Not quite done yet

What have I done with my life so far?

I already explained my past activities in a previous entry. I will therefore interpret this question differently. Instead of simply stating what I have done in my life, I will accompany the statement with an explanation of why I did it, and what I have learned from it. I’m working in a chronological order here, so the first item was hard to remember. 

When I was six, I joined a choir at my local music school. I didn’t choose to do this. I was sent there by my parents, and left as soon as I was allowed to make some of my own choices. Luckily, that was the following year. What I learned from this experience is that a little white children’s choir is not my thing, and that I can’t sing. I also stopped going to church at this age (not that there is a connection, I just thought it was worth mentioning).

My parents thought that I should choose a sport early in life. They were thinking of football or tennis off course. I went in a different direction. I spent about seven years doing gymnastics. I chose a sport that would build muscle and would enable me to do some cool tricks. Fortunately, this was actually the case (sort of). I did get stronger over the years, and I can still do a back flip (not very useful, but fun nevertheless). I sometimes wonder if it would’ve been better if I chose football as a kid, for I’d be in better shape if I had done that. Then I look at my football technique (which consists out of minor juggling skills) and I realize that I made the right choice.

At the age of seven, my parents still felt that I should take up a musical activity. After giving it little thought (I was a seven year-old), I chose the guitar over the keyboard, because (get this…) I thought more guys would choose the keyboard, and I didn’t want to play the same instrument as them. Fail! Ah well, I still like the guitar just as much as I did back then, probably even more. Over the years, I’ve learned to appreciate all the techniques (of which I haven’t learned many yet) that are required to play my instrument well. So in conclusion, I am not disappointed in the instrument I chose.

In school, I have never been an excellent student. I’m not stupid or anything, I just can’t put myself through hours worth of mind numbing assignments and book chapters. My laziness is the cause of me being held back a year. Granted, I’m still doing the bilingual version of the highest educational stream in my school, but I could’ve advanced last year if I actually did some stuff. I chose the bilingual stream because it seemed easier to get taught in English (and it actually was). The only problem was that with most subjects, we had to switch back to Dutch after the third year. What I’ve learned in school: I hate school. Yet I will continue to go there, because my parents will kick my ass into oblivion if I don’t finish my education. That seems like a fair choice. School or death.

I am now seventeen, still in school, still playing the guitar and still practising back flips in my living room (just to see if I still got it). As you can see, it’s not exactly what I have done in my life, but what I am doing.