At least we aren't being shunned by society for trying to be something other than kid factories.
Dont let yourself reduce to something you dont want to! Lots of people around us tell how and why we should live.
If you got motivation to take classes at a college, do it, start in a department where you think you will have fun and if that's not what you like,
try others.
I went to schools in a country with a unique public education system, you know the cast system in India? Its similar.
In Germany kids are divided after elementary into three categories (besides the enabled ones).
The first category is for basic knowledge, which is totally useless later, graduation is after nine years,
a teenager hardly gets a chance for an apprenticeship. The most school drop outs are from this category.
The second category was better off in the nineties, besides basic knowledge and better books, the
focus is not only in manual craft training but to analyse a little, graduation is after ten years.
The third category is for kids which were good in elementary school, get from the fifth school year better
education. Graduation is after thirteen years.
The Division of the kids into more homogenic groups from early age blocks kids to develope better.
Its nearly impossible to change later in the years from the first and second category into the third category, because
the lack of knowledge is too big. The group dynamics have a big role in the behavior of teenager.
In the first category students are from families who have emigrated and the parents usually dont have a good education and
cant speak German.
the teachers are confronted with frustrated kids and come from families who cant help their kids even in the elementary school.
I went to the school from the second category from the fifth grade on, till I graduated after ten years.
My teachers actually wanted me to go to the first category where all kids from emigrated families go,
they said that I would have to marry because my parents are traditional and very religious and that I should
not make trouble because I want to go to the second category school.
As a kid I couldnt speak German well, but at one point, I didnt want to give up my life, I started to listen
German news carefully and later I found a German dictionary which I red as if it was a novel.
I wanted to go to highschool and after some dispute with my headmaster
and passing some tests, I went to high school.
I had to repeat the eleventh grade, the gap of knowledge was too big, my marks were not
bad but the teachers thought, if I would be patient enough to repeat the year, I could pass the final
exam.
My parents wanted me to marry when I was 16 years old. I wanted education and independence. THey didnt think I would pass the tests at school.
I had most of the time actually fun at highschool, though it wasnt easy for me. I took classes not only because of my interests but I knew some
teachers and their teaching skills, so I quit taking chemistry as one of the major subject.
I loved to do research and writing papers, I learned that way the most. I wrote extra papers for better marks.
Since my parents didnt want to support me, I worked at weekends and school holidays in a nursing home.
Besides money, I had first hand information about the WWII from the seniors.
I had to volunteer in the mosque, where my sisters are preachers at weekends, my time for school
was limited, but I did the best I could under the circumstance.
After highschool, my parents thought I would give in and marry, my older sisters were extremely jealous that
I graduated from highschool. When I announced that I wanted to go to the university to study biology,
they made my life more terrible. I studied three years biology.
I quit because of financial problems.
After some time passed I got a stipend for medical school and become a nurse for intensive care unit.
My family wasnt happy because I became financial independend and had a better education and knowledge
they couldnt control.
After my graduation I left my family, actually I fled and hide because I wasnt allowed to make my own judgement and choices
and my views about politics and believes are totally different from theirs , I had to leave the clinic I worked because
they wouldnt let me be in peace.
I went back to university to study human medicine, I was 28 years old when I started.
Had to quit after three years because of financial problems.
My health didnt allow me to work full time, I got pain everywhere, psychosomatic, my physicians and therapists were shocked
to see me like that and made me retire from my profession for a limited time so I can recover completely.
I had positive feedback from fellow students at medical school after they knew that I was the oldest in my class. I was 'the mom'
I had positive feedback too when I went to university again around my thirties.
If I would get the opportunity in the future to finance a study at a university, I wouldnt hesitate a second. I would like to
get finally a degree/master in biology / neuroscience.
