High School Meme

There's nothing I like better than a questionnaire about myself, so thanks, Christie!



High School Meme

First let me preface by saying that I went to four different high schools, one for each year. That makes this a little difficult. My first school was a really difficult college prep school. Ever see Dead Poet's Society? It was written by Robin Williams about this school (where he attended for a short time). So you get the feel--not warm and fuzzy. I left after the first year to "get a life." My second year was Marian. It was a Catholic girls school. I actually liked it. It was like public school with little plaid skirts. Very easy. But not too good for getting dates. My junior year I went to Germany as an exchange student. I intended to return to Marian when I got back, but my little brother was hunting for private high schools while I was gone and found an excellent one, Cranbrook Kingswood (referenced in the movie "8 Mile" when Eminem makes fun of the other rapper for going to a private school at the very end of the movie.) Anyway, I attended Cranbrook with my brother for my last year of high school. I LOVED it. Wish I'd been there all along. So...that's my high school experience. Quite disjointed, pretty lonely being the new girl every single year, but some good experiences in there. And a lot of learning to stand on my own two feet.

1. Did you date someone from your High School? Yes. My freshman year was Nikhil Verma, who went out with me for a week and dumped me after Homecoming. My senior year I dated Dave Chung for 2 months. The other guys I went out with junior year weren't from my school. And obviously I didn't date anyone from Marian. I was always into the boys.

2. What kind of car did you drive?
My parents let me drive my dad's former work car, a Mercury Sable, until I crashed my mom's red station wagon (not my fault--hit by a drunk driver) in 10th grade and my mom took the Sable back. Then my first car of my own was an '81 Toyota Corolla Rustmobile, my senior year. When I burnt the engine out, I had to drive this:



3. What was the most embarrassing moment of High School for you?
It involved the above Ford LTD station wagon. Keep in mind that I was a scholarship student at one of the most expensive private schools in the country. The parking lot was full of Mercedes, BMWs and Lexuses. It was bad enough that I had to drive the old crappy station wagon to school. I felt like a character from Pretty in Pink. But one day I noticed on the way to school that my tire was almost flat. I was nearly to school, so I decided to drive slowly and just get to class and deal with it after school. I told my brother to get down to the parking lot as fast as humanly possible after school so we could get out of there before anyone saw us. Well, he doddled, and by the time he got to the car, the parking lot was full of kids. I didn't want anyone cool to see me in "the beast" WITH a flat tire. I was so embarrassed that I decided to just drive to the nearest gas station and fill it up with air there. But the parking lot was clogged with people, and I had to get in a long queue to get to the street. So as I waited there, people kept knocking on my window, "Hey, you have a flat tire!" I just wanted to crawl in to the floor and die.

4. Were you a party animal?
No. Not at all. I didn't get wild until college.

5. Were you considered a flirt?
I don't think so. I always liked boys and I always seemed to be liked by boys (mostly nerdy ones), but I don't think I was a flirt about it.

6. Were you in Band, Orchestra, or Choir?
I played the cello and was in choir in middle school, but in high school, they were always during the same period, so I had to choose. I chose choir.

7. Were you a nerd?
No. I always hung with pretty cool crowds. I was sometimes a loner at first, though (as I changed schools.)

8. Were you on any Varsity teams?
Junior varsity volleyball was the closest I ever came to that, freshman year.

9. Did you ever get suspended/expelled?
No. I got detentions a few times, but always for stupid stuff like too many tardies or uniform violations. Never for insubordination or trouble making.

10. Can you still sing the fight song?
I'm pretty sure we had school songs at all my schools, but I can't remember any of them.

11. Who were your favorite teachers?
Mrs. Shuette, my 12th grade math teacher, who wouldn't let me write myself off as a terrible math student. She believed in me, and she actually got me to get A-'s in her class! She also let me cry to her over my parents splitting up. Also, I liked my senior year Spanish teacher, Senor Watson, who thought I was way hipper than I was. He was always inviting me to poetry readings and acoustic guitar sessions (with other students of course.)

12. Where did you sit during lunch?
Ooo...that's a sore spot. See, I was often the new kid and lunch seating was my nemesis. Freshman year was alright. I had a tight group of girlfriends because a lot of kids were new in 9th grade; we made friends fast. But sophomore year at Marian was really hard. I sat with one or two other girls usually. In Germany we all went home for lunch. And my senior year I sat with the Korean exchange students because I wasn't that good of friends with anyone else from my grade until the end of the year.

13. What was your school's full name?
Detroit Country Day School, Marian, Keppler Gymnasium, Crankbrook/Kingswood Academy.

14. School mascot?
DCD Yellow Jackets, Marian Mustangs, Keppler didn't' have one, Cranbook Cranes

15. Did you go to Homecoming? With whom?
I went to homecoming my freshman year with Nikhil Verma, my one-week boyfriend. I was only 15 and wasn't allowed to date, so I snuck out to go to homecoming. First I conned my mom into making me a dress, which she thought was for church. Then I stashed my dress at a friend's house the week before and just pretended I was going to hang out at her house the night of homecoming. The problem came when I arrived home from the dance IN MY HOMECOMING DRESS. I hadn't thought that far ahead. Luckily, when I knocked on my sister's ground level window, she let me sneak in there and got me some of my clothes to change into. The first nice thing she ever did for me. I think she might have been just a little impressed that Miss Goodie Twoshoes had done something so naughty.

16. If you could go back and do it again, would you?
Absolutely. But only knowing what I know now. I would change SO many things!

17. What do you remember most about graduation?
UGH. The fact that no one in my family knew about it. My parents had just divorced, my mom and brother were living in Utah, my sister was married and living in Oregon, my dad was living in an apartment while I lived in the family house, which was for sale. I guess I was sort of the lost child, and no one in my family remembered to ask about my graduation. I realized this as I was getting my cap and gown on, and I called my dad. He made it there before I walked up for my diploma, luckily. Bad memory.

18. Where did you go Senior Skip Day?
I'm not sure what that is. If we had one, I don't remember it.

19. Were you in any clubs?
Probably. I don't remember. Maybe International Club?

20. Have you gained some weight since then?
Yes. I'm not sure how much. I'd guess I'm about 15-20 lbs up from my graduation weight.

21. Who was your Prom Date?
UGH. Another bad memory. My senior year boyfriend and I (who attended different schools) had just broken up a few weeks before Prom. So I wasn't planning on going. But then a guy I sort of knew at school, Matt, asked me to go. So I said yes. A few days later, I got back together with my boyfriend, but he told me to just go with Matt so I could go to prom at my own school. But like my graduation experience, no parents were involved with my life. So I had no dress, no money, no salon appointment... I eventually borrowed a horrible dress from my sister's friend, got home from picking it up 20 minutes before my date showed up, had no hairdo or fancy make up or anything, had the wrong date (although we went on to become great friends) and forgot to wear deodorant. It was terrible.

22. 10 year Reunion? Are you planning on going?
10 year??? Hahaha, I wish. And no, I didn't go to any of them. I didn't know anyone at any of the schools well enough to make it worth the trip back to Michigan.

23. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself?
I should have been way more involved in extra curricular activities, the things I really enjoyed: photography, music, drama, etc. I was sort of a homebody and never really did much after school. I was invited to be in a band--a rock band, not marching band--but I never went to practices. I wish I had. I'd tell myself to really go for things. And make different friends. And be less worried about being "cool." And take the pre-SAT and pre-ACT. And not waste my time with Nikhil.