Interacting with people
My history of interacting with people has come a long way since kindergarten. As a kid, I didn’t have a lot of friends, and even though I went to a lot of other kid’s houses to play, I couldn’t call any of them my friends. At school, when the teacher told us it was time to pair up, it was both humiliating and frustrating. No one would be my partner, even with my wonderful grades. Everyone had someone else they liked better, someone who came before me in their list of priorities, which means I always paired up with the teacher.
As I got a little older, maybe 9 or 10, I became part of a group of friends, but even they preferred each other rather than me. At least it was nice not having to eat my snack all by myself. Talking about eating alone, I remember being more bothered by the fact that others would see that I was alone, than actually being alone.
After that, I went to another school and things started to get way better. I’ve made new friends extremely quickly. I remember some of them getting into fights so they could be in my group for a school project! Can you believe it?
I remember one day, I was at a course I was taking at a mall near my new school, and some of my new classmates (who happened to be the most popular girls in class) walked by and decided to get in and give me a hug, and then we all went to a local cybercafé and hung out. “So that’s what having friends feels like!”, I remember thinking.
Surprisingly, one thing that helped me fit it was calling myself “emo”. Looking back, I don’t think I was really an emo kid, especially because true emo kids would never call themselves that, but somehow, it helped me build my individuality and make friends with the same interests as me. We discussed our favorite albums, the way we liked to dress, our favorite musicians, and so on.
Time went by and interacting with people became easier and easier. Of course I’d still get in a fight with someone every now and again, but I would always have a nice group of friends to back me up. I didn’t have the same group of friends all my life, sometimes there would be someone who I’d lose touch with. But on the other hand, I was always meeting new and fascinating people, especially when I started going to nightclubs.
I’ve had ups and downs in my life when it comes to friendships. There were times when I would feel like the most popular girl in the world, and other times I’d just feel like I didn’t really have anyone to talk to, but I guess it’s okay to feel that way sometimes.
One thing I noticed that changed about the way I interact with other people is that, since I didn’t have many friends as a kid, I always wanted people to like me. I never worried if I liked them in the first place. And as much as I enjoy being liked, now I know the importance of evaluating if the people around you make you feel good, or if you’re with them just so you won’t be alone. Friendship, as any other relationship, is a two way street, so your friends should enjoy your presence as much as you enjoy theirs.