*shriek of epic proportions*
WE WON! WE WON!
" The winner for emerge 2005's Parade of Schools was South cluster. (much clapping and cheering from South) Who will it be this year?"
"And the winner is..." (many Southians hunched in their seats, clutching their neighbours' hands and/or biting their nails down to the quick.)
"Again, THE SOUTH CLUSTER!" (South cluster POSians erupt into screams and cheers, standing up on their seats and jumping, hugging and wildly sobbing into their neighbours' shoulders while their in-charge ran up to the stage, beaming, to collect the large trophy.)
i must admit, i did have my doubts about us winning, again. when i entered hall 8 on friday, my heart sank as i noticed the medal tally board that showed the clusters' points and the clusters' positions. south was last that day. north was first, then east, then west, followed by south. later that day, south moved up one place to third position.
on saturday, the medal tally showed south neck-to-neck with north. later, south moved up to first position. it stayed that way until the end of emerge, hallelujah.
this morning, south was in the first position still. all through the night session, south cluster POSians were on the edge of their seats with nerves. we cheered everytime south was mentioned. and finally, the time came to announce the winners of the various competitions. the Parade of Schools was last. by that time, south POSians were prolly starting to pee in their pants for nerves. they announced the secondary school category winner first.
how exhuberantly we praised after that! how wonderful the feeling of satisfaction felt! how, after the overall winner was announced (also south cluster for the secondary schools), even guys were seen sobbing unrestrainedly into a close friend's shoulder. not to mention the girls. i was trying not to tear for fear of smearing my make up. but i gave into my tear ducts anyway. we were milling around, hugging everyone and anyone from POS south cluster, feeling the sweet taste of victory yet again.
it's not just the S$800 marche voucher we were competing for, it was the relationships we constructed, the skills we picked up, the bonds that no one can break, the unconditional love radiating from our cluster members in such strong waves you can just feel it.
that is what's the real deal, what you might have been telling yourself "marche, marche" might just come out as "south, south". how we come together as a cluster is oh-so-unique, different from all others. how we can be from such different schools (raffles, singapore chinese girls', saint joseph's, new town, tanglin, methodist girls', crescent, anglo chinese, saint theresa's, river valley...) yet get along so easily like we've known each other all our lives. how we bond and unite as a cluster inevitably is something no one will be able to explain. other clusters may think they are just as united as us, but no other can be. south is united, south loves all as Jesus loves us, unconditionally, with no strings attached. and south is so special in our own little ways. <3
that sense of satisfaction, that feeling that all the tears, pain, and practices had all been worth it, the glimpse of my cluster's toughest bases moved to the waterworks by everything, the sight of my cluster mates, a glimmer of something i couldn't quite place in their eyes, clutching the trophy and screaming victory-
that is something i will never forget.
