By Angelina Liang
Class of 2006
Posted Friday, Sept. 15, 2006, The OG, opinions

After having my schedule messed up by 13 hours due to my 15 -hour flight to China (they don't have daylight savings — otherwise it would've only been 12 hours), flying back just earlier this week Monday night (got delayed in Chicago because there was a flood warning of four inches), and then packing for five days (I had all my stuff organized into neat piles until I woke up one night for water and knocked them all over trying to get out of my room) … I came back to visit Uni High for another look, to visit some people, and to tie up some final loose ends.

I came in from the Springfield Avenue entrance (yes, I still don't know what direction that really is) and walked into the office, somehow remembering to sign in. Did you know that there aren't visitor passes? For some reason I thought there were. Also, did you know that there is a clock on the left wall (try this some time: walk into the office, stand facing Barb, turn left, look up)? I didn't. I've been around for five years and I don't learn these important things until after I graduate and after it doesn't matter.

I gave lots of hugs, mostly to teachers, because the day I chose to come back to visit was one of those weird 38-minute-class-period days, on which no one knows what is happening. I followed Ms. Kovacs around for a period or two, running errands already, and then surprising random teachers and sitting in on their classes. I thought it might be nice to stop by the Latin room — on my trip to China for 5.5 weeks Katie Carmody, my travel buddy and recent Uni alum, brought a copy of Vergil's “Aeneid” — but I walked in to find a photo copier where I was accustomed to seeing Ms. Newman, Mr. Drevlow, and/or Ms. Lucken.

Since when did the Latin room get taken over by college?

Surprised enough, I then stumbled into the library to find it completely made over. The previously sagging gray shelves were a calm green, pottery lined the top shelves, and new flooring! The last time I had seen new flooring was when I personally redid the Mac lab floor with David Stolarsky a few years back. You didn't know that? Well go look. I can also tell you that Room 109 is the only room with wooden flooring in the entire school — or did that change too since I was a subbie?

Walking around the hallways conducting Ms. Kovacs' aforementioned errands, I was abducted into Mr. Stone's Bug Bio. Helping Martin Granick collect his bugs, I was led into a room I had never known about before. Did you know that there is no back door to the bio room? Did you know that the refrigerator really just hides an entire separate room? It's filled with dead bugs in clear liquids and lots of glass, nets, and a great view.

For some reason I always associated science classrooms with having two doors — I remember being late for classes and sneaking in through the labs of the physics/subbie science and chemistry rooms to the classroom. I guess I'm glad I had bio as a freshman, while I was still promptly on time.

So for all of you who are still here, definitely take in these things. You can put them on a trivia quiz some time or make a bet and get some money.

And for those of you who are graduated, if you're under 5 feet don't come back. All your “friends” will call you a cute subbie and chase you down the hall.

Angelina is leaving for the University of Chicago Saturday, Sept. 16. She expects visitors.