I was born in London, ON in Canada, and only stayed there for 2 years
I have moved over 7 times and am going for the 8th in the summer, because of these moves I was always the new kid, the outsider. In one one specific school, they weren't so welcoming especially to those of different races....
The insults ranged from raccoon to poo face and I had never been bullied before so the sudden had a big impact. I was only in grade 2, I was 7 and I attempted suicide by trying to jump over the balcony 12 stories high. Luckily I was too short.
Eventually I moved and met more friendly people and developed people skills and my life got better.
Yet I wonder how people are expected to hold on when it only took the 6 months I stayed at that school to be driven to suicide.
What kept you strong when you were facing all of these problems?
Honestly, when I was in gr. 1 everyone was against me, even my own older brother. I was the loser kid, my only friends were the kindergartens in their own section. They looked past my skin colour and accepted me. Those little tykes were the only thing that kept me going, through the pain that sometimes teachers would participate in too.
What advice do you have for people who might be facing the same kind of racism from others?
I'd have to say that when facing racism, you need to remain calm and treat it like an other bullying situation. Just tell them that what they said was really racist, and it may not stop it completely but at least they know how cruel their actions are.
Second of all, the whole world is never going to be against, try to befriend accepting people and do your best to avoid those that hurt you. Stay strong and if it gets bad enough, tell the principal, parent or teacher, I don't care if you look like a snitch, racism is a disgusting thing of the past that should not be tolerated. Hopefully racism is less of a problem as it was when I was younger
My dad was also a great help in getting me through the racism, but he wasn't there for the rest of my childhood since my parents got divorced, I only saw him every other weekend.
It wasn't until he died driving drunk two years ago that I really felt the loss of a father figure. The worst part was that I chose to go to a party instead of go to his house the weekend he crashed, I know if I was there he would have had less to drink that night and he wouldn't have left so late...
My baby half brother was only a few months when he passed, and my other younger half brother was 3. They were so young and now that there is no court mandated routine, I see my little bros monthly instead of weekly. My dad had life insurance so I get a couple hundred thousand when I turn 18, and my older brother has already received his, but now it has dwindled away. Ever since his money started to become scarce he became verbally abusive, demanding for all the money he lent to my mom to be payed back. He is responsible for a large crack on our windshield created in a fit of rage. But now he is in university and I'm all alone while my mom struggles with two jobs, one being minimum wage to make up for the lost child support.
So far I am handling life pretty well and making through, right now I am a straight 90% student in the I.B. program and am working hard for a better future so that I can learn from my family's past mistakes and create a better life in the future for my mom, stepmom, brothers, and I.
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The Guide Book 3- ( A helpful guide)
Non-Fiction"The Guide Book" is not as much a book, as it is a guide. If you've been with me through The Guide Book 1 and 2, then you will notice some changes in this. For in the previous books, it consisted of just questions answered by regular people like you...
