(I know it's so Asian..) What did you do in HIGH SCHOOL?

I went to a birthday party last night. It was a lovely party.

There were three South Koreans, two French, three Americans, one Japanese and one Chinese. So it was more interesting.
We talked about a lot of differences among the countries.

And two Americans said the same things. "I've never studied a single day when I was in high school."

OMG!! What?!!! How can it be!!!
Then I realized what my roommate once told me was true. She thought some American students really knew nothing! (Don't be mad.. She also said Americans were more creative!)

In China, the most important year as a student is the senior year in high school.
Talking about that year, almost everyone has numerous things can say. It's a year of pain and happiness, tears and smiles.
When you were in that year, it could me excruciating. But when you look back, it could be so sweet and lovely.

1) How important is the college entrance examination?
Quick answer:  AS MUCH IMPORTANT AS YOU CAN IMAGINE!
In my hometown, most parents are businessmen are business women. Businessmen in China have no holidays means they work for the whole year.
But, many parents stop their career during the whole year and rent a house near their kid's school. Their jobs are taking care of their kids, making every meal and making sure their kids can focus on the studying.
Lunch and dinner time, the whole canteen is conquered by the parents. They believe the foods are important.

To be honest, my mother brought me lunch once. It was sweet and I still remembered she brought a big fish. But she was busy and I didn't want to bother her more.

A sad truth is there are many students commit suicide before the college entrance examination.
Most of them were under great pressure from their families and themselves. I can not give a certain number, but believe me, it is a large number.

Parents waited outside the test site.

2)Time Schedule

I wanna show the time schedule here.

Get up	6:30
Morning reading class	7:30
4 classes in the morning	8:30-12:00
Lunch &Noon break	12:00-2:00
4 classes	2:00-5:30
Dinner& break	5:30-7:00
Night self-study classes	7:00-9:50
Lights out(Most of us live in school)	11:00

And it's a normal student, such as me.

There are a lot of crazy students who stay up late until 2 or 3 every day.

It is not only a competition for studying but also for body.

3)What we learn?

Actually, what we learn depends on what the test included. We have to choose to learn arts or science in junior high.

No matter how hard I study physics, I still could understand it. So I chose arts.

For arts students, we have to learn Chinese, English, Math(Easier than Science students), history, politics and geography.

For science students, they have to learn Chinese, English, Math, physics, biology and chemistry.

Since physics and biology are nightmares to me, I'll just talk about what I learn in arts.

History, geography and politics are all about the whole world, especially America.
We have to remember almost everything on  at least 10 textbooks. 
I had a world map in my brain at that time, even the coordinates. 
How Korea became two parts, how America started, all the wars... 
The political system of almost every country.

Every high school student in China likes a memory bank.

Luckily or not, we lost the memories after we take the big exams.

A girl took a photo with test papers she did during high school before the college entrance exam.

4) Do we have fun?
It is really depends.
Some high schools are insane. They forbid everything. Even the sports meeting!

I'm lucky since my principal thought senior year should be more fun.
He arranged big events once a month. So we really had fun.

It's weird to say that even just do all the homework was fun. 
I lived at school. Every night, I walked back to the dorm with my friends. There were many stars. We talked about the future, tests and forgot we would separate one day.

One of the games. We all had fun.

The controversy over the college entrance exam is far from over. It is so cruel that we only have one chance every year. There are a lot of students choose to take the exam again and again, especially in some poor areas.

But for now, no one can figure out a better way to take the place of the exam system.
So more families send their kids to study abroad to skip the fierce competition.


Whatever, I'm now a senior in university! 
I miss the days in high school but definitely don't want go back and take the exam again!