Querencia Draft

        As I step feet away from the campus, I can already hear the laughter & joy of those student waiting for their parents at the lanai near the office. I am swept away from the gentle breeze of the refreshing wind. I can't help but think of all the great times I had here. Although I only attended Saint Theresa Catholic School for 3 years, I feel so attached to it. It is like my second home. Coming from a public school, it is really different. You learn more discipline here. At first, it hated this place, but later on after graduating and looking back, I realized that it actually helped me. It taught me how to be the mature, independent, strong young woman I am today. They taught me time management skills, over achieving, and especially to not be afraid to live up my faith.
      I guess I realize now how important it is to include God in your daily life. Not only do I just love the school, but also the church. I always love to go to confession because it gives me a time to let out all the guilt I have inside me and start fresh again. I love staying back after mass either when I'm altar serving or going with my family because the silence after the mass if just so overwhelming. It's calming a peaceful almost like a getaway from the real world. You can actually hear yourself think, it's really relaxing.
     Whenever it comes to visiting the school, I never get tired walking around visiting all the places where we had our greatest laughs and funniest moments. It's really fun seeing all those old & new faces around school. Also getting to see all the changes they made over the year. There is never a year they didn't change up the rules. It makes us, as the alumnis of the school jealous to want to go back another year. I love how there are so many different places to chill. If you ever visit this place, you would understand. It is always breezy with the sound of birds and laughing children. To me, it's calming. I never mind being alone for a while, because it's on of those places where it won't matter. It might be a little school, but in all, it's quite easier to memorize names and make friends. I think the only thing I didn't like about the school was the uniforms! I hate showing my legs because I am extremely paranoid about them. Our uniforms used to be skorts and jumpers so I would always freak out because I hated when people looked at my legs! I actually learned how to be a tougher volleyball player too, because since our court was outdoors, we had an advantage over other schools that had gyms and indoor courts. Although I did get a little more darker after awhile, my mom actually got mad because of it. I was a big trouble maker back then, so I always got punishment laps where I would have to run around the whole church depending how many times I got in trouble. I'm pretty sure in all, I probably ran around 45 times through the whole season.
      Saint Theresa is not just an ordinary school, it more than that. They taught me how to love one another and bond as a family. It's a place where you can go to collect your thoughts. To have good laughs and memories that will last a life time. It is definately a place I will never forget.

  

"My Special Place"

Where do you go to think?

When i need space to think or whenever I feel like I need some time to myself after a bad day at school or when something is bothering me, I go to Saint Theresa Catholic School in Kalihi and walk around for awhile. It was my middle school, full of good laughs, great times, and so much of my favorite memories. I go there because it helps me to connect with myself whenever I feel lost. I love it when the younger grades come to greet me when I visit because it reminds me of how lucky I am to have so many friends that care, and also because they can be so supportive and extremely helpful whenever I need a shoulder to cry on or a good laugh after a long day no matter how big the situation might be. At times when I feel like being alone, I would go the back stairs of the school and play songs off my phone. Other times when i need a place to just reflect on things, I would sit on the small wall next to the 1st grader's garden and wait until a refreshing gust of wind comes and brushes through my face because for some reason, it makes me smile. And before I leave, I always look back at the Saint Theresa Statue in front of the school, because to me, it looks as if she's smiling and waving goodbye, it gives me this warm feeling inside! There is so much things I can say about this place, I never get bored going back to visit! :)