My mother is making a great effort to dejunk her basement. I admire her desire and drive... although much to my dismay, I left a lof of stuff there (It's been a decade!), so she dumped it at my house tonight. In these boxes contained old cassette tapes, letters from friends, boyfriends and missionaries, old homework assignments, notes, etc. Among these gems was a folder from 8th grade, titled "All About Me".
The cover of the folder had a design I created with the coolest of fashion brand labels. Don't judge me here-- I had only been exposed to clothes I could buy at the BX (Base Exchange) on an Airforce base! This included labels for ESPRIT, Swatch, Gitano, and Malibu U!
The post that follows is from the brain of an 8th grade Christy. Keep in mind, I had just moved to Utah after living in Germany for 5 out of 6 years. I felt like I had not a friend in the world. Everything I type from here on out is [sic]. Even still, I got an A out of the assignment.
10-25-88
"Childhood Memories"
When I was about 7 years old I went to Switzerland with my friend and her family.
We went to Bern Switzerland to see the famous bears. After we saw them, we walked down the streets and in the shops. I looked down at something then when I looked up I couldn't find the people I was with. I got really scared and sat down and began to cry. After a while a swiss man came up and asked me what was wrong in a language I couldnt understand. I told him in English I didn't know what he was saying, so he got his wife who spoke English. I told her I was lost. She immediately took me to the Police station. The police asked me for a description for a family I was with. When I gave them a description, they went out looking for them.
After a while they came in the station.
(Is that story anticlimatic or what? I have a better rendition of it now, including when the police asked me if I wanted a coke and I told them "No, I'm a mormon and I don't drink coke!".... even though I really did!)
10-27-88
If I were to invent any machine, It would be a machine with 4 different powers to do 4 different things. One side a machine with a letter keyboard to type in anything you want, and it would come out the chute. The bad side of it would be that you would get spoiled, and everyone would want it.
On another pannel, a hair dresser that has robot arms that do you hair in the latest styles. The bad part is, that one day it could go chaos and cut off all your hair.
On the third pannel, I'd have a thing that comes out with only the latest style of clothes. A new outfit every day. The bad part is, is that your closet will get tool fool and you will end up with clothes all over your room.
On the last side, I'd have a homework doer. Put the paper in, tell what you want done, and Presto!
Next I had to plan a dinner party where I had specific rules of who I could invite. I had to make a guest list, the reasons why I invited each, arrange the table, and make a menu. I won't go into all the details, but this will show how 80's this was:
Guest List:
Sheli (my sister)
Erika (my best friend)
Andy (my 7th grade crush)
Stephen King
Rick Astley
Mikhail Gorbachev
Myself
Marylou Retten
Mike Tyson
Marilyn Monroe
10-31-88
(this must have been a "finish this sentence" assignment)
1. On weekends, I like to spend time with my friends.
2. I'd like to tell my best friend my deepest and darkest secrets but they're too personal.
3. The happiest day in my life was when I moved back here in the states.
4. If I were five years older I would be in colledge.
5. I am best at writing stories.
6. My favorite vacation place would be in London.
7. I like the kind of teacher who has us read and write a lot.
8. I get angry when people get on my nerves.
9. I trust those who are sincere.
10. I think my parents shouldn't nag so much.
11. I have accomplished to make many friends since I moved her.
12. My worse days are when I wake up late.
It's been over 18 years since I wrote this stuff. I am blown away by how I am still very much the same person that I was, yet so completely and totally different.
And, no typo's here. Remember.. [sic]!!
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11 comments:
Dude, is that spam I see before me?
I'm oddly touched by your story about the Bern Polizei offering you a Coke. That is a really warm gesture on their part - trying to give you a little piece of home, not a normal thing to have on hand to drink around the office. Too cute. You couldn't have gotten lost in a safer city or country.
Fun post. :-)
This is such a cute post. It's so fun when you find things like this and see what you actually were like.
I have to admit, when you were describing your folder with the Gitano label I totally flashed back to wearing those jeans!!
Hee hee hee....and Presto!
That's funny! What great memories. I've got some old stuff like that. Just haven't looked at it in a while. I remember doing a questionaire thing like that when I was about 8 or so. The question I remember the most was....what thing I wanted most in the whole world. My answer was...an umbrella. (apparently I thought they were the most expensive things in the world...because we didn't have umbrellas growing up!)
Wow, I can't believe how many times I kept thinking, "yes, that's so Christy." I loved that!
It makes me want to go dig up my old crap and see how much I have or haven't changed.
Hey, I wrote an "All About Me" book in 8th grade too! I'll have to dig it up next time I'm at my parents'...they still have a bunch of my boxes.
My mom did the same thing and I had a great time looking through letter I wrote to Santa in class and a letter to my dad telling him to cheer up because he looked better when he smiled. :)
Thanks for sharing, Christy. It was great to see a little of what you were like so long ago!
My mom gave me a big envelope this year full of art projects from grade school. (I never realized I loved art until high school - 10th grade)...the funny thing I noted when I looked at the old stuff, was how often I drew faces and people. I must have always been fascinated with drawing and painting the figure.
Love your writing here.
My 8th grade stuff is all about unicorns and how much I hate my afro. You're much cooler than I. By the way, I have seen you and Jeremy naked.
Damnit! When I joined the church at the ripe old age of 19, I threw away all my diaries. I wanted to escape my past. My diaries listed in detail my naughty youthful follies!
You were so cute and you still are!
Cool that far beyond the 8th grade you still like to write.
My high school English teacher asked us to keep a journal for a week and turn it in as part of an assignment. I wrote the journal as if no one would read it.
But she did.
I want to go to that party! Gorbi! Marilyn! Rick Freakin' Astley.
That list is precious!
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