Tell us about your first day at something — school, work, as a parent, etc.

I wish to write about my first day at school, as I still have a shimmering memory of that day.

I was 6 years old, and I remember feeling a huge change was happening around me in my daily routine when I started attending school. The carefree days, filled with play and fun in kindergarten, were over, and a new chapter began. A chapter with more responsibilities, taking care of your books and exercise books, doing homework, and studying for school tests. Not to forget, for school, you had to wake up earlier. Thankfully, I hadn’t a problem with that; I woke up alone without any reminders from my parents.

The first day I attended school was more like a school feast, where the school director welcomed us and wished us luck for our new life chapter so we would be good students. In Germany, it is tradition for entering school to get as present a school cone. This cone is filled with all kinds of sweets. Sweets that sweeten the start it sounds like a trap -as, after one week, you realize years of stress are awaiting you. Anyway, besides sweets, you also get pencils, markers, and other practical stuff for school.

On that day, my father accompanied me; my mother didn’t attend as she had to work, but Aunt Hilda came in her place. Aunt Hilda wasn’t my real aunt; she was our landlord’s sister, and as she had no children, she saw a niece in me. So, I called her Aunt Hilda.

Well, I had fun that day; I enjoyed it, but school itself, not so much, especially the first four years. I was an introverted child; I used to be reserved and cautious. I was like this for many years, until my mid-20s. It gradually changed when I moved to Athens and started to study.