just me rambling about my childhood and Harry Potter
I keep seeing all these Tumblr posts about the end of Harry Potter and I'll admit, it's fucking breaking my heart.
Only a few people in RL know this, but my parents never taught me to read/write. They came to this country with a rather dodgy knowledge of English. I only realised this for a few years; I was on a ferry with friends and they (somehow) we were all talking about how parents taught us to read/write. And I realised... mine didn't. I have no memories of that. I remember my dad teaching me how to fish, baiting the hook; I have memories of a younger version of me being taught how to make breakfast by my mum, but no memories of being taught to read.
When I asked my parents all those years ago, they just looked at each other and went, "Huh, we didn't teach you how to read or speak English properly." As a kid, I watched a lot of television. God, I remember that. A lot of subtitled Disney movies and stuff like Sesame Street. That's how I learned (also why I pronounce 'z' like the American 'zee' instead of the British 'zed' to my friends' never-ending despair. I REFUSE TO CHANGE MY PRONOUNCIATION).
My brother had a different case - he went to an early starter school because of his Autism. I had learned to read rather well before pre-school and I spoke my first words before him, so it makes sense my parents paid attention to his literary development (for ages they were worried he'd never speak; he can now, and we're annoyed he won't shut up :D).
I was never overly fond of reading/writing. At that time, I preferred painting and talking in a which mix of Thai-English that screwed around with people. Also, I did that creepy child thing where you'd occasionally have backwards handwriting. Technically correct lettering, just all backwards (which concerned my parents for a while, 'til I grew out of it).
I'M GETTING OFF COURSE. So, anyway, pre-school, reading was kind of there, not something enjoyable yet. Then came Harry Potter. I remember the moment distinctly. I was probably, six I think, and we were at the lake. I was bored because the fish were being particularly lazy and not eating the bait. My mum gave me Philosopher's Stone and told me the book was about magic. Within minutes, I was hooked.
Since I still had a TV, I was a rather slow reader, distracted by the ~shiny~ shows and the hypnotic qualities of The Wiggles. Then my TV broke at the same time I got Chamber of Secrets. I read like my life depended on it. I finished all the books available--which I think at the time was up to PoA, I'm pretty sure. I'd read them compulsively, over and over. Soon I could each book within a day. Throughout school and high school, I followed the series; I've probably read the entire series dozens of times by now.
Harry Potter was there when I was feeling sick, alone, despairing and confused. It was how I found other books (Paul Jennings and Emily Rodda) and the joys of reading. I could probably attribute HP as to why I can write as well as I do - since I enjoyed reading, I could write at a higher level than expected. It helped me achieve acedemically with assignments, research, etc.
Sometimes I think that it's why I'm in uni right now, why I'm who I am right now (Hermione was a huuuge role model for me as a kid, you wouldn't believe it). It's why I love fantasy and magic and why I'm exceedingly good and falling into complex daydreams.
So yeah, that's my story - why I secretly owe JK and these books so damned much. It might be a little dorky to have a book influence my life so heavily, but I'm kind of terrified of thinking of my childhood without it. (And Disney movies, obviously - Mulan and Beauty and the Beast were my favourites. So was Anastasia, but that's not Disney.)
Only a few people in RL know this, but my parents never taught me to read/write. They came to this country with a rather dodgy knowledge of English. I only realised this for a few years; I was on a ferry with friends and they (somehow) we were all talking about how parents taught us to read/write. And I realised... mine didn't. I have no memories of that. I remember my dad teaching me how to fish, baiting the hook; I have memories of a younger version of me being taught how to make breakfast by my mum, but no memories of being taught to read.
When I asked my parents all those years ago, they just looked at each other and went, "Huh, we didn't teach you how to read or speak English properly." As a kid, I watched a lot of television. God, I remember that. A lot of subtitled Disney movies and stuff like Sesame Street. That's how I learned (also why I pronounce 'z' like the American 'zee' instead of the British 'zed' to my friends' never-ending despair. I REFUSE TO CHANGE MY PRONOUNCIATION).
My brother had a different case - he went to an early starter school because of his Autism. I had learned to read rather well before pre-school and I spoke my first words before him, so it makes sense my parents paid attention to his literary development (for ages they were worried he'd never speak; he can now, and we're annoyed he won't shut up :D).
I was never overly fond of reading/writing. At that time, I preferred painting and talking in a which mix of Thai-English that screwed around with people. Also, I did that creepy child thing where you'd occasionally have backwards handwriting. Technically correct lettering, just all backwards (which concerned my parents for a while, 'til I grew out of it).
I'M GETTING OFF COURSE. So, anyway, pre-school, reading was kind of there, not something enjoyable yet. Then came Harry Potter. I remember the moment distinctly. I was probably, six I think, and we were at the lake. I was bored because the fish were being particularly lazy and not eating the bait. My mum gave me Philosopher's Stone and told me the book was about magic. Within minutes, I was hooked.
Since I still had a TV, I was a rather slow reader, distracted by the ~shiny~ shows and the hypnotic qualities of The Wiggles. Then my TV broke at the same time I got Chamber of Secrets. I read like my life depended on it. I finished all the books available--which I think at the time was up to PoA, I'm pretty sure. I'd read them compulsively, over and over. Soon I could each book within a day. Throughout school and high school, I followed the series; I've probably read the entire series dozens of times by now.
Harry Potter was there when I was feeling sick, alone, despairing and confused. It was how I found other books (Paul Jennings and Emily Rodda) and the joys of reading. I could probably attribute HP as to why I can write as well as I do - since I enjoyed reading, I could write at a higher level than expected. It helped me achieve acedemically with assignments, research, etc.
Sometimes I think that it's why I'm in uni right now, why I'm who I am right now (Hermione was a huuuge role model for me as a kid, you wouldn't believe it). It's why I love fantasy and magic and why I'm exceedingly good and falling into complex daydreams.
So yeah, that's my story - why I secretly owe JK and these books so damned much. It might be a little dorky to have a book influence my life so heavily, but I'm kind of terrified of thinking of my childhood without it. (And Disney movies, obviously - Mulan and Beauty and the Beast were my favourites. So was Anastasia, but that's not Disney.)