Attending a Convent school in Pakistan was quite a unique experience as it was within those walls that young pig tailed girls grew into dignified women. Women, who in those years learned to love, to embrace and to live in harmony with everyone. We did not know each other by religion; instead we knew each other by name, as our equal.
Here are 31 reasons to why we and our school is special and different from yours.
1. The Best Vocal Chords In Town.
Well you’re not a true Convent going girl if you ain’t got the vocal chords to sing, baby doll.
2. The Look of Disapproval Upon Misconduct.
No room for misbehavior or misconduct. So basically no using gandi language or badtameezi, because if that happened, the sister’s death stare would scare the life out of you.
3. Field Trips.
Field trips meant exposure to the outer world, which meant boys, which also meant that the sisters were on their best watch to save you from the Pakistani ‘big bad wolves’.
4. Super Stress on Manners.
We were taught to do good and to be good, to forgive and to forget and to bless and love all. Thanks to the sisters, we’re capable of dining with the queen of England even, because we are pros at handling that chai ki pyali with our pinky fingers out.
5. The Sister Serenade.
Those women sure could sing. Waiting to see when they’ll be on Coke Studio because they should be.
6. All Red & White.
Visiting Convent was like entering a world of reds and whites; no other shade was ever seen on the premises. I mean, even the hair scrunchies had to be red…
7. The Ancient Buildings.
These buildings were beautiful; they had a separate personality because it would take you to another world, another time with the stained glasses, arches and a nunnery.
8. Thoughts of Horrifying Exorcisms.
We all, at least once, had haunting thoughts of exorcisms in the school, just because it had a Church.
9. Jesus Loves All, No Restriction on Religion.
The thing we learnt best was the principle of tolerance and love. We learned to overlook social status, religion, caste, creed and to love each other.
10. Urdu Section.
The idea of equality was drilled into our minds as in the very same school there was a section known as the Urdu section and the Thevenet Center; the former for the lesser privileged children and the latter for the disabled children. God made us all, so there was no reason to create boundaries.
11. Celebrating the Saints.
The Saints that help build every convent/Christian school in Pakistan were annually celebrated.
12. At least One Visit to the School Church.
All Muslim girls know about this one, because we all paid that one visit to the school cathedral and embraced the love of Jesus with their famous cross sign.
13. March Past.
Every year, each house would mark their territory by displaying the best march past. The ants go marching 1 by 1, hurra hurra!
14. Extra Holidays.
Eid Holidays, Moharram holidays, Easter holidays, Christmas holidays… You name it, we had it!
15. H2T Clean and Clear.
You had to make sure, whether in prep or in your O levels, that your uniform was not out of place and that everything was matching, because it was almost as if the teachers could sniff the tardy and untidy out of the lot.
16. Character Building.
Whether you like it or not, but you can tell, by the way we behave and carry ourselves in public, that we are the proud products of a Convent school, just because of that character building class. To all those Conventarians out there, you know we’re the best!
17. The Look Of Judgement.
Those poor souls that would end up making any mistake would be subjected to strict judgmental eyes, shame shame!
18. Nuns & The Sports Day.
Some apprentice nuns could really play on the annual sports day. So don’t crib about being in a skirt and not being able to do anything, shame on you.
19. No Boys, No Boys, No Boys and did I mention, No Boys?
Rule number one was no bad behavior, which obviously revolved around boys, and to ensure that we were all to be dressed in the most unappealing way possible. This meant having your kameez buttoned properly and not tight at all, LOL.
20. The Convent Catwalk.
Every year, on the momentous occasion of the annual funfair, Convent would host a ‘Parsarela’ to flaunt its style statement…. Damn did things get ugly.
21. An All No-Male Affair.
Thanks to them, though, we definitely learned that the world did not revolve around men, instead it revolved around a lot of women. Men were never seen, and so that’s what made us stronger. #girlpower
22. The Two Degree Threat; O Level & Matriculation.
Oh God, that horror, I swear. The selection process for matriculation and O levels was as brutal as the Hunger Games.
23. The Morning Breakfast Prayer.
If you don’t remember this, kindly throw your red sash away.
24. The Multi-talented Sisterhood.
Not only could they run a school, sing like nightingales, but on events like the farewell they could pop a few moves, too.
25. How Good God Is; Bilingual Praise.
Muqadsa Claudine ki deewani banun…. Convent girls surely knew how to praise these saints in languages besides English even. The struggle with the translation was real.
26. Nuns In The Making.
Then there was always unpleasant interaction with the new young nun lot, who would usually end up stopping you from even breathing, but who’s to blame them?
27. Catechism & Islamiyat.
Our school was special, because it preached two religions at the same time. The Christian girls would attend their Catechism and the Muslim girls would be taught Islamiyat.
28. Jesus & Mary Everywhere.
Statues of Mary and Jesus were to be seen everywhere. Just to make sure you didn’t forget where you were.
29. Judith Khan: The Legend.
This iconic woman was one that only the Lahore Convent of Jesus and Mary had the honor of having. The best teacher for English in the entire country, by far. May her soul rest in peace.
30. Celebrating More Than A Hundred Years.
The Convents in Pakistan have been present for more than a century and so an annual ceremony to celebrate its existence is a tradition for the Convent family.
31. Annual Christmas Plays.
Every year, a Christmas play took place with a different theme every year; there was a lot of hard work put into it by the nuns, music teacher and entire administration. The play wasn’t confined to the Christian girls only, but Muslim girls willingly participated as well.
Thank you Convent for making us a part of your family.
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Cover image via: Fatimah Nafees / Pinterest