As the holidays have finally come to an end and it is the beginning of a new session in school, I am mentally preparing myself to face the bundle of responsibilities that await me. These are huge responsibilities that I am mentioning since I’m going back to school as a tenth grader, the most senior class in class.

I’m going to have to face a lot of hurdles in the upcoming year, SLC exams being the most important of all. SLC exams, often referred to as the ‘iron gate’, is the most important exam one takes in his/her school life.

A whole year of patience and hard work is necessary in order to face them. So, I’ll have to work really hard on my studies in order to prepare myself for the SLC exams.

Besides SLC, I’ll also have a burden of assignments to complete, projects to finish and chapters to revise everyday, which will hardly leave any time for fun and relaxation. Being a senior, I’ll also have to fulfill the expectations of my teachers and will be handed with extra responsibilities in school.

Realising that there will be no time for music, television or Internet, I almost wish that the new session would never start. Thinking about so much pressure I have to cope with, being a tenth grader, while my brother and my cousins will get to relax, makes me angry. But despite all this, I know that, with hard work and determination, I’ll overcome all the obstacles that await me.

I shall challenge them, instead of seeing them as a burden, so that I’ll be easily able to get through and be successful.

— Sadichchha Pokharel, Class X,

St Mary’s High School