Find Her

The great change

Tasha and the other eleven students began their journey to Acada, the capital city of Abisaka. It was such a nice feeling for most of them because majority of them have never been to the capital city and this was their first experience. The journey from Akati to Acada took about 6 hours. That was the first time most of them had traveled for such a long distance. Most of them fell asleep along the way. There were many beautiful towns and cities along the way and it was such a beautiful tour for the students. Some of them had not even traveled about 1 kilometer away from Akati. The bus made many stops along the way where they stopped to buy food from convenient shops and also had some rest. The officials took their time to show them important landmarks along the way. It was all part of the learning process. They also had the chance to take photographs at very nice and important places. It was really a fun filled journey and they even forgot how long it took them to arrive at their destination.

After the six hours journey, they finally arrived at Acada. The city was a sight to behold. It was really beautiful and Tasha was extremely excited because it was nothing compared to Agasa village, Akati where her school was located or Shai her hometown. They were amazed to see a lot of cars on the road, bigger convenient stores, high rise buildings, etc. They entered the campus which was heavily walled and gated with the inscription Philadon Academy Of Excellence. They had not seen such a huge structure being called a school before.

They were welcomed by the principal of the institution as they got out of their bus and were taken to the office for other registrations to commence. They were all given a unique student identity card and then escorted to their dormitories. It was a mixed gender school so the boys were sent to where the males were housed and Tasha in addition to two other girls who were also selected from the other classes were sent to the female dormitory. The campus was very huge yet very quiet. They arrived in the school about 3 o'clock and the students had closed for the day and were having their rest. They could see some of the students peeping through their windows to take a glance at them as they entered their dormitories. Tasha and one other girl were allocated to a room and the third girl was also allocated to a different room.

They got to their rooms and met other students there. Tasha quickly grabbed her other colleague by hand out of fear. They were confused to find people already in the room and thought maybe they got into the wrong room. Both ladies were shy and stood at the entrance for some moment. A student in the room noticed what was going on and came out to help them with their luggage. This helped to allayed their fears. They were welcomed warmly into the room and shown their beds. The student who helped with their luggage also help to unpack their stuff and showed them the washroom. Her name was Elsie and she was the leader in the room. She was a bit younger than Tasha. The students knew that exchange program was a frequent tradition in the school therefore were cautioned not to be hostile to any of the visiting students but to welcome them and show them love. The exchange program was not only organized for the students of Opam academy but three other schools from three different towns in three different regions. So there were about forty eight students participating in the exchange program.

When Tasha and her colleague student by name Adina from Opam entered the washroom to take their bath, they could not hold their amazement but to shout, Wow. The place was so clean and fresh. The washroom was beautiful and had modern features that none of them had seen before. It was a more comfortable place to sleep than their homes back in the village. They had to take their bath , have some rest before having dinner.

They were finding it difficult to use some of the gadgets but were also afraid to call for help because they did not want to be laughed at. Elsie noticed that none of them was back to their beds after a moment and decided to check on them. There they were in the washroom unable to use the shower and other things.

Elsie giggled for a bit and taught them how to use the things in the washroom.

They quickly took their bath and went to rest on their beds. The beds were so comfortable and the sheets smelled so nice. Tasha felt so restful in her spirit that all she could do as she laid down was smile.

After an hour of resting, they heard a knock at the door. It was another set of students from another school that were escorted in. The room was a large hall which could accommodate six people. So there were two students from the host school, two from Opam which was Tasha and Adina, then two other girls from another school. So it was six girls in one hall.

Tasha was fast asleep when she heard footsteps and loud noises coming from outside the room. She woke up and realized the students were getting prepared to have dinner. Apparently the siren had rang but she was too fast asleep and did not hear it. Their journey was far and they were physically exhausted. So after taking her bath and laying on a comfortable bed, she was taken by sleep. Some of the students were taking their baths whiles others were seen walking about in groups on the campus. There were, shouts, name callings whiles others were running on the pavement. She could not continue her sleep again but to wake up and prepare for dinner.

Philadon Academy Of Excellence had from the basic stage to the junior high level. The basic school had a different campus from the junior high, and divided by just a huge wall. The basic form was a day school whiles the junior high was a boarding school. The total population for the school was about three hundred and fifty students.

Thirty minutes later all the students were gathered in a large all for their dinner. Elsie led Tasha and Adina to the hall. Tasha could not believe her eyes. There was enough food to eat. They followed Elsie and joined the queue for the food. There was enough meat and fruits and she had to take as much as she could eat. She wanted to fetch everything on the menu to the plate but realized the students may laugh at her and call her a glutton. The hall was very neat and spacious and everyone had a table and chair to sit on.

Dinner was almost over but Tasha and Adina wished they could eat some more because the food was so delicious and they still got some more food left in their plates. Elsie realized they were unwilling to leave the table even though dinner was over so she asked them to relax and eat. They could not eat fast like the other students from the beginning because they were shy.

The other two girls who joined them later in the dormitory were led by another student and also came to the hall after dinner was over. They could not finish taking their baths early before the siren rang for dinner. There was enough food still in the hall so they were able to also have dinner.

After dinner Elsie led them to the library. The school had big library which worked from morning till evening and was only closed when the students retire to bed by 9pm. So the students had the choice to either learn in the classroom or the library in the evenings. This experience was really new to Tasha because back in her school at Opam, the library had some few books and students were not allowed in just anyhow. Even though the library was a place for learning, their librarian comes to school and opens the place just twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. The librarian had two jobs so he was able to avail himself just two times within the weak because the school was unable to pay him well therefore they agreed on his schedule.

Many students sat in the library to read and do assignments. The library had story books, newspapers, computers that were connected to the internet, etc. For a moment Tasha thought she was in a wonderland. She just could not believe that a school could have all these. She now understood why the students in the city schools were always excellent and appeared much intelligent compared to those of them in the towns and villages.

The following morning, the students gathered on the assembly ground. The assembly was addressed by the principal of the school, Mrs Agaka. The participants of the exchange program were officially introduced to the students and the program was officially launched. The participants were then taken on a familiarization tour in the school. They were shown all the places that they needed to know so that it would not be difficult for them to move around on the campus. They were shown the library, the classrooms, laboratories, sports center, conference room, the visitors garden, etc.

A schedule was then drawn for the various activities that they would be having throughout their stay in the school.

Classes were about to begin and the visiting students were taken to their respective classes. The siren rang for classes to begin for the day and all the students loitering about departed to their classrooms.

Tasha located her classroom with the assistance of Elsie and Adina also went to a different classroom. Tasha was not happy that she was left alone. Her only companion had left her and she would be all alone in a strange class. How was she going to cope; she asked herself quietly.

But fortunately for her, Elsie happened be in the same class with her. Even though Elsie was not one of the students from Opam that she knew, she was the one that helped them throughout their day yesterday and she was quiet okay with it because Elsie seemed nice.

There were six other participants in the class with Tasha.

The day was a beautiful one for Tasha. He had never really experienced a day like that in her school, Opam academy. She felt virtually free and unnoticed. There was no pressure from any angle and for a moment she did not even realize it was a classroom. There was no student that worried her neither did any teacher put pressure on her to answer questions or anything. She did not know that schooling could be that interesting.

Teachers and students were all cautioned by the authorities to allow the visiting students to feel at home and comfortable. The program was meant for learning as well as having fun and not a military zone. Teachers were supposed to develop the most creative ways of teaching without putting fear into the students. For the first week of the program, the students were to be allowed to find their own ways of incorporating and also mingling with their peers.

The first week was not meant to be so stressful. The activities for the day were more of a fun one. They were to have audiovisuals. The classes were full of presentations that had audios, videos, music and a lot of educative information. Tasha had never experienced that form of teaching and she was really trilled by it. She wondered if the teachers of Philadon academy were from Mars and her teachers at Opam academy were from Pluto, because the method of teaching was so different.

The siren rang for lunch break and they all went to the hall to have their meal. She realized that there was no external food vendors on the campus. The canteen was run by the school and it had everything that the students needed. The canteen had foods and other items that were free for all students and another section that one had to pay for the items. There was so much variety.

The meal for lunch was so delicious that she wished the break was extended. There was free drinks, fruits and ice creams and each student was entitled to one of them according to their preference. She just could not believe her eyes because she knew there were many days that she did not step foot in the canteen at Opam academy because she had no money. And these same items were given freely at Philadon academy. For a moment tears almost dropped from her eyes because she wondered why her life was so different from the children here.

Lunch was over and they were about to leave the hall. Elsie bought two large pieces of chocolate from the canteen and gave her one. Tasha was so excited that someone was generous to her because these kinds of gestures hardly come her way. Chocolates were hard to come buy at the part of the country where she lives. She tasted chocolates first when she was a little girl staying with her parents at Shai. Her dad bought it for her when he traveled once to the city because he was gainfully employed by then. The other one was when her dad visited them in the village of Agasa. It was a Christmas season and he bought it for them as Christmas gift. No one sold chocolates in her village and most kids have not even tasted it before. She also saw one in a shop at Akati where her school was but it was not something that she could afford. She saw it in a shop that belonged to the parents of her classmate, Joan. She had seen Joan eat chocolates a couple of times in the classroom but was too shy to ask for some even though she saw her mates asking. So chocolate was more like something for the rich. She was amazed to see a lot of it on the shelves at the canteen and the students were buying them in their numbers. She then realized that, the school was for the rich and wealthy.

She quickly took a big bite of the chocolate and put the rest in her pocket. The siren rang for lessons to continue and all student hurried to their classrooms. The learning activities for the day continued with very interesting subjects but Tasha was not able to fully pay attention. She frequently visited the washroom to ease herself. She gave the excuse to ease herself just to go and take a bite of the chocolate. She could not concentrate in the classroom whiles the chocolate was in her pocket. Her attention was all on the chocolate and not the teacher. So she used the washroom excuse to eat her chocolate until it was finished.

The day was a long one and finally classes were over and all the students departed to their various dormitories to have a rest before it was time for dinner and evening lessons. The resting hours were compulsory for every student because the school takes the health of each student seriously and they know how important rest was. When all the girls returned to the room Tasha told Adina all that happened in her class and about the chocolate. She also thanked Elsie for her kind gestures. She was exhausted for the day and quickly went to her bed to have some sleep before it was time for dinner. As she laid on her bed, she was smiling because her second day in the school was also a beautiful one and she prayed the rest of her stay would also be full of good memories.

One hour into her sleep, her alarm clock rang and she woke up to take her bath. She also woke Adina because they do no want to be late for dinner like the other girls did yesterday. Both of them got to the washroom and for a moment stared at each other and burst into laughter. They remembered how they could not operate the shower and the other gadgets yesterday. They did that perfectly today and just laughed over it. Both of them kept a bit longer in the shower just to have fun with it. It was a really nice experience under the shower. Tasha knew how she walks long distances in the village to fetch water at the river side and was very careful in using water.

Elsie and the other girls also woke up later and took their bath. The siren rang later and all of them went out to the hall to have their dinner.

After dinner, Elsie asked to take Tasha to the library so they could do some research on what was taught in class. Tasha agreed and was grateful to Elsie for reaching out to her and trying to make her comfortable since she arrived. Elsie was the class prefect and also the leader in her dormitory. She was a very smart and intelligent girl and had a lot of admirers. The teachers were always very happy with her because she was good at organizing and leading her class. Most of her mates were hoping she would become the girls senior prefect of the school when she gets to the final form as she is now in her second form.

Tasha felt so lucky for a person of such caliber to befriend her. Elsie took Tasha to the library for the research. She also took the opportunity to roam a little bit in the library to familiarise herself with the various sections. There was a computer section with internet where those who need to use the web for research can do that. Opam academy had two computers donated to the school but they could not get a teacher so the computers were packed at the headmasters office. Tasha was happy that by the time she leaves the school, she would be equipped with knowledge in Information Technology.

Elsie showed her where she could get good story books if she wants to relax herself by reading, etc. They spent good time doing the research and Elsie was able to explain more to Tasha all that was taught in class and Tasha was catching up well. Elsie noticed Tasha was not so fluent in her reading and promised to help her do better.

They finished with their research and left the library. They also passed through the classroom to say goodnight to some other friends before heading back to the dormitory as the siren rang for close of preps.

The following day, the class was more interesting. They had story telling times as one of the creative methods of teaching. A lesson is always deduced from the stories that were told and also questions were asked, this made the class more interactive. They also had a long break where there was no teaching but students were allowed to explore on their own. Some decided to go to the library to read, some stayed in the classroom to chat with their friends whiles others also just took the time to rest.

Tasha and Elsie took the opportunity to get some story books at the library. They wanted to get back to the classroom to read but they thought the library would be more quiet so they decided to stay in the library to read. Elsie was patient with Tasha whiles helping her to read. She made sure Tasha had good use of the two hours free period. Elsie taught her how to use simple methods to speed up her learning process. They had dictation and spelling sessions, etc. The two hours were very fruitful even though a bit stressful. Tasha was determined to learn because of the last experience she had with her home tutor, Mr Mark. She did not know how easy and quick it would be for her to get another tutor. The free period was over and classes in general was over for the day. The free period was the last set of teaching periods for the day. Tasha took the story book to the dormitory so she could continue reading when there was a free opportunity. She was grateful to Elsie for helping her develop her vocabulary and reading ability.

She spent some few more minutes going over what she learnt at the library because she was determined to make a great change. She fell asleep eventually.

Back at Agasa, Ms Betty finally told Tobi and her siblings the news about Tasha. They were happy for her but missed her a lot. They wished to also travel to the city one day. Tobi broke the news to Nuna when she asked about Tasha because she had not seen her in a long while.