I had a few days of orientation before the first day so I had time to choose my classes and get a feel for the school, but today was my first official day at Rangitoto College! I really didn't know what to expect going into it, but I actually had a really good time despite being overwhelmed.
I woke up at around 6:45 to start getting ready. School starts at 9 o'clock, but I needed plenty of time because I was taking the public bus and it made quite a few stops. Although I got on the bus around 7:30, I got to school a few minutes late because the traffic was so bad. Rangitoto is the biggest college in the Southern Hemisphere, and looking at the map only made it more intimidating. I made it to my tutor period (which is kind of like a homeroom that you have for 20 minutes every morning) just in time for roll.
My first class of the day was Statistics. We checked out our textbooks and looked over the syllabus. I realized (a little too late) that school functioned completely differently here than it did in America. After the first year of high school, students choose the subjects they want to focus on, and the material becomes progressively harder each year. In America you have to take certain classes every year in order to graduate, but in New Zealand you choose your classes based on your interests, and what you want to do in university. Long story short, Statistics at Rangitoto was WAY beyond my skill level, so I switched out. My second class was Food Technology, which seems like it will be fun and a little bit challenging. We get to cook one day a week, and then for the rest of the week we learn about the science behind our food and why certain ingredients react the way they do.
Both of my morning classes were an hour long, so we get to have "Afternoon Tea" as a break. It's basically just a 25 minute period so you can have some time to eat a snack, talk to your friends, or crash study before an exam. After break I went to my third period, which is also called a "double" because it's 80 minutes instead of 40 or 60 like the others. Today my double was Physics, which is pretty much the same story as Statistics. It seemed like a really interesting class, but I knew it would be too challenging for me based on what I've learned back home.
After Physics I went to Photography. Unfortunately, they put me in the wrong class. It was called "DIP" or "Digital International Photography" and was designed for students who didn't speak English as a first language to grow in their writing and oral skills. Luckily, I'll be able to switch into the regular Photography class.
After fourth period I'd usually have lunch and then one more class before going home. Although, since I'm in Year 13, I have what's called a "study period". It's really just an off period, so I got to leave early and have lunch at home. All in all it was an easy day academically, but I was receiving a lot of information (and half of it was going straight over my head) which made me feel a bit stressed out. Once I resolve all of my schedule changes I'm sure things will get better!
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