I came to America in August, 1991. I attended a Catholic School in Queens called St. Gregory the Great. I was in sixth grade and barely spoke to anyone.
I knew how to speak English but I was just too shy to actually converse with anyone. Everyone in my school was white. No one was mean to me or anything but I just couldn't get myself to actually talk.
On the first day, the principal introduced me to the class. She explained that I was new to the country and everything, and when I sat at my desk in the back, this kid turned around, smiled at me and shook my hand. His name was Kevin Sweeney. Later on in the day, he walked with me to the school store and helped me purchase a tie for my uniform. He asked if I knew how to tie one, and I said no so we decided on getting a clip-on. (Actually, it may have been one of those kind of pre-tied ties that you just tighten. I'm not sure how to describe it.)
My mom and I moved out of my aunt's house in December of that year to move to New Jersey. I didn't keep in touch with anyone. I didn't even think about it. I've always appreciated Kevin's friendliness, and sometimes I wonder how he and my former classmates are doing. His is the only name I fully remember. And I think that's because there was a baseball player named Sweeney at the time, and I remember thinking that that must be a common surname in America. I guess it really must be common because when I did an internet search for Kevin Sweeney a while ago, there turned out to be quite a few of them. My best guess about my classmate is that he is the one who is a priest or pastor now.
Anyways, that's not what I wanted to write about. I meant to reflect on my first Columbus Day. Well, not actually Columbus Day, but the Friday before it.
Most of my time at St. Gregory's was pretty lonely. The kids there were friendly enough, but mostly I was too damn shy to do anything about it. The girls were all into "Beverly Hills 90210", which I didn't really care about, and the boys were all into football, which I didn't understand.
There was this one girl Katie who I think liked me. But whenever we exchanged words, the other kids would kind of tease us about it. I remember showing her my drawings and making a sign for her that said "Katie's Room". Anyways, even if she did actually like me, I was unaware of it.
But anyways, back to my point. During lunchtime that Friday, and for a few days before that as well, some of the boys approached me. They wanted to learn bad words in my language. And I taught them some, and it was kind of funny. It was nice that I wasn't sitting bored and alone for a change. (The only thing that I realize now is that I was teaching them words in my dialect, and if they talked to most Filipinos about it, they probably wouldn't understand.)
Anyways, near the end of the day, I guess with the holiday coming up or something, I remember we were just talking in the classroom, and I kept teaching bad words to my classmates. I remember speaking in my dialect, and it just felt good and comfortable to just be talking again. And I just got carried away and kept talking in my language.
I said stuff like, "I can just keep talking and call you names and insult you, and you wouldn't understand." And I just kept cursing everybody in my dialect. And nobody really said anything to me. I felt superior.
The kids who rode the school bus were allowed to leave a few minutes early, and I kept on going as I walked down the steps to line up. And I just kept going as we stood in the hall waiting for the bus to come. Then this girl in front of me suddenly snapped. "Would you shut the fuck up already?! We have enough problems here." And then I stopped. And then I didn't really say much for the next couple of months that I was there.
Her name was Erin, and I wish I could remember her last name. I wonder if she even remembers that moment. I definitely remember it fondly. And I'm not now or was ever offended by it. I was being annoying, and I needed it. It was my fresh off the boat moment, I guess.
Anyway, that's my Columbus Day memory.
Tweet Follow @dvdvill
No comments:
Post a Comment