(circa. 23 Julie 2024)
IT ALL BEGAN IN 1991
I started High School in 1989 in a very odd way. My older Brother (Martin) was in Matric and a Prefect and my Sister (Isella) was a Year older than me and in Standard 7 - all 3 siblings in the same School at the same time, for the last time as well. Martin's best friend was the Head Boy, Dawie, and his Brother (Wilhelm) was in the same Year as my Isella. Martin was popular amongst almost every Teacher in that School, which only had about 1 000 Pupils. As per tradition, the first 2 Weeks are spent on "Initiation" and the Standard 6's had to wear silly hats, do silly things and so on and it's all "Managed" by the Student Council, ergo my Brother too. I just went with the flow and didn't protest when another Prefect would pick on me, because they didn't like Martin, or when I was required to attend an "Interview" with a Teacher. Martin told almost every Teacher when he was in Standard 9, that his younger Brother is starting the next year. Just note that even though I'm writing in English, I was born and Raised Afrikaans, in Afrikaans Schools and Churches etc.
The first day of High School was a blur, information overload and we were being kept busy by the Prefects and given tours, barely had time for Lunch. On the Second day, things calmed down and when we weren't in the Hall, we were split up between the different Standard 6 Guardian Teachers' Classes. Believe me or not, even though The School informed us that the Pupils would be grouped together based on the Subjects they choose, they used our Standard 5 Results as a Basis to make up a Class of about 30 Pupils. To make the "Transition Easier" on us, "The Class" would meet each Standard 6 Guardian Teacher and they would have discussions about the "Make up" of the Class, during the day, shuffling Pupils around between Classes. After the first week, there were only about 15 of the Original 30 Pupils in my Class and the others who ended up with us, came from other Classes. It was only then when we were told that we were in the Class 6A, our Guardian Teacher was the Department Head for Accounting and Martin told me that being in 6A with Her as Guardian Teacher means they wanted Pupils who perform well Academically and who are Competitive.
During that week, I didn't really try to get to know the other pupils, because they were coming and going the whole time. On the Third day, the Teacher called me, so I grabbed my bag thinking I would be moved, but she told me to leave it. She told me to go to Mrs Hallat's class, she's waiting for me and I must hurry. Almost getting lost along the way, I found the class, the door was open and she was sitting behind her desk. She wasn't introduced to us yet, so I knocked on the door and waited. She looked up, must have been in her early 50's, and started talking to me in English, calling me "Little-Martin". I was taller than Martin already and responded to her in English that my name is Wimpie. She was the Department Head for English and "had to be the first" to meet Little-Martin, to which I replied that it's Wimpie and "How do you do Ma'am"? I think that must have been where my bitch-ness started. She "Interviewed" me for about 15 minutes, in English, a bit disappointed because I didn't share Martin's passion for the English Classics. Mrs Hallat's daughter was in the same Class as Martin and they were friends from Standard 6.
Later that day, I had to meet another Teacher for an "Interview". This time it was Martin's Geography Teacher, but she also taught English. So guess what? Rinse and Repeat, but Ms Roestorf (typical Pretoria Blond Bimbo) decided to "Interview" me in English as well, because she was friends with Mrs Hallat. I knew about Ms Roestorf already, because she was Unmarried, a Real bitch, she liked Martin because he was her Top Performer, but she was damn scared of my Mother and I knew it. Every question was sarcastic, each response from me challenged her and we would be challenging each other until I was in Matric and had her as a Teacher for Geography. Each day thereafter, I was "Interviewed" by Teachers that would only have me in their Class a few years later. Until today, I have no idea what the fascination about "Little-Martin" was, but it gave me a bit of an advantage because I quickly found out who my "Enemies" would be and who their "Enemies" were, because the Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend. It turned out that all the "Enemies" adored Martin and the Rest were my Supporters until Matric, giving advice and even a "heads-up" now and again when the "Enemies" were planning something. I just really tried hard to maintain a low profile, until Standard 8.
My Standard 8 Guardian Teacher was also my Math Teacher, but she was just a "Stand-in" for that year because there were more pupils taking Math than usual. I also happened to know her on a Personal level, because she was a Mother of one of Martin's Girl friends - just friends. I didn't do well in Math in Standard 6 and Martin mentioned it to Andrie (the friend) and somehow Andrie's Mother offered to give me extra Math classes for free. I knew her by her First Name, so we both found it funny when I would call her Mrs Bezuidenhoudt. That year, my Grades for Math went from low-60% to mid-90% I out-performed the Girl who was the Top Math Pupil in Standard 6 and 7, but she beat me by 2% in the Final Exam. Ms Roestorf didn't like Mrs Bezuidenhoudt much, because Mrs Bezuidenhoudt was friends with Mrs Smith, who was my English Teacher in Standard 8, and Mrs Smith and Ms Roestorf made it quite clear that they despise each other, even in front of pupils. The School didn't have a "Tuck-shop", so Mrs Bezuidenhoudt approached the Principal with a Proposal to start a Tuck-shop and she picked a few pupils to "Work" in the Shop during breaks. Some pupils told her promptly that they weren't interested, but let me tell you. Not only did we get "Paid" with a Soda, Chips and a Chocolate of our choice, each break, but every pupil in the School knew me and I knew them. I was also assigned to assist Teachers who came to the Tuck-shop - just me. The only draw-back was that the building used to be a Store-room, brick-built, Tin Roof, No Ceiling or Fans and even in Winter it was warm inside.
One really warm Summer day, we were really busy and normally Mrs Bezuidenhoudt would step in and help the Teachers, but she was busy discussing the Shop's profitability with the Vice-Principal when Ms Roestorf and Mrs Hallat walked in. I was helping 2 pupils at the same time and politely told them that I would be with them in a moment, then Mrs Smith walked in - OIL on FIRE!
- Let me REWIND. Every morning, except Mondays, the pupils will gather on a huge Courtyard in front of the Admin-building for "Opening". On Tuesdays and Thursdays a Teacher would "Open" with a Bible-reading, bit of a Message and Prayer. On Wednesdays and Fridays it would be one of the Student Council Prefects. The previous week, Ms Roestorf had her turn to "Open", but (we all joked about it) when she started Praying her voice changed from its normal sharp, loud, screeching to a calm, soft tone as if she was talking to a baby.
- BACK TO THE TUCK-SHOP: That morning Mrs Smith had her turn to "Open", but before she even opened the Bible, she started with a Qquote (I will never forget it): "Never trust someone who has to change his tone of voice when asking something from The Lord". I almost lost it right there, because Ms Roestorf was standing behind her on one side and Mrs Bezuidenhoudt on the other side and somehow my eyes met Mrs Bezuidenhoudt's eyes and I could see her trying really hard not to burst out laughing. Ms Roestorf on the other side, started faking a cough while Mrs Smith was reading from the Bible, probably to distract her, but then she just left, walking into the Admin-building.
- The first moment I got, I turned to Ms Roestorf and Mrs Halat to assist them, with Roestorf making a comment like "Finally", loud enough to get Mrs Bezuidenhoudt's attention. She told me what she wanted and I asked Halat what she wanted, turned around and got whatever and as I walked backed to the 2 Women, Mrs Bezuidenhoudt was right behind me. Mrs Smith was waiting patiently behind Roestorf and Halat. As I started adding up the prices, Roestorf told Halat that she'll be paying, so I just added up everything together (we didn't use Calculators or Tills, it was brain-work), which didn't take long. I handed them their snacks and told Roestorf how much she had to pay. She looked at me, before even opening her purse, and said "You know, I did pass Math with Honors in Matric" and without missing a beat, surrounded by 4 Teachers, I replied "Which year was that Ms Roestorf?", maybe a bit loud. I thought Mrs Bezuidenhoudt and Smith completely lost it as they started laughing at my reply, with Mrs Smith starting to cough and even Hallat smiled. Roestorf turned RED, paid and told me to keep the Change, grabbed Halat's arm and stormed out of the Shop. After helping Mrs Smith, the bell rang and we had to close up. That day was the day that I had Math after break, so I walked with Mrs Bezuidenhoudt from the Shop to the Class, expecting some form of "Warning" about my reply. Instead she made a comment that loosely translates to it was nice to see that the "van Staden's" (Martin and I) are not easily intimidated and are quite witty too.
I felt proud, but got a bit nervous as the day went on, because my last Class for the day was English and it wouldn't have surprised me if Mrs Smith and Ms Roestorf had an argument during the day and being "Warned" by Mrs Smith that Roestorf will be looking for Revenge, especially after the way she "Opened" that morning. I decided to say nothing and it was a normal Class, except one pupil complimenting her on her "Opening" to which she just smiled. The first bell rang, which meant that we had to pack up and the pupils started to get up and headed for the door, waiting for the second bell, when Mrs Smith approached me and asked to stay behind for a moment. She was a short, plump woman in her late 30's, feisty but never rude and she didn't play favorites. When everyone left, I walked to her desk and she took her seat while I was standing in front of her, expecting the worst. Instead, she started laughing, her elbows on her desk with her head in her hands, her plump body wiggling from laughing too loud. In the mean time, I just got one of the chairs and sat down until she composed herself. The first words that came out were not what I expected, because she just looked at me and told me I have "GUTS" - in English. She told me that Roestorf didn't even go for Coffee during the next break and they passed each other twice during the day with Roestorf "just being Roestorf - you know?" - I didn't but took it as a good thing.
We had a short chat and Mrs Smith didn't mince words, because she told me to just expect to be treated with NO respect from that woman. Her last comment stuck with me, because that led to why I'm writing this Essay. She told me that I impressed her with how mature my wittiness was and if Martin gave me some tips. I told her that it was all me, but since she mentioned it, I wanted to ask a favor. Her Class-room was covered with Posters with Quotes on and I wanted to know where I can find more. She wanted to know why, so I gave her an honest answer telling her how the Quote she used that morning affected Mrs Bezuidenhoudt and it was obvious that she was referring to Roestorf's "Opening" and continued by telling her how I have used some of the quotes on her walls in conversations and translated them to Afrikaans when I wrote Essays. She opened a drawer, took out a folder and told me to go through those first and mark the pages I liked so that she can make copies for me, without giving me a cut-off date. It was a lot of pages and we were a few weeks away from a School Break / Holiday. I ended up rushing through all the quotes until I gave up and a few days before the Break I gave her the folder and told her that I was rushing and there were quotes that I liked, but didn't understand. What she did was AMAZING!!! She made me a Copy of the entire folder and as if she knew which ones I didn't understand, made notes next to them with a brief explanation or what to read (books, plays and poems) to get the complete picture AND she gave it to me on the day before the break - TWO DAYS almost 100 pages and I STILL have them ALL!!! A whole New World opened up to me and Mrs Smith and I often got together after School as she "coached" me and taught me the "Art of Quotes", not only when to use which ones, but also how to get my own from something I read or heard - this was long before Google. We started a Collection and Organized the Quotes into Categories like Life Lessons; Religious; People; Wit; Love; Wealth and a few more. We didn't stop when I finished Standard 8, but continued until she told me half-way through Matric, that she has accepted a position at another School as Department Head which came at just the right time since she and her husband decided to divorce.
I have often wondered what happened to Mrs Smith and how she was doing. So I'm dedicating this piece of The Internet to Mrs Smith and I'm going to share some of our favorite Quotes. Some might not make sense, some you might recognize BUT I will make a note at some of them you think you understand, or a LINK (which will Open in a New Tab) that you can follow to get the bigger picture and the context behind the Quote.
You might just be surprised...
LET'S BEGIN WITH SHAKESPEARE
Playwright, Poet, Philosopher. You need to know the Man before you try to use his Quotes.
People often Quote lines from plays that Shakespeare wrote, for example: "To be or not to be, that is the question". Everyone knows the meaning behind this one, or do they? READ CAREFULLY: Whenever you want to use a Quote from a play by Shakespeare, it most probably forms part of a Monologue and whether it does or not, make sure you know from WHICH PLAY it comes, WHAT TYPE OF PLAY does it come from and THE CHARACTER who is saying what you want to Quote.
"To be or not to be..." is one of Shakespeare's most famous quotes and most misleading. It's part of a Soliloquy by the character Prince Hamlet from the Play "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" when Prince Hamlet contemplates whether to MURDER his Uncle, or not. He questions the meaning of Life and whether Death will bring relief. It's also about Wealth, Suicide, Sin and a string of other things. Hamlet is Shakespeare's LONGEST Play with the most and longest Monologues. It is also the MOST PERFORMED Play by Shakespeare. Whenever you use the Quote, you indirectly include the rest of the question, because the Quote doesn't stop there:
- Note the ":" because there's more;
- An example of a "Typical" Shakespearean Metaphor;
- This is the end of JUST The Question.
- The complete Soliloquy is 277 words.
- Even though it is described as a Soliloquy, Hamlet is not alone when he delivers this, because in the background Ophelia is hiding behind curtains.
- Do you know what happens to Hamlet by the End of the Play?
Did you know that Shakespeare wrote 38 Plays (some argue 39) with only ONE Play set in England;154 Sonnets and 3 Narrative Poems? He Owned The Globe Theatre and several Properties throughout Europe and after it burned down during one of his Plays, he REBUILT The Globe Theatre at his own cost. Shakespeare WAS Married and had 2 Daughters, of which one had a Daughter and the other one didn't have children, meaning there are NO LIVING DECENDANTS of Shakespeare in the World. Wikipedia has a lot more to read about him.
Get GOOGLE going and Read on!
"Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind" - King Henry VI by Gloucester
The meaning of this one is pretty obvious and rumor has it that it was first used in Public by a Politician against his opponent. In the Play, Gloucester is Henry's Uncle and Lord Protector of England in the play. This is a very good quote to remember, but should be used with care, preferably NOT during an argument. I didn't use it verbatim, but the receiving "party" did not take kindly to my "Insult". I was in my late Twenties and my Second relationship with Kevin who was much older than me and very wealthy. His previous relationship was also with a young guy, who screwed around behind his back and therefore I often got blamed for wanting to, thinking about or even doing it as well, until one day when I had enough. During an argument, the comment was made that "all young guys screw around" when I snapped back with "only a guilty mind would be suspicious" followed directly by "if you're going to blame me, I might as well do it". The argument turned into a series of insults, with me eventually storming out of his house, ignoring him for a few days.
"Many a true word hath been spoken in jest" - King Lear
This quote has become part of daily life and is used quite often in the same context or sometimes omitting the "true" part. There's a very nice Afrikaans expression based on this quote which gives it a more "accurate" meaning. I've often been on the receiving end of this quote because of my wittiness or just being bitchy, but mainly misunderstood. Just always make sure that when you say something to someone, it's not applicable to you or something you are actually guilty of yourself.
"We know what we are, but know not what we may be" - from Hamlet, by Ophelia
On face value, this is a fact of life and an accurate assessment by Ophelia that we live in the present, knowing what we know now. We can prepare and make assumptions about our future, but life is full of uncertainties that we can't prepare for, therefore we don't really know what we might become or do. The interesting aspect of this quote however, is the context in which it is said. In the Play, at this point, Ophelia just found out that her father was killed by Hamlet and is experiencing a "mental breakdown" which eventually leads to her committing suicide.
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep" - The Tempest, by Prospero.
Doesn't this quote just sound beautiful? Prospero is a magician living on an Island, in the Play, and uses this line to compare the nature of our lives to his magical illusions, but we know that Shakespeare often uses "sleep" as a metaphor for dying and "dreams" for what awaits us after death. This line by Prospero is not only intended for the Play, but also the audience and is part of a speech by Prospero:
Within this context, the quote becomes more meaningful as Prospero begins by telling the audience that the Actors were Illusions and what the audience experienced will fade away, just as he foretold. It immediately leads to the question of who he refers to with "We". Is it just the Actors in the Play who were spirits or People and Life in general? For me, it doesn't really matter because People live life knowing that it will end. It is therefore not unrealistic to assume that what Prospero is saying, is that we live for what we believe awaits us after death, because he first mentions "dreams" and then "sleep". I just love it! It makes me think about the movie "What dreams may come", watch it if you haven't yet.
MOVING ON FROM SHAKESPEARE
"That which we are, we are" - from Ulysses, Alfred, Lord Tennyson
One should actually read the entire Poem: Ulysses before using this quote, because it is stuffed with quotes covering a wide spectrum of life. Ulysses was the King who invented the Trojan Horse and throughout the Poem he remembers parts of his life and the Poem ends with another famous quote: "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield". This quote however, leaves a lot to interpretation and the context you use it. In general it refers to the uniqueness of each Person, reminding us of our individuality. It can also refer to a Collective, or People sharing the same interests. It can be used to define our strengths or weaknesses. I read a Blog by a Church's Creative Media Developer, by accident, where he made a very bold statement by stating that People should not be concerned about the past and should not attempt to become something we're not by trying to recreate ourselves. I know that one thing is true and applicable to us all: We're only Human - after all!
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" - from "Gone with the Wind" 1939.
I was very young when I heard this the first time and immediately responded with "Who's Frankly?". I think it is one of the BEST movie quotes ever and everyone knows what it means and how to use it.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world” - Anne Frank
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us” - J. R. R. Tolkien
"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans" - John Lennon
"Life is really simple, but men insist on making it complicated" - Confucius
“Keep calm and carry on” - Winston Churchill
"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us" - Alexander Graham Bell
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much” - Helen Keller
“Whatever you do, do it well” - Walt Disney
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken" - Oscar Wilde
"May the force be with you"
FIN
No comments:
Post a Comment