How I First Noticed You
I didn’t know it yet, but the moment I clicked that Zoom link, my life was about to shift in a way I couldn’t imagine.
Dear Elias...,
It was 2022. Somewhere in September. The weather was neither hot nor cold. It was chilly.
I was searching for the Zoom link. My parents weren’t at home, probably at an evening market.
I found the link after scrolling for like a minute. I clicked it, and there I was. Just the two of us: the host and me.
Then I closed my camera and checked my face in the settings. Just like every teenager does.
I adjusted my lighting. Too bright. Too dark. I even tried to put a virtual background, but my laptop wasn’t capable of that. It was a Dell. A very heavy one. My parents bought it from a used store, but it functioned pretty well...except for some parts.
I was excited. This Zoom meeting was gonna be a new chapter of my life. New friends, new language, new difficulties.
Then new people joined. Two girls and a boy. A host opened their camera. She was a lady in her 20s, and she would be our mentor today.
After that, she told us to open our cameras as well. As an excited person, I opened mine immediately.
Shoot. Even after all that lighting adjustment, I looked exactly the same. Well.. whatever.
The two girls opened their cameras too. They were cute. They even looked like sisters. And then the boy opened his camera.
Wait...why isn’t he showing his face? More importantly, why is he only showing his forehead?
Then the host began explaining. The program we joined was called “Finest Future”. It was like a pathway for students who wanted to continue their high school studies in Finland.
I was once a CDM student, then I officially left school. That’s why I hadn’t finished high school yet. Because of our country’s major military crisis, everyone wanted to leave as soon as possible.
In this meeting, we learned more about the “Finest Future” programs. According to the host, we had to take an oral placement test to check our English level.
Why?
Because we had to learn Finnish in English.
The actual placement test was the next day. However, the host explained example questions and told us to practice.
Then she asked me:
“Please tell me more about yourself”
Well, after years of weekend English classes and studying Starters and Movers, I showed off my skills.
The host said I was doing great.
She then moved to the girls, and finally asked the boy the same question.
I was shocked. Something in me froze; like my brain stopped moving. I knew I should pay attention to the host, but I couldn’t.
As a matter of fact, I really love the British accent. At that time, I didn’t have many friends, and the friends I did have only had American accents... including myself.
Why was I shocked?
Because that boy had a perfect British accent. Even the host was impressed.
After that, I only had one pure thought:
I want to become his friend
It was just a thought. I didn’t know his name, his age, not even his face. All I knew was his British accent and his big a** forehead.
I didn’t even know if I would pass the placement test. I didn’t even know if I would ever see him again.
Little did I know that sometimes the universe does very stupid things...
Who would have guessed that a single thought could changed my whole life upside down?
Who would have thought that a boy with a crazy British accent and an unforgettable big a** forehead would be you; Elias...
