Do you remember the first day of school in America? I didn't even know which classes I was supposed to go to. Do you remember when you barely had any friends and never talked in school, and sometimes just got beaten up by other kids. 

Do you remember when you took off the whole summer to hangout and play sports with your friends, and you did not touch or do or complete one problem of your summer homework? Do you remember how you broke your jaw riding a scooter, and you had to go on a trip to the Emergency Room, and they connected your broken jaw with eight stitches. 

But, that was all three years ago. I had to thank those events. They helped me develop as an individual, and they developed how I looked at things in a positive way. Those experiences shaped me to who I am now. 

Last year was my first year in America studying. It was a difficult experience, I was anxious in class. I was not the real me, I was afraid of making mistakes; I was afraid of being too mean to the kids, and I was not being me….

But, as the time went on, I began to become the guy, who I am supposed to be. I just began to understand American culture more. I was a nice, friendly kid last year. However, this year, things changed quite a bit. I went from this new kid that only asked questions in class and was afraid of standing up for myself to this kid who did not care if kids were mean to me. I needed to become tougher--and I did.

If kids were mean to me, I would taunt them in the same ways they taunted me. You might not agree with what I did, but that is the way I respond to mean people. The truth is there are mean people in the world, and I needed to defend myself from them. I became friends with or respected the people who were nice and kind. I always try to help out my friends. That is just me. You can agree or disagree with me.

But I will always be who I am, but not always who I was.

Sincerely,

Sunny

05/23/2021