It was 5:15 in the morning, and my mother had just finished giving birth to a healthy, 7 pound, baby girl—me. After I was born, my mother had to fend me off from dozens of nurses, who all wanted to hold me and take a look at me. My mother said that I was the chubbiest and cutest baby she had ever seen. My father and mother both cried tears of joy right after I was born. Apparently, I was the only girl to have been born in that hospital that whole night/morning. However, I would have never guessed that this specific occurrence would have been an irony, of sorts, to my identity.
Growing Up in Saint Matthews Elementary School
Despite being the only girl in that hospital to have been born that night/morning, I was a “tomboy” growing up. I was raised …show more content…
Although I only had very few friends in the beginning, I made a lot of friends very quickly. Since the middle school I attended was a public school, I was exposed to more people from all different walks of life. It was also during this time period that I started to look at the world in a more critical point of view and notice class discrimination.
One of my friends in middle school, named Alexis, really opened my eyes and made me see the world in a different light. Alexis lived in an apartment complex and came from a very poor family; her mother and father worked two full-time jobs and were barely getting by. One of the things she told me that sadden me the most was that her parents were gone most of the time.
Growing up, my mother and father were dentists and had very flexible schedules. My mother would sometimes have days off at a time to take care of my sister and I. I never knew that most families did not have this flexibility. So when my friend, Alexis, told me that she did not see her family that much, it made me think about how much undeserved privilege I had. I started to think about how many other children had to go through what she went through. Then I realized that this was the reality for a lot of children out here in …show more content…
The Horrible Years of High School The bullying for dressing the way I did increase exponentially in high school. It did not help that none of my friends came with me to this new high school, better known as Lady Bird Johnson High School. Since I was all alone, my personality changed drastically from when I was in middle school. Despite some of the teasing in middle school, I was very upbeat and happy. Now, however, I was shy, timid, and scared to make new friends. At home, I pretended to be happy at home to fool my parents, but on the inside I was very sad and depressed. Since I was not your “typical girl” and wore “boy-ish” clothes, none of the girls wanted to talk to me. They thought that I was weird and did not want to be associated with the “weird girl.” When I tried to make friends, they would try their very best not to include me into the conversation. Sometimes, the guys would ask me if I was a lesbian and tease me about my “greasy face.” I felt isolated because of this and completely alone. I felt like I did not belong with anyone or any group because no one would accept me the way I
Growing Up in Saint Matthews Elementary School
Despite being the only girl in that hospital to have been born that night/morning, I was a “tomboy” growing up. I was raised …show more content…
Although I only had very few friends in the beginning, I made a lot of friends very quickly. Since the middle school I attended was a public school, I was exposed to more people from all different walks of life. It was also during this time period that I started to look at the world in a more critical point of view and notice class discrimination.
One of my friends in middle school, named Alexis, really opened my eyes and made me see the world in a different light. Alexis lived in an apartment complex and came from a very poor family; her mother and father worked two full-time jobs and were barely getting by. One of the things she told me that sadden me the most was that her parents were gone most of the time.
Growing up, my mother and father were dentists and had very flexible schedules. My mother would sometimes have days off at a time to take care of my sister and I. I never knew that most families did not have this flexibility. So when my friend, Alexis, told me that she did not see her family that much, it made me think about how much undeserved privilege I had. I started to think about how many other children had to go through what she went through. Then I realized that this was the reality for a lot of children out here in …show more content…
The Horrible Years of High School The bullying for dressing the way I did increase exponentially in high school. It did not help that none of my friends came with me to this new high school, better known as Lady Bird Johnson High School. Since I was all alone, my personality changed drastically from when I was in middle school. Despite some of the teasing in middle school, I was very upbeat and happy. Now, however, I was shy, timid, and scared to make new friends. At home, I pretended to be happy at home to fool my parents, but on the inside I was very sad and depressed. Since I was not your “typical girl” and wore “boy-ish” clothes, none of the girls wanted to talk to me. They thought that I was weird and did not want to be associated with the “weird girl.” When I tried to make friends, they would try their very best not to include me into the conversation. Sometimes, the guys would ask me if I was a lesbian and tease me about my “greasy face.” I felt isolated because of this and completely alone. I felt like I did not belong with anyone or any group because no one would accept me the way I