The ship sailed, as I relaxed. All other noises were toned out by the rhythmic sounds of waves. The appreciation of the sea was probably engraved deep into our blood. Just what is there not to love in such a peaceful place? I never relaxed in my previous life and I regret it. I never took time to enjoy the view, to enjoy what I was earning. That is a mistake I will not repeat.

But my relaxation was interrupted by a loud yell, informing everyone that the destination was in sight. Now, we only had to sail the last few kilometers, ending our journey in an hour’s time.

To get a better view, I climbed on the crow’s nest and looked to the horizon. Even without [GYO] I could still see some faint outlines. An outline of a coastal city and a relatively large one at that.

As we got closer, I could see boats littering the port and the place seemed lively. The beaches were full of people making the full use of the summer day, playing in the early summer sun.

The wooden ship docked and we disembarked. The excited children rushed forward, while I waited for the chaos to end. But before I could an elderly voice interrupted me.:

“You don’t seem surprised to see the city. Have you ever left the island before?”

When I heard that, I was a bit surprised, but it didn’t show on my face. I was prepared. With a calm tone I replied, while still looking at the bustling port.

“Not really, butl to be honest, I expected it to be bigger.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I heard about cities that span across the entirety of the horizon, yet this one doesn’t. As impressive as it is, I imagined it to be larger. But even so, the amount of people sure is overwhelming.”

“It is just the start of the tourist season. By next month, the number of people will double.”

“Huh. Where can so many people fit? I am already uncomfortable, yet to have twice as many?”

“It can get quite exhausting.”

I chuckle and turn to face him. “My name is Alan, nice to meet you.”

The man smiled and shook my hand.

“Stan, nice to meet you too.”

I returned the smile and left.

Just as I was leaving, I heard: “Don’t grow up too fast. If you chase maturity, you will only end up longing for the wonders of youth. Live a little and stop on the way to breathe.”

I smiled, thanked for the advice, before I continued walking.

Stan just stood and shook his head in disappointment, sighing as he did so.

I joined our group and started chatting with my peers. We continued our walk and saw many things. Everything from a candy shop to a cassette store. A bit out of place in a 1950s style city, but technological development is weird.

I experienced the novelty of things I took for granted. This city was a backwards for 22nd century standard, but to these children, it was beyond their wildest dreams. Even something as basic as a car was mystical to them. Just how much did I take for granted? It always surprises me.

Well it made for an eye opening trip. At one point, the vending machine was proclaimed to be the best invention and everyone agreed. Seeing how uniformly everyone nodded made me chuckle.

And we soon arrived at the school. The campus was large and standing in the middle, was a prestigious school, filled with thousands of students. Or it would be, if it wasn’t for the summer break, a month before its end.

This wasn’t the best arrangement, since a month is far too long of a period to stay here and not interact with others. In a month, many strong habits begin to form and for someone, who doesn’t know the area, they are hard to break. The new environment is pressuring everyone to fit it and find friends yet after the golden period is over, it becomes significantly more difficult.

I didn’t mind. I already knew everything and had enough life experience to figure things out. Some things aren’t as difficult as they might seem. Well as long as no one bothered me, I wouldn’t care. I have no for a bully nor a stalker.

We dropped our luggage in our designated rooms and left. Everyone was separated, so we had to get used to new people. A good thing if you asked me.

We returned to the hall and were escorted to an exam site. A large venue, filled with desks, spaced evenly. If it wasn’t obvious enough, there was a large sign, saying ‘EXAM SITE’.

Several groups passing us could be seen, going into the direction of the dormitory. And judging from their makeup, they were just like us, first years.

Half an hour later, the venue was mostly filled and the examination started. Everyone was informed that this was just the basic test. It would not be scored and would only be used for basic evaluation and sorting. But even with all those reminders, the stress was still there.

The rules were standard, but a bit harsh for 7 year olds. How could they expect a child to sit still for the entire time? Well I have yet to receive the exam sheet, so who knows. Maybe I’ll find out when I get it.

Not long after, I received a box. Inside of it were a stack of papers, a pencil, a box of crayons and an eraser. Spreading the papers, I could see several divisions separating different subjects and difficulty levels.

The first page just had a few questions on it, relating to math, science and reading. Everything was written in a clear font and only used uppercase letters. It reduced the impact of reading ability on the test results.

The rest of the exam was filled with pictures and stories, introducing every topic. It might sound like they were giving us solutions, but if you couldn’t even add numbers before coming here, it wouldn’t really help you when multiplying.

Math wasn’t the only subject, there were others as well, but clearly had far less focus.

With everything in place, I began answering the questions. I read carefully through everything, before answering the questions meant for 7 year olds. Superficiality was not a good habit to have. Even if my eyes hurt looking at the basic questions.

Since the test was divided into several difficulty stages, ranging from extremely simple, first grade stuff to things in 6th grade. The contrast was apparent, but the problems could still be solved by using logical thinking, so my outstanding results would be somewhat justified.

It might feel strange to have such a large difficulty gap, but given that everyone is from different backgrounds it is easily explained. And if you don’t give kids a platform to shine and the challenges to grow, you can easily waste their talent.

So this test took forever to design and many iterations to fix. And most importantly, a mindset that supported innovation, instead of just sticking to the old and boring formula that neglects the average and ruins the gifted. Not that being gifted was anything else than how you were brought up, but that is a topic for another time.

The exam still had about 20 minutes, or about 3/4 left, so I simply colored in all of the pictures. It was a good way to keep kids occupied, but it still could be a bit distracting.

When the bell rang, my paper was filled with colorful images, showing the time I had left. There are super geniuses in this world, so this much talent shouldn’t be too abnormal.

We were led outside of the building, where all sorts of snacks and juices waited for us. Everything was used to create a happy atmosphere. For many kids, coming from the underdeveloped villages, it was the first time experiencing such luxury. It ensured a happy and cheerful atmosphere, melting the ice between everyone.

Looking at the building, I nodded in approval. It was the first step towards a better education.