My First Time in the Boarding School for "Troublemakers"

The first day of fourth grade was supposed to be exciting, but for me, it felt like the worst day ever. That year, my school introduced a program where kids labeled as "troublemakers" would be sent to a boarding school for a month. The problem? Not everyone had to go—some parents refused to send their children there. But my parents? They agreed without hesitation.

For years, every time I misbehaved, my parents would threaten me with scary stories about this place. They made it sound like a terrifying prison where kids were sent to be disciplined. And now, the day had come—I was actually being sent there, along with a group of fourth and fifth graders from three different schools. No sixth graders were included because they had to prepare for graduation exams, which I found ridiculous. Weren't we still going to study in the boarding school? Or was this just an excuse to let them escape the so-called punishment?

Once I arrived, I realized something surprising—this wasn't just a place for punishment. It was a gathering spot for the most mischievous kids. Living far from my parents, I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted. The fun was limitless—sneaking out during nap time, skipping classes, pulling pranks on the teachers, and even sneaking into other rooms at night. This was our playground.

One thing I disliked, though, was the communal bathroom situation. Every morning, we all had to bathe together in a large hall with a shared water tank. The most annoying part? Some kids actually jumped into the tank and started swimming in it. That was our main water supply! It was disgusting, but what could we do? We still had to use it.

Life in the boarding school had strict rules. We had to wake up at dawn for prayers, follow a tight schedule, and sleep by 9 PM. And, of course, mobile phones were strictly forbidden. This was a huge problem for me because, unlike before, I now had my own phone—and even a girlfriend. Yes, a sixth-grader! We would text each other all the time. But now that I was in the boarding school, I couldn't bring my phone. Did that mean we were automatically broken up? Even worse, what if my parents found out I had been using my phone for texting a girl and read my messages? That thought scared me more than anything else.

In my first week, I got sick. It wasn’t anything serious, but it felt terrible since I rarely got sick before. However, my parents weren’t allowed to visit until the second week, so I had to endure it alone. When my mother finally came, I told her about my illness, and she seemed genuinely worried.

As the weeks passed, things got even crazier. Some kids tried to escape. One boy was rumored to have run all the way to Jakarta just to get away from the boarding school. Was the place really that bad? Or were they just overreacting? I wasn't sure. But looking back, I realized something—I actually enjoyed it. It became one of the most thrilling experiences of my childhood. In the end, my parents' "threat" of sending me to boarding school no longer worked on me. If anything, I was glad I got to experience it.

What started as a terrifying punishment turned out to be an unforgettable adventure.