New Beginnings.

The last six months have been pretty trying for me. It started with my good friends at school, leaving, for various reasons.

So, I didn't really have anybody at school that I could be with. People kept telling me that I would find other friends...it didn't really turn out that way, but I've already spoken about that situation in my previous post. I won't bore you with retelling the story.

But, as I've said in my last post, I refused to go to school (sounds pretty melodramatic, but I couldn't bring myself to going back there). I was in a place where I felt I had no options - it was either Bergvliet or .....

As I look back at myself, the way I was feeling, I can tell you in all honesty that I was having pretty dark thoughts about life.

Don't worry, I am not thinking any dark thoughts anymore. I am now in a happy space.

The reason for this was that after my last emotional meltdown, my parents created options for me. For me, staying at Bergvliet wasn't a viable option. So we found another one.

My mom has connections all over the place because of her being CEO of The Chaeli Campaign - which is helpful when you're in desperate need. So, mom phoned Reddam House Constantia.

They called back in a matter of days. It was a Monday. They said that I had an interview and an entrance exam on Thursday. Naturally I started freaking out because I had three days to wrap my mind around this situation. I went on the Thursday, wrote the entrance exam (the whole three hours of it), and then we had an interview with the headmaster, Mr Dave Clark.

He is amazing. The way he interacts with students, and me, is a way that you are speaking as equals and you are the most important person in the room. He makes a you feel valued. Important.

After about a week Mr Clark called my parents to organise a meeting. They went and it turned out that I had passed the entrance exam (huge sigh of relief on my part) and they wanted me to go to the school as soon as possible as they starting the matric syllabus soon. It was a Thursday. Looks like Thursdays are good days for us.

Being the people we are, we don't do things slowly.

The Monday and Tuesday after that I went to Bergvliet to say goodbye and thank you to my teachers for being the most amazing people who were so supportive of me in everything. Especially in an environment and attitude where some people aren't very positive about inclusion. I appreciate what they did more than they could ever know.

After that emotional..ness.

Wednesday I went to Reddam to introduce myself to the staff. My nerves. The nervous laughter kind of gave me away. It was good though. Then Thursday I introduced myself to my grade. Epic nerves. Only the first minute until the microphone had feedback, that broke the tension a little bit. Ear drums too. I stayed there for the rest of that day, and started 'officially' on the Friday.

My first week at Reddam has been incredible. Everybody is so willing to help in any way. The thing that was so amazing to me was that Mr Clark said that they know there will be challenges, but we can work through them with creative solutions. It's been weird for me, though, because I'm used to fighting for things to happen, I'm used to everything being an impossible feat. It's not like that at all at Reddam. It's so refreshing, such a breath of much-needed fresh air.