As a child, I never used to care about things. I would talk to people, chatter on and on about nothing, play with other kids I didn't know and just be myself. Being a child was an easier stage in life, not having to worry about things, that frankly don't need to be worried about. However, as time passed, things changed. I grew up, started school and became more and more afraid of things beyond my control. I wouldn't participate in class out of fear of making a fool out of myself if I got it wrong. Primary school was easier as we were in small classes and we were all more or less friends. However, moving up through the years brought changes in various forms. People became more judgemental of each other, and groups began to form depending on personalities and hobbies. I became an outsider, a basket case, choosing to fall into the shadows, avoiding the crowds and being invisible. Only a small group of people saw the real me, and they were my friends, but looking back, was that even the real me? Highschool had to be the most challenging of all. Having to decide what you wanted to do for the rest of your life, the pressure of all the exams and I fell further and further into the shadows, losing myself and watching the people I considered my friends turn on me and forget how to see me. I found myself in a dark place during those years. Friends abandoning me, teachers telling me that I'm useless, a waste of space and that I'd never make it in the world. After changing schools, I found my way out of the darkness. I came out a mess, but I came out alive and that alone is one the biggest achievements of my life and over the years, it's made me stronger and for that, I will always be thankful.
