Catching Up

Here I am again!  Rumours that I have disappeared off the face of the Earth were grossly exaggerated, haha… All’s good in J-Land, I hope.

 

The English Literature AS examination on the 16th May went okay, in my opinion.  I had two essay-style questions to answer.  One was about Shakespeare’s portrayal of King Lear and his daughter, Goneril.  The other asked how Lear’s actions as a father had lead to the tragic end.  I don’t remember what I wrote exactly.  It all seems a blur of waffle and repetition.  But, I think I did okay. 

 

Keep your fingers crossed for the other two exams I have to sit.  One is on June 3rd (“The Nun’s Priest’s Tale” by Chaucer) and the other is on June 19th (“Doctor Faustus” by Marlowe – great book!)  It seems I have got into a habit of re-telling the story in an exam.  So I must remember not to do that as much and focus on the question.

 

I went to the Griffin Mill Outdoor Activity Day earlier this month.  The aim of the day was to meet the other nominees of the “Outstanding Student Award”, and to see how we all got along.  I was very excited that day, because I had to travel on a bus on my own, which is something I had never done before in my life!  I felt great to have been given a little independence.

 

When we got to the venue: a big golf course and spa, we were put into groups of four.  Then, we were given various photographs and clues.  The task was to find where the photograph was taken.  I had difficulty joining in this task, because each team was allocated a Land Rover each.  My team had the highest one, with no steps, so it was quite a challenge getting in and out of the vehicle.

 

The next task was like one of the reality show “I’m a Celebrity!”  All of the team had a go of archery, which was fun.  Then, the person with the highest score had to shoot at a balloon, which was filled with water.  The aim of the game was to get the water from the balloon to the bucket, using pipes.

 

After that task, the whole group congregated for lunch.  It was decided we would have a barbecue.  We had a choice of hot dogs, burgers or kebabs.  It was nice.  Some of the people were a bit snooty and were purely nominated because of the academic skills.  “Oh I had 3 A*’s, 5 A’s, 4 B’s at GCSE.  What grades did you have?”  “1 A, 8 C’s and 1 D” said I, “Oh…” said he. 

 

Some people were really nice to and understanding of my condition.  One boy came up to me after lunch –

Person A – What’s wrong with you?

Me – I’ve got Cerebral Palsy.  I was born with it.

Person A –  Right.  You ain’t normal like the rest of us.

Me – Pardon, what didyou just say?  What exactly is ‘Normal’?  Can you define the word?  I may be physically disabled, but I’m like any other person in society. I eat, sleep, breathe, hurt and I have feelings.  Just because I am physically disabled, it doesn’t mean I’m mental as well.

Person A – Sorry, I sincerely apologise.  I didn’t mean to cause offence.

 

I felt great after I’d stood up for myself.  I was utterly speechless when he said I wasn’t normal.  I don’t usually lose my cool, but I just let rip, couldn’t stop myself.  How dare he?  It just goes to show there is still prejudice in the world.

 

We completed the last task of the day after lunch.  We were split into groups of five.  One of us became the shepherd, the rest were sheep.  The aim was to guide each of the individuals to a pen, using animal noises.  I was in fits of giggles, as you can imagine.  LMAO!!

 

So that’s what I have been up to recently.  Until next time…