Wow, after all the expectations, the building climax of hope and anticipation, it's summer time and the weather's been fine for longer than two days in a row. In this summer to beat all summers the weeks are just drifting by, it seems like months have passed since the Leaving but paradoxically I am in shock that we are already into mid-August. The many crazy plans made around the lunch table have not all come to fruitation but they were great for raising spirits and morale, distracting the mind from the doom ahead and allowing the vibes of freedom to muse into our wavelength. Even the thought of those days sends a shiver down my spine, the constant stress from the knowledge that there was always something to be studied, the perpetual tiredness from lack of sleep, the never-ending winter.
One of the most prominent memories of 6th year for me is being cold, numb feet and shaking knees as a result of our three-minute treks to the deli with only 30 denier tights to warn off a halt in circulation.
Life appears to have changed so much since the monumentous State exams. Now I am living in a state of limbo and it is so liberating. However, this state of limbo has been ideal for earning, socialising and relaxing (in that order). It is catch-up time after the hectic schedule of the previous months. Between June 21st and August 15th, I had planned to forget about school, at this stage what is done is done and there is no changing the situation.
I attempted every question and stayed until the last minute of every exam and on the way out I fired the test paper into the bin in order to avoid any post-mortems. I feel they only give the satisfied despair and the uncertain false hope - basically they are not good for the living. After three hours of brain-busting I preferred to enjoy the relief of being finished rather then the relive the torture again.
Fortunately this year I escaped the wind and rain of an Irish July for two weeks by jetting off to magnificent Majorca to bask in the sun and unwind completely after the exams. The first day was not too relaxing as our plane was delayed at Dublin airport due to the strikes in Palma.
At 1.15 a.m. we were told our flight scheduled for 1.10 a.m. would be leaving at the same time tomorrow, could we all collect our luggage and go home? Thankfully that was the only touch of bad luck our family had and everybody had a brilliant time, even though my dad and I came home merely a more freckly shade of white.
The rest of July was spent searching Dundalk for a job. After many rejections and countless reminders that I left it too late, I finally managed to secure a job at my local sports centre working on the tennis courts.
It is a fantastic contrast to my lifestyle three months ago. I am outside all day trying not to lose every match I play. In general it is very hard for Leaving Certs to find summer work due to the many fifth-years swamping the workplaces in late May. The only chance of securing a job in advance is to work a few days in May; understandably most people are too preoccupied cramming to do so.
Now August consists of four weeks of highs and potential lows - a rollercoaster of a month. One high was Witnness. Then at the end of the month we have Slane 1, where we will be road tripping to see the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and U2. Two days before that we have our deb's ball.
But now comes the nervewrecking part - the results and offers. The worst day was yesterday, as the memories of early June pour back into our minds. Oh, the fear that you may have bombed in a exam that was vital for points or that the corrector was in a bad mood and couldn't read your writing. (That's my big fear, to have a shortsighted corrector who read the first paragraph, gave up and put it to the end of the buddle for when he/she is exhausted and frustrated after a day's hard work.)
After today there will still be that tantalising wait for the offers to come out. Will I be praying that the points have gone down? I know I am praying that they will not go up. Any inside info on engineering in NUI Galway send this way please.
The next four years will structured in the next two weeks.
