PATANA turns 50!

Bangkok Patana School turns 50!

Bangkok Patana School (BPS) turns 50 this year! BPS was where i grew up & learned so much. The foundation of my education began there. I had to go through a very hard one-on-one interview with the principal in order to enroll. I failed the first 2 times... 3rd time was a charm. Obviously, i failed because i can't speak english and the maths test was way beyond what i learned in Malaysia's standard 1 (the questions was multiplication & division... in standard 1 back then, we've only learned how to count, add and subtract).

It was good... i wanted to get in that school... it was so big, so much fun. The first year, i was rejected so my parents had to find some place where i can learn English... guess what.. I've never been to kindergarten and i had to attend the Marry Poppins Kindergarten at the age of 8! There were real small kids... and we, the old kids got into special class... my classmates were my brother, my Malaysian girl friend and her brother as well as 10 other Koreans. It's a school by Philippino nuns... i think it was a methodist kindergarten. Marry Poppins was fun... there were class and about 2-3 birthday parties every week. It was only an old bungalow with a modest playground inside. Since the kids are from different countries, we HAVE to speak English to communicate. It was a good preparation.. I did enroll in BPS!

BPS was a different kind of fun... u know the feeling when u worked as a gas station manager and suddenly u're a manager in the corporate world? that's how i felt (at least that was what i thought i felt). Everything is so cool... there are uniforms (sleeveless tops with knee length skirts in 4 different colors to choose from). The best part... we get to wear whatever sports shoes we like. Since we're not rich (the government support my school fees), i only have one pair of shoes (I chose those shoes and i was too young too be concerned about brands.. so i love those orange shoes)... my classmates were the same people all thru the years. I had teachers from Namibia, England, Australia... and other commonwealth countries (it's a British International School).

I didn't take the school van (the school has hundreds of vans to fetch and send students) coz it's too expensive and we lived about an hour away (sometimes when the traffic gets real bad, we're 2 hours away). We had a van that catered Malaysian students (we lived near the embassy so we're near each other).. there were about 10 of us. We're the only van that gets in late almost everyday! And for being late, we have to report at the Principal's office. Whenever i was done at the office... Tata Young makes an appearance! (she was late, always!).. so that was how i noticed her. She wasn't a star yet back then (she was by the end of the year though) but she was the only regular latecomers besides me & my 'vanmates'. For 6 months i thought she was a Malay (she looks like one) until I saw her on TV competing in a kids singing competition during the Summer Holidays (Yes, she won 1st place).

The 1st year was very depressing... i had trouble catching up with the other students (educationally and socially). The teacher, Mr Kamal from Namibia was so kind... it helped me thru. He put me in ESL(English Second Language), a special class for the not-so-good in spoken English... there were 1 korean and 3 indians. ELS was an interactive class... we didn't have teachers teaching us grammars.. we played board games, singing, talking, laughing. I didn't realize it back then but now i know the teacher had a very good approach... it helps a lot.

the rest of the years was fun... swimming class was fun, PE was even more fun (we did have gymnastics for which i did terribly)... but most fun was after those classes, in the changing room... we gossiped while showering (we girls start real early in life!).

In class we had our own desks where we kept our things... only 20 of us in a class. We had 1 computer in the class, 1 store room where we kept our bags and lunchboxes (and the teacher kept our stationery supplies there too), 1 reading space with carpets & pillows (which we utilized to sleep during breaks).

The learning process was so much fun... we have three semesters in a year where third semester the whole class will study a group of related countries or one particular country. By end of the semester, we would decorate the class as if it was the country... we would have an International Day where each student is given a BPS passport & get as many stamps from different countries (classes) we visit during the day. Before it all, early morning we'd all be dressed in our national costumes and parade around the school. Then we'd all gather at the hard court (roofed area of 4 basketball courts) where there will be performance by each country. To end the gathering, the star students (including Tata Young & the Anwar sibblings) would sing HEAL THE WORLD. Lunch break was at the hall... International Food from all over the world will be served there. We'd walk from stalls to stalls to try the food (but being Muslim, I know I can't eat most of them).

We've got so many events all year long... Fun Day Carnival (where we'd dump the principal in the water), Swimming Day, Sports Day, International Sports Day (SEA international schools), Halloween Party (Dance), Christmas Party, Class Party (eat & dance), Theatre, and so much more. Every year some famous icon would visit the school including Thai & British Royalties. When I was there, Desmond Tutu came to our school.

Classmates... they're quite a mix of people. One handsome malay guy (i had a crush on him so was pretty awkward around him)... he was the cool guy. His best buddies Stephen Day (i had a crush on him too) and Ananda Everingham (yes, that guy from the thriller, SHUTTER.. i didn't have a crush on him... he was so skinny)... they were the class clowns. Then there was Charlotte (a child model), she considers herself my bestfren... she was into black magic (she had books and all sort of black magic things), so i wasn't ready to admit we're best friends although she's the nicest friend. Some frens i remember... Shweta, Tara, Anditha, Camille, Victor, Gregory, Phillipe.

The saddest thing is.. my last days there. My parents didn't want to get me upset so they didn't tell me we were going back to Malaysia. We had summer holidays... so during the holiday was the time we were supposed to go back to Malaysia for good. I didn't know until school was closed for the holiday... i didn't even get my frens contacts. I lost touch with every one of them. I didn't even thank charlotte for being my bestfren! I didn't say goodbye to my favourite teacher (who is responsible for me not eating hot food.. i had a crush on him, and wanted to be like him.. hate hot food).

It was some experience growing up there... it opens up my mind. Thinking back to those days has made me think wiser and broader. BPS had given me what i needed to be the person that I am today. I might not get what they were trying to teach me then, but now i know and i'm learning from those memories they created.

Thank you.. to all those people there. I wish that someday, i can go back there and do something good for the school. AND i really hope i can get in touch with my long lost frens... miss them so much.

(my mom told me that the malay guy from my class is in England but know where exactly... his father set up a business over there and got rich... i'll have to get in touch with him... maybe he'll know how to contact the others)