New Roads

By Kerwin De Matas

Dear Matthew,
How are you, I hope you are fine and a little bit relaxed after doing your S.E.A examinations. How was the waiting game? The Ministry of Education really knows how to keep people in suspense, huh? First of all, congratulations on a job well done Matt. Studying really does produce fruit, doesn’t it? The time has come where you will soon start your new academic career. You know, if there was a prize for the most brass faced, I have to admit I would have won that prize. What I mean to say is that, after being absent for the most part of your life, I guess I should be the last person to give advice of this sort, but I feel I should fill you in anyway, and if you don’t believe me, try researching for your self everything I’m about to tell you. What I want to talk to you about is something I’m sure you are very aware of Matt, I want to talk to you a little bit about what you might come up against in your new school.
The harsh reality in many countries today Matt, is this invasion of drugs on the school compound. Man, it doesn’t matter what school a student attends, whether it be a school of low academic achievement to the top prestigious institutions, drugs are always present. What I’m writing now might sound like another news article about saying, “No to drugs!” etc, etc, blah,blah,blah…. But you know what? It doesn’t sound like blah blah anymore when drug addiction comes to your very door and with it, all the problems that can affect everyone close to you. Tears can come to anyone’s eyes remembering a kid in his/her first year of high school or collage, full of energy, excited to be starting on this new adventure, aspiring to do a lot of things…… but then a few years down the road this same student might be one of the unfortunates that got hooked on the consumption of drugs, another addict walking around with this lost look that is trademark to frequent drug users, reacting to sound only they can hear or seeing things only they can see. Most of these souls Matt were a mother’s son or daughter that could have done no wrong, but yet, it’s a young life that’s ended before it even started.
You see, that’s how it starts Matt, kids that are most of the times left with a lot of time on their hands with nothing to do, and most parents walking around boasting that their intelligent child would never get involved in that nonsense. If we as parents would just try remembering how it was in our school days and to stop pretending that drugs doesn’t exist in our schools, maybe then we could start putting forth our best efforts in trying to get our young ones back.
Matt, have you ever heard, or come up against so called ‘popular kids’ in your old school? If you haven’t, then I promise you that you would come up against these elements soon enough. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to scare you, I mean, after all these are just kids like yourself and sometimes older; But this would definitely be the time to put your best annalistic and decision making skills to the test Matt. These are kids that will decide that if you aren’t cool enough, then they will try making sure that the rest of the student body know also, maybe by throwing remarks that might not be nice at all, or taunting you etc. But you know what Matt? That’s exactly where who you are will truly come to light, and where tough decisions would have to be taken. These decisions are not going to be easy at all, but then again, decisions in general are not.
Very well Matt, question: What does it take to be cool? By succumbing to dares and peer pressure Matt….
Some dares can be harmless, while most others can be down right troublesome and then later on in an adolescent’s mind, a reputation that must be kept even if it means leaving your friends behind and confronting endless problems, all of this to be in with the cool kids. Again, you don’t have to worry about making a wrong or correct decision, what you should simply think about is what road you want to take; the left road, or the right road!
First of all Matt, the reason why you are in your new school in the first place is because you’ve earned the right to be there and to receive the education that you deserve, but in your new environment, you would also be living a life that your parents cannot live for you, in other words, you’ll be alone most of the times. This doesn’t mean though that you’ll be unheard. If ever there is something bothering you or maybe something that has you genuinely uncomfortable, then you should not think twice but to tell someone that you truly trust. Maybe if I had done that, I wouldn’t have had all those problems I had when I was at school.
Now this is something you should know Matt, if a student is eventually accepted in with what is known as the cool kids’ ‘clique’, from then on most students feel compelled to go along with their rules if they want to stay in.
Matt, not in all, but in some cases, to continue with the in crowd, one would be expected to bully physically and/or emotionally other students; vandalism on or off school property would be the norm; sometimes even the occasional sex and/or drinking would come into play. But the most dangerous of them all Matt without a doubt will surely be presented sooner or later: drugs.
Each one of the former actions are down right disrespectful of course Matt, it doesn’t take rocket science to see that, right? But Matt, the latter can be very dangerous and in almost all cases, the future can be easily predicted. A lot of times, most of these actions go unpunished right under the noses of teachers and parents who prefer to turn a blind eye; but even more frightening, is that most teachers and/or parents are so ignorant to the use of drugs on the school compound Matt, that they would go on to say that it’s all rumor.
Exactly what substances can be classified as drugs: Anything that is strong enough to intoxicate a person, and impeding that person’s ability to see, hear or talk properly, and in isolated cases, even causing that person’s death. You won’t believe this Matt, I mean, I couldn’t believe it either until I saw an undercover documentary done on one of the top collages in Chile, but apart from marijuana, pills or cocaine, kids are getting into the habit of inhalants now as a form of getting a cheap high, can you believe that? What are inhalants? These are glues, liquid paints, paint thinners, aerosol sprays, and of course the same gasoline that’s used for motor vehicles etc. These inhalants are normally poured into a can or a plastic bag and then inhaled. Apparently they are legal to have and a much cheaper way of getting high, but Matt, these things are extremely dangerous and it’s also proving a severe health hazard in a lot of adolescents today. Marijuana and cocaine in all it’s forms in young adults, or any adult for that matter, can bring an aspiring future to a very quick and disastrous end, causing pain to both the user and their family, but these other unconventional forms used to get high might actually work in the beginning coming on very fast, but since the required results only last a few minutes, the effects that comes after can cause severe nausea, unbearable headaches, blackouts, uncontrollable bowel movements; all in all, not a really pretty sight or position to be in Matt.
If you want to investigate this matter a little more closely, check these sites out: http://www.aic.gov.au/research/drugs/types/ or http://www.drugsinfo.adf.org.au/browse.asp?containerid=drug
So, you will see things that you might not have seen in elementary school, but you do not have to be scared Matt. Just always remember that you are there for a specific reason, and that you don’t always have to be uptight. There would always be lots of possibilities to have fun and to enjoy your collage years, but just try putting into practice also the ability to imagine your self first in a situation, and how it can turn out before coming to a decision. I try it sometimes, and believe it or not, but it actually works, if I could have done that before, maybe I might have been better off than I am now. One more thing Matt, my favorite music are, Hip-Hop, Dance Hall Reggae and Soca, everything else I can listen to also without any problem at all. I am telling you this because sometimes in the first two, some of the lyrics can be very suggestive, meaning they will tell you to ‘Hustle n’ Ball’ or to ‘Bun Out De Chi Chi’. Now why the hell would I want to hustle drugs or to assassinate gay men? You understand what I’m saying Matt? A lot of kids are actually taking to heart these lyrics and going out there and living them, I don’t know, but I’m guessing that if Movado tells these kids to look for the nearest cliff and jump off, I’m positive that they’ll actually do it…Very well Matt, I hope you read my letter to you that I have made public in my blog for the sole purpose of preparing you and other kids starting their new schools and to face everything with an open mind. With the right support, school can be an atmosphere full of fun and information building. Take care now Matt, and again, congratulations on your S.E.A results, you did a great job, bless!

Yours Truly
Kerwin.