i was driving the other day up in Niu Valley and passed my middle school. the memories just came back like it was yesterday so wanted to go even deeper. i drove through the school and got chicken skin!!! i haven’t been back there in 32 years!
i remember there use to be a truck parked right there selling goodies in the morning. we use to buy candy and drinks before school. and see that plumeria tree? it use to be filled with white flies stuck on the leaves. and when the other kids walked by, i use to hit the tree so all the flies drop on them. terrible yeah?
this was our playing field. what a cool location for a school yeah?
it was here in back of the cafeteria i seen my first bully experience. one of the popular bullies of the school kept punching this unpopular big haole boy. i felt so sorry for him. he was my friend and even i couldn’t do anything about it. that helpless feeling was the worst feeling ever. not only for him, but for me too.
this is the cafeteria. the very place i meet Holli and the girls. that’s when ponytails use to be popular. haha.
this is the principals office. the first time i got suspended from middle school was in 7th grade for fighting. i forgot who or why i fought but i bet it was because somebody was picking on me. they sent me home for 2 days. i spent a lot of time in the principals office ever since. his name was Mr. Yuasa and he drove a cool silver firebird.
one day walking to my typing class, my friends told me that my mom was the new substitute teacher for the rest of the school year. i turned around, went to the office, and changed classes. yeah, it was uncool back then for your mom to be coming near your school.
and after the school bell rang, i headed to my part time job. i cleaned all the classrooms on the 2nd floor of this building. i was only 13 years old and made $3.11 an hour.
it’s weird how i blocked out my younger days. mentally, it was easy for me. but after reliving those memories the other day, it made me realize that the past is the past. what ever happened happened. and now is now. i can go back to the past and learn more about myself. learn how i got to where i am today, and why i act the way i do. i realized that i was a very troubled teenager and i’m glad i made it past those hard years. now, i can really give good advise to younger kids on how to overcome the hard times.
1. don’t take shit from bullies.
2. if your mom comes to your school, run away before she embarrasses you.
3. work hard from a young age. then you will know the value of a dollar for the rest of your life.
good luck!
