Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 263

The 'New Girl' from GBA
Singapore International School, Tang, Jiaxuan Grace – 11
'The 'new girl' from GBA' was what I was called for the whole entire Grade Five after I moved to Hong
Kong to study.
The night before my family left for Hong Kong due to my father's work, I was tossing and turning in bed,
excited, scared and overwhelmed. As a top-notch young student from the Greater Bay Area, I was excited
about embarking on a new school life in the metropolitan city of China, meanwhile scared that it would be
hard to adapt.
Stepping into Hong Kong, the bustling streets, piecing honk, and confusing Cantonese filled up the air. I
was astounded by all of them and even more so looking forward to becoming part of it.
However, it disappointed me.
My first year at the international school was a roller-coaster journey.
The day when I first walked into the school gate in Grade Five, I was wearing a formal uniform with a pair
of leather shoes, preparing to start the day with a fresh mind.
A wholehearted welcome from my fellow classmates like I had at the local school in Shenzhen was what I
expected. Instead, I was introduced by my homeroom teacher briefly, 'This is our new student, Kate.' She
then turned to me and said, 'Please introduce yourself.'
I have been practicing this moment for the past few days, and I uttered, 'My name is Kate Wang, I am from
Shenzhen, please call me…' Before I could finish my sentence, the whole entire class started covering their
mouths with hands, muttering and giggling with one another.
I was shattered. I stood there with mouth hung wide opened, eyes full of anger tears, fists tightly clenched.
After what seems like a decade, the teacher shouted, 'Be quiet, pay some respect to our new student!' The
class suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
'Kate! Please call me, Kate,' I seized the opportunity to finish the sentence with my last standing confidence,
and I immediately ran to the empty seat and sat down. The class instantly resumed its laughter.
It was until the end of the first period that I realized it was my English pronunciation that made them laugh,
when a girl named Hannah smirked at me and said, 'You can't even speak English properly, why are you
even here?'
The nightmare did not end.
The next day, I wandered around the corridor, navigating the location of the next class. Suddenly, I spotted
a girl from my class wearing two huge flamingo earrings dangling from her ears, I approached her and asked
softly, 'May I follow you to the next class?'
'Follow me if you can!' she responded with a smirk, then suddenly started sprinting to the end of the hallway
until disappearing. I stood there dumbfounded; my feet were stuck to the floor like super-glue.
It was the beginning of an end.
They whispered about the way I dress, speak, and act. They didn't call me Kate, they named me 'The 'new
girl' from GBA' instead. They wouldn't sit with me for lunch.
It hit me hard.