One of the students going to Germany with us is this vivacious girl who talks a-mile-a-minute. Sometimes, it’s hard keeping up with her energy. Today, she had a casual conversation with our Principal and there was no sense of formality whatsoever throughout the entire time they were chatting. She whined about her results, displayed plenty of candour while she expressed her opinion about issues and just wasn’t afraid to be herself. It got my Principal completely enthralled, most probably because no student has ever been as relaxed as she was around him. Then out of the blue, he remarked that this girl reminded him of a younger version of me. Um, say what?

I wasn’t sure what exactly sparked off the comparison but I later found out that he thinks we both share the same sort of enthusiasm when we speak. And I guess I agree. I mean, I know I can get quite animated when I talk to people (I definitely got this from my dad) and I can certainly rattle on. I guess I was surprised he caught on mostly because I don’t think I’ve ever shown that side of me around him. At least not that I can remember anyway.

I wasn’t always like that. I was a lot quieter when I was younger and was more prone to play by the rules, so to speak (I know someone who would attest to that *ahem*). Part of me believes that I was more “toned down” back then because my mother’s ex-classmate was a teacher in my Primary School and I was afraid she’d keep a very watchful eye on me. Fearing I’d get into trouble with my folks, I made sure I stayed clean. The other part of me simply thinks that I modelled my behaviour after my mum, who’s definitely not as animated as my dad. Since dad was an Inflight Supervisor and wasn’t around that much, everything I knew came from my mother.

All that changed when I got to Secondary School. It was a clean slate. There was no one there to govern me any more, and I could push limits. It was at this stage that I grew into my true(?) self and became more extroverted. I also started to understand my father better and his personality definitely influenced and shaped my being. Over time, my confidence grew and being as exposed as I was to the mass media, I also allowed myself to adopt some traits that were deemed favourable in my eyes. And of course, as we grow older and interact with more people, we’ll evolve.

So I don’t know what I’m gonna be like 20, or even 10 years from now. I may go back to being more like my mother. Whatever it is, I just hope I’ll be a better version of me.