?Who I Am? February 14, 2001 There are many different things that come together when I try to figure out who I am and what will become of me. Although my morals, values, and family relationships have a huge impact on my life, hardships and tragedies are what made me a strong and confident person.
The negative experiences that I?ve had in the last few years have really made me into what has become of me today. I struggled through all four years of high school. I always hated school. The only reason I went was to find somebody to skip with. There was always an excuse not to go or I always had something better to do. I barely graduated, but not on time. I was such a disappointment to my parents.
When I was seventeen, I lost a very close friend of mine in a drunk driving accident.
Teacher in primary school in northern Laos
Students at Washington High School at class, train...
Person washing his handsI never had to experience anyone dying that was close to me. It was so difficult to comprehend. To this day, I still don?t understand. It is so hard to wake up everyday realizing someone so close to you will not be there. I would go to school forgetting he was gone, but everyday I had drive by the cemetery he was buried in. It was like having a reality check everyday.
My bestfriend dying was only the start of the oncoming problems I had to face in my life. I immediately changed high schools, alienated myself from all of my friends, and found the first guy that crossed my path to occupy my time. That turned out to be a big mistake. My boyfriend was very controlling and abusive. I eventually learned it would be impossible to leave him. During that time, I fell into a drug addiction...