Stop caring so much about what others say of you. Your complexes for the rest of your life mainly stem from this one year of being the new kid who doesn’t speak the language.
It doesn’t matter if you run like a penguin, even if your teacher is the one who told you so.
It doesn’t matter if the other kids in class are so superstitious that they think the things you do will give them bad luck. That’s their luck, isn’t it?
It doesn’t matter if they don’t want to be your friends. There are more friends to be made elsewhere, whose friendship won’t rely on whether you’re “in” or not. It’s not as if you’ll remember them past high school anyway.
It doesn’t matter if the locals think you’re stuck up for speaking in English. It turns to your advantage when you start work.
Don’t waste your time borrowing and hiding those Sweet Valley books. There are much better books to read, as you’ll soon discover. Those Nancy Drew books you keep getting with your book prize money? You’re going to be giving them away too.
Treasure those moments in England and Sweden with your family. It’s the last family holiday you’ll have for a very long time.
Believe in yourself. Learn to be comfortable being the odd one out, because you’ll almost always be.
And that’s cool.
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Nina posted a story prompt on G+ that I initially missed, but I caught a call for submissions off a twitter link she sent out much later.
Read the call for submissions here, if you're interested in writing a similar post!
This is beautiful and unique Anna. You are giving us a perspective we have yet to see. Thank you so much for your submission, I'm adding it to the ebook now:)
ReplyDeleteNina
Languages and cultures are such an awkward hurdle for young children. I've got a coworker who moved from Sweden to America with his family. Although, they learn Sweden in school English, the children still feel self-conscious about it.
ReplyDeleteI love reading these "letters to my younger self" posts. Interesting insights here. I really like the one toward the end "Believe in yourself". I only wish we could all learn that one at a younger age. Take care!
ReplyDeleteThis is great - I like the style of this - well done!
ReplyDeleteGood advice, fun to read, and forces the reader to consider what his or her own advice to a younger self would be.
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