The Magical Closet.

With IACT now housed in a more spacious and bustling environment, the skeptical feeling one has when they first see the blue building is only a memory.

    But what lay beneath the lowly exterior was a culture that gave students many experiences and taught many lessons. Everything in the old campus including the stairs and the tiny discussion rooms had a story to tell.

    While each room in the old campus was a reminder of particular events, the small room assigned to the student council was a treasure trove of memories, stories and experiences. One could even liken it to a magical closet.

    Being a part of the newest group of student council members in mid 2008, my friends and I were introduced to the room in the months leading up to prom. The days saw members storing goodies donated by various organizations for door gifts, taking half-painted Styrofoam pieces to be decorated for the backdrop and putting it back again at the end of the day, and scouting for artifacts from the past year’s prom that could be reused.

    With an unending supply of Garnier Facial Wash stored in the room, an overwhelming smell of chemicals hit us whenever we opened the door. I clearly remember holding my breath each time I went in.

    Then came the day when we were to pack door gifts for the guests attending prom. Retrieving goodies with the seniors revealed a side of the magical closet that I later grew to love. Under the piles of crepe paper and ribbons were hats, masks, soft drinks, files with important documents, gold dust, paint and baskets all with a unique story to tell.

    With a smile on their faces, the seniors would hold up different things telling us about those days when they had to do a dance together and how they had to rush from a graduation ceremony to the prom. It was like artifacts holding a great deal of history. More importantly, these were the stories that inspired us juniors to keep moving forward when times were rough.

    Before we knew it, the 2008 prom was over and we breathed a sigh of relief. The student council family was closer than ever despite the disagreements and pressure. It was soon time to revisit our little room. Placing all the bits and pieces of décor and goodies left over from the prom, we were proud to be adding to the history of student council and our beloved college. Closing the door behind us, we longed for the day when we could in turn, sift through the treasures and pass on stories and experiences to those who would take over student council.

    The following year, student council was to undergo a revamp and IACT announced its move to a new, bigger and better campus. The coming days were filled we uncertainty as we didn’t really know what to expect.

    The day came when members were called to help clean out our little space and pack up what we could bring over to the new campus. It was a bitter sweet moment really. Many things were to be thrown away while others were distributed among us. We each took home a box of Garnier facial wash.

    It has now been a year since that day and much of the treasure we kept is now in small cupboards in the new student council and audio-visual room which we share with other students of the college. Of course, it isn’t the same and it will probably never be. 

    But these are the memories of the little room which held so much history and experiences that will stay with me for years to come and I’m glad to say that the whiff of Garnier facial wash that hits me each time I open a new tube till today, helps me relive those times which I truly miss. Funny, isn’t it?

Susanna Ng (DMC09)