to. I was not upset about my school. On the contrary, I actually enjoyed going to school every day, despite the aforementioned issues. I had been a typical product of St. Francis. I had been part of the school; the school had become part of me. I possessed a little bit of everyone in my community, perhaps of a milder degree. There was nothing I would want to change about my school. But the pursuit of happiness was never my priority in life. I needed some peace of mind. I would give up my joy for a moment of tranquillity and personal safety.

I was thinking about True Light in Tai Hang, and the one in Ap Lei Chau even. Reasons for the Ap Lei Chau school was obvious: proximity. I have always liked reading novels by Amy Cheung. She was still my favorite author, even after some 25 years since I first fell in love with her quotes. She was a graduate of True Light in Tai Hang.

Then I was also considering St Paul's Convent, for its overall impression. I already picked up an application form at its administrative office, almost sending it out next. But judging from the profiles and demographics of the gangster newbies from middle school, I knew that I should never judge a school from outside or risk going to an unfamiliar institution based purely on its reputation. I grew up in Wanchai and had been an old girl of St Francis since grade 1. No one told me that our secondary school was an MMA battlefield. Our girls looked perfectly polished, educated, well mannered and refined, viewing from afar. Who would have thought that our seniors could slap an egg tart onto the face of an unlucky mate from Tang King Po school inside the elevator of Hopewell? One painful lesson I learned from the newbies was that girls fought way more fiercely than boys, and that I should never underestimate the power of estrogens. I was almost sure that I did not want to repeat the fight scenes in another girl's school, only to find out that I could be that newbie who got beaten up. I got by alright at St Francis because I had my atrocious friends around me. Moving to a new environment might mean that I could be on my own fighting on a strange land.

Then there came Kit Hui and Grace. I had gathered two distinct samples from my target school, St Paul's Co-educational College. Both assured me of a serene Christian culture of the Anglican church, standing on its own overlooking everyone on the mid-levels of Victoria Peak. With the encouragement of my parents, I knew that St Paul's Co-educational College would be a temporary safe haven for me, out of reach from the squaddies of my alma mater. That being said, my alma mater was not a secluded monastery and the new school was just two bus stops away. In case there were any spiteful snitching, I knew the best my new schoolmates could do might just be throwing me with the words of gospel.