The Time I Fell Asleep in my Exam Hall (and snored).

Secondary school is something of a distant memory for me now but there is one memory that I doubt I'll ever forget, no matter how much I try to. Looking back I can laugh, but it was a different story in the moment. Just over two years ago, I was 15 years old, fresh off a week long stint of musical performances as the lead in our schools 'Grease' and trying, hopelessly, to keep up with the schoolwork being thrown at me. Being thrown into a completely new friend group after my school year was split in half would've been awkward enough on its own without a gruelling rehearsal schedule for a show that ended up finishing the same week as my Christmas exams.

It's safe to say I was tired. All in all I made it through without a scratch. That is, all the way up until my final exam day.

The way it worked in my school was, due to the amount of people and shortage of space available, we were all (about 400 students) crammed into the hall/gym. It was cramped, freezing cold and we had roughly two exams a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, after lunch. It was hell.

I was in block C, which had about 40 people in one section of the hall. Most of the friends I'd made in 'Grease' were around me, including most of the people in my class. Everyday I'd come in, do my exam and leave without issue. Except one day. There was nothing very special about that day, in fact, it was particularly mundane. I had a Geography exam I was confident enough with passing, it was raining (as usual) and I was just as tired as I always was.

The worst mistake of my teenage years happened then. I still don't know whether or not it was complacency, the fact it was the last day of my exams, or maybe I was just plain cursed. For some reason I thought resting my head on the table and closing my eyes was a good idea. It wasn't.

I woke up to a soft pat on my shoulder. Groggily I opened my eyes to the sounds of muffled laughter and a substitute teacher looking at me. I knew what had happened pretty quickly and glanced around the hall at about 400 kids looking directly at me. My friends later informed me I was let snore for well over five minutes.

I immediately went red but couldn't help but start to laugh at myself. I'm known in my house for my ridiculously loud snoring so I was safe in the knowledge the majority of my school had just heard me snorting and making animal noises in my sleep. The teachers tried in vain to stop the rest from laughing but to no avail. I still count myself lucky I wasn't able to hear how awful the sound of my snoring was.

The worst part was that I still had an exam to do. The laughter and attention quickly dissipated but my embarrassment certainly didn't. I was unable to concentrate on studying or hide the tomato colouring of my cheeks but, in the end, everything turned out ok. I managed to pass all my exams (including my last one) and came back after Christmas break with a story to laugh and joke about.

I can't say I look back on the memory fondly or without cringing inwardly but at least I got a funny story me and my mates can laugh at out of the whole ordeal. It also serves as a decent ice breaker since I doubt anything can be more embarrassing for me than that day.

Hi! Hope you enjoyed my little story. If so, feel free to leave a like and as always, tips are immensely appreciated. See you guys soon! - Ciarán