I grew up as an American in Japan, who looked completely different from everyone, and it was harder to fit in in everything.
Tell us about your struggles
I lived in a neighbor hood where my family members were the only internationals, so everyone treated me differently, especially in school. I didn’t have many friends, and sometimes the people I thought were my friends would actually be faking it to get things out of me.
I was bullied by many of my classmates, and the teachers couldn’t really do anything because my classmates’ parents were usually not home. In the end i only had one true friend, and she was also bullied because people thought she was weak.
How did you try to overcome this issue?
We talked to the teachers, and I stood up to my bullies a few time, but nothing changed, so at the end of the second grade, my family decided to move.
How are doing today?
After that experience, I have come to see the importance in treating people how you would like to be treated, with kindness. I now try to do everything I can to show kindness to others and let them know that they are not alone, that they will always have someone there for them when they need someone, and that they are loved.
This is because I know how it feels to be left alone without anyone to go to and how horrible that feeling is, and I don’t want anyone else to experience that feeling.
What did you learn from this experience?
I learned that many of the people who bullied me were also struggling too,(there parents were never home to take care of them etc.) so I think the most important thing to do is when you see someone acting rudely towards you or someone, before saying something bad back to them, first check to see if they are struggling with something too.
It’s also important to imagine yourself in other people’s shoes and to do to others as you would have done to yourself.
What would you tell your past self?
You are never alone. There will always be someone there for you no matter what.
