2002 was when I started 7th grade, but by 2003, it was clear what social status I was going to have in middle school. I was always going to be the awkward Asian quiet kid, that never talked to girls. Observing my students now, I can see the awkward ones in the corner, but I know they’ll turn out okay, because I turned out okay right??? Perhaps not.
Nothing of particularly high interest happened this year, other than my transition from elementary into middle school at Alamitos. It was strange going from one teacher to six. None of them particularly stood out to me. My history teacher was terrible, and I learned nothing from her. This is why I’m glad I teach this age now, because I try my best to make it as engaging as possible for students. My science teacher was super fun, and told lots of jokes, so I try to imitate his style as best as possible, while also simultaneously being mean. My keyboard teacher was super mean. He even gave me a 0 once cause I used the wrong Shift Key. Considering I have never used the “Right Shift Key” in my life before (AND NEVER WILL), and considering my typing speed was already over 100WPM when I entered that class, he had no right to criticize.
As for the friends I hung out with, I didn’t necessarily discriminate, but most of them turned out to be Asian. This was when the “Neopets” trend started, and I remember spending every morning in the Computer Lab playing that stupid game. I also hacked my friend’s account and stole his Neopets, which I still am very ashamed of doing. I’m glad that was the last actual stealing I have ever done in my life. Most of my friends also played Marbles for some reason all the time. Lame.
It was during the summer that my favorite new show would start – The O.C. Me and my siblings were pretty obsessed with it for a while, and it was truly a great show (at least the first season). American Idol also was a staple in our television diet now, and FOX quickly became my favorite television network, entrenching me in. Slowly but surely, we got our “dial-up” Internet, and I slowly started exploring the Internet in its early days. My favorite part of the Internet? Chatrooms on AOL Instant Messenger. I won’t yet forget all those ridiculous, yet entertaining conversations.
Return of the King was one of the highest grossing films of the year. I remember my friend letting me borrow his DVD’s so I could watch those movies. Maybe they were the extended editions, but I always fell asleep watching them. The number one song of the year was 50 Cent’s “In Da Club”. I never really enjoyed rap music growing up, which probably informed my music choices as I got older as well.
