When I stepped through the school gates on the day of my Chemistry board exam in March 2020, I didn't know it would be the last time I would ever walk in as a student of Bombay Scottish School. Perhaps if I did I would have cherished it more.
Scottish has always been less brick and mortar and more memories and legacies of students present and past.
Memories as beautiful as the soft pink and white frangipani flower rings we were taught to make
As clear as the tears we shed the day we realized that the culmination of twelve years of our lives was finally here.
The field, where we spent countless assemblies half asleep and just as many lunch breaks panting and drenched in sweat
Racing to our classes at the sound of the bell, trampling anyone who got in our way
Hatching plots to skip a class but begging for them when Teachers' Day came around
We prayed and prayed for Mission week when we were one class away from asleep
Showed up at 7.30 for sports practices that started an hour earlier
And chased each other around the computer lab for a stick of glue or rushed to finish assignments that were due.
When I think about school, I do not feel ashamed by my (many) embarrassing moments, or upset about my failures. A certain calmness washes over me like a cool monsoon breeze.
Scottish is the place where we discovered our passion and forged unbreakable bonds with students and teachers alike. Even today, walking past those school gates would bring memories flooding back in vivid detail.
And if you're really quiet and listen very carefully, you can hear the silent whisperings of the walls of the corridors that have seen students come and go and have witnessed them live through some of the most memorable moments of their lives.
Keisha Kaba
Class of 2020