by Noah Everard, Year 13 Student, Kaipara College
If you were to look back and read every single one of my articles, a common trend would appear. First, it would begin with a pretentious statement. Second, I would almost always start describing the weather. It’s a cheap shot, I agree. Marketable and easy to understand. Is it a crime? No. I start with the weather, because it’s simple and overarching. Quite literally hanging over all our heads. Commonalities make art accessible, so what better to use than the weather.
Rain, wind, hail. Spring… is that you? Goodbye winter, hello polar blast. I swear Auckland always experiences the damp nature of the climate. While others in the South Island and Taupo are gifted with snowfall and closed roads. Will the skies clear soon? Who knows. Trying to predict this region’s weather is like trying to catch smoke. Bring a raincoat wherever you go and a pair of sunnies just in case.
For about the first week of September you may have been fortunate enough to see Kaipara students wandering about Helensville attempting to supplement their nervous gut. Or otherwise, you could have been one of those unfortunate Kaipara students, praying that a harmless catastrophe would occur, cancelling all mock exams. As a year 13 this was my third run at mock week, and surprisingly it wasn’t that bad. Sure, sitting in the same spot for three hours trying to focus on one thing, and then doing it again an hour later is never pleasant. But, it was still easier than the previous years. I remember being unexplainably nervous. My stomach was in my throat and butterflies fluttered about. I would think, “What if I just forgot everything. What if I can’t concentrate and fall asleep!” And now I snort at these insecurities, dubbing them as ‘frivolous’. But nonetheless, those fears are still possible. It is completely plausible that you can forget everything as soon as you begin your exam, or that you drift off, cushioning your head on the desk. And so what, it’s a possibility and it will always be a possibility. Minimise it as much as you can, but it will always exist, residing in the depths of your mind, as a dormant fear, ready to be ignited by the quake of nervousness.
A little before mock exams began I spent ten days visiting both Victoria and Canterbury University. It wasn’t quite like a holiday as some of you may think. Instead, it acted as a continual study session, with spurts of utter relaxation. The cities were nice, but an undisputed favourite arose. Wellington was quite lively. The compact layout coupled with the tall buildings made one feel like an ant in a maze, zigzagging between streets and shops. This feeling did denote a slight rushed atmosphere, but then again I was only there for three days. The other seven were spent leisurely in Christchurch, which I found to be a very neat place. The wider roads and shorter structures felt as though there was more room to breathe and growing up in a rural town this aspect was very important. All in all Christchurch and the University of Canterbury won the match. I can confidently say that I can see myself doing more tedious exams there, in the years to come.
