The 5 Weirdest Things About Starting A New School

pancakes_girl, we think you're really brave for starting a new school, and we know you're going to have a fantastic year!—Sparkitors

I was in the middle of enjoying my awesomesause summer and reveling in the joys of cheese and friends and sleep (SLEEP!) when it finally sank in: I. Have. A. New. School. Yes, folks, I was forced to leave my happy, homey high school in Detroit and move all the way to Austin, Texas, where it's hotter, meaner, and...did I say hotter? But I made it through the first week, and now that I've  survived, I want to share the five weirdest things about starting a new high school.

1. The teachers. My new science teacher, Mr. Berman, is literally a ball of hair. Well, maybe not literally, but he does look like a tumbleweed. I basically spent the whole first day trying to ignore the fact that he bears a striking resemblance to a character on Sesame Street; there are probably mice nesting in his eyebrows. And that makes it hard to concentrate, especially when he's talking about animals eating each other and deadly diseases and I'm snickering silently at the intricate movements of his beard.

2. The other teachers. The English teacher is pretty epic, actually. She has a poster of Edward Cullen with glitter sprinkled all over it up on the wall. I suspect she might be a Sparkitor. Dan, are you secretly a Texan female English teacher?

3. The cafeteria. Where I came from (Detroit), lots of people ate outside. It was nice to be out, and Michigan in late summer is beautiful. Besides, we all know cheese is best with some beautiful scenery. Well, Austin is much hotter. Much, MUCH hotter. In fact, it's hot enough that I don't know if my brain can process how hot it is, considering it's probably melting. And my attempts to sit outside at lunch on the first day were met with dismal failure, because not only did my lunch basically fuse together, but I was baking after five minutes. Air-conditioning, here I come!

4. The kids. I never really realized before just how frequently inside jokes permeate everyday conversations. For instance, does the sentence, "You are hungry, Sir Scott!" mean anything to you? No? Well, me neither. But apparently it does to the groups of guys on my bus, because they spent about half an hour repeating it. Is Sir Scott a hamster? Was he ever fed? I hope someday to find out.

5. The unfamiliarity. This has been the hardest thing to deal with. There are so many things we take for granted about our schools, like knowing where the vending machines are, knowing which teachers are covered in failsauce, and knowing which lunches are disgusting and potentially deadly. It's been odd just not knowing these things, and it's something I have to adjust to.

But even though a new school can be difficult, I want to make friends! I want to get to know the teachers! I want to learn! I want to meet other Sparklers! And I'm looking forward to doing that...as long as I can forget the horror Mr. Berman's beard. Wish me luck!

We wish you SO much luck, pancakes, and we know you're going to do great! Just get some sunscreen, and maybe a fan.

Related post: 32 Bad Ideas for the First Day of School