Awkward moments at SHS

Fledgling Falcon reporter fumbles interview

As a so-called chickadee, a newcomer, to the Falcon staff, I have had a myriad of new experiences this year. But by far, the most difficult and often awkward part of being on staff is interviewing. I cannot count how many times in just the first six weeks that I have walked into the wrong classroom or frozen in the middle of an interview.

The most awkward interviewing moment I have had was in the process of writing these little blurbs of awkward stories. In my search for senior Timothy Ling, I walked into world history and government teacher Kirk Abe’s class after looking up Ling’s schedule.

But to no avail, I forgot to notice that Ling had Abe for second semester and economics teacher Todd Dwyer for first. Therefore, I was left standing awkwardly around when Abe asked the entire class if they had a Timothy Ling in their class.

Then, even after the dreaded process of pulling someone out of class is finished, talking to a complete stranger and developing rapport is not easy.

However, despite this awkwardness, I am extremely glad that by being part of the Falcon staff, I am able to meet new people and hear their stories.

Who knows? I may grow out of this awkward stage, especially if I can remember to pull the right people out of the right classes for interviews.

Into the wrong classroom

Going to a new school is always disconcerting. There are new people, new teachers and a new campus to become acclimated to. Brand new students are often stuck wandering around the school seeking the right rooms for their classes. Naturally, some of these “newbies” will walk into the wrong room or find themselves in some other bizarre, uncomfortable situation.

In such a situation, embarrassed students will make a hasty retreat after realizing that this was not the class they intended on entering. Even if they don’t catch their error speedily, after taking roll, it should not be difficult for them to realize that they are not in the right place.

For sophomore Emily Chiang, however, it wasn’t her first year at her school, the Taiwan American School in Taipei, but her second. She had moved from America to Taiwan in third grade, but was still adjusting to her new surroundings.

“When I was in fourth grade, I just sat down in the classroom and didn’t notice that it was the wrong room until later,” Chiang said. “I’m not exactly sure why the teacher didn’t catch the fact that I wasn’t in her roster, but it might have been because she forgot to take roll call.”

Fortunately for Chiang, none of her friends were in the class so her delayed exit wasn’t too uncomfortable.

“I just felt really awkward and embarrassed because it wasn’t even as if it was my first year at this school,” Chiang said.

Chiang found out her error during lunch break that day after checking her schedule once again. Fortunately, her actual teacher didn’t chastise her much for her mistake.

Case of mistaken identity

With so many people packed onto one campus, it is easy to lose track of new friends and faces. This can often lead to a case of mistaken identity. It’s never clear who feels more awkward in such a situation, the person initiating the greeting, or the person receiving it.

For sophomore Ojus Rao, who found herself grouped with the former, this was a constant problem last year. As a freshman, there are plenty of new classmates coming into the high school who are not from Redwood, so confusion is natural.

“I just kept saying ‘hi’ to people I thought I knew, who I really didn’t know,” Rao said. “One really awkward one was when I called my new friend Erica, ‘Lauren’ instead, and she just yelled, ‘Why do you keep calling me Lauren?’ It was rather awkward for me and everyone else who overheard her.”

The good news was that these experiences allowed Rao to make even more friends and become familiar with students that she did not have any contact with in classes, and may not have had any chance to meet previously.

“I met some pretty awesome people in the end,” Rao said. “Maybe it was worth it, despite all of the awkward situations. Just maybe.”