A Story By Vanessa
The results from the common entrance exam came back and we had passed onto the next level of education. The plan was to attend the Bequia Anglican High School, where my mother once taught, but plans changed. We had done well enough on the exams to go to school on the mainland, and a family had been found for us to board with. We had never heard of this school, and had never been to town on our own, so it was a huge and terrifying step! We would be attending St. Joseph’s Convent School Kingstown, and forever be Convent Girls.
There was an orientation before school started where we were sorted into three classes and houses a la Harry Potter. Rachel and I were put in different houses and classes and so would only see each other at break and lunch. The uniform was similar to Bequia Anglican Primary, though the skirt had wider pleats, was lighter in colour (read harder to iron and keep clean) and required a white belt and shoes. Everything was colour coded and exact, no exceptions, all down to hair accessories and petit coats!
Each morning we lined up to go in to assembly, and were inspected by the prefects. Some were told to clip fingernails, others to clean shoes, and some were docked for missing house badges. I may not have liked it, but I can tell you it worked – I shake my head when I see people with dirty shoes and clothing now, my own always tidy from five years of strict codes! Because the school was run by the Sisters of Cluny it was very religious. The schools on Bequia were also church schools, but no church officials were on site. Our headmistress was a nun and very formidable, both feared and loved by her students. There were morning prayers, before meal prayers, after meal prayers, and end of day prayers, and a rosary circle at lunch if you felt so inclined. Church was attended every Wednesday morning, regardless of religious affiliation – the Catholics went to their church, the Anglicans to theirs etc. The school was strict, and for some it was not a happy place to be, but I somehow fit in and loved it. My sister did not enjoy her time there as much as I did, but we made some wonderful friends with friendships that have weathered the test of time.
We found being away from Bequia and our family too hard, so living on the mainland did not last long. I thought it meant an end to Convent School, but it was decided to try the ferry each morning. It meant getting up at 5 am every morning, ironing uniforms, packing lunches, eating breakfast and rushing to catch the 6:30 ferry. The walk from the ferry to school with those heavy backpacks was sometimes done in a semi trance. We went through so many bags because they could not handle all our books (textbook plus workbook, test books and binder for each subject), and had to walk with shoe polish to cover the grime from the boat and street. By Friday we were often very tired, but I only remember dozing off in class a few times, certainly no more than my classmates. There was even a time a teacher let me sleep because she knew I had good reason to be tired! Our mother’s favourite motto was ‘what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger’. I hated it when she said this, because it usually meant doing something you didn’t want to do, but she sure was right!
Thanks to the ferry in all kinds of weather we gained sea legs and stomachs of steel. Many people questioned this decision by our parents, and for the first few years we were the only kids doing this journey. But people soon saw that it was working just fine and we were joined by other students. This made the journey easier somehow. We all went to different schools and would do homework together, and watch the dolphins play alongside the boat. On Fridays the children who boarded on the mainland would also make the journey back to Bequia with us, and it was nice to hang with them. It was also the only time we got to watch TV, as we were not allowed TV on school nights unless it was hurricane season; then we could watch the weather.
By the time we got off the ferry at 5:30 we were starving and tired and ready for those uniforms to come off. After dinner we did any remaining homework, packed our bags according to the next day’s schedule, cleaned our shoes and were in bed by 8.
I may be a morning person, but I think I have put in my share of early mornings for a lifetime, and though those days were wonderful I don’t miss the alarm going off at 5!