High school is like a rollercoaster, going up and down and sideways. When I first started high school, it was not like High School Musical, a movie that I loved to watch. There was dancing and singing all the time in the movie, and some of the characters made it look easy to make friends. However, it was not what I experienced. Finding a group that allows you to develop your interests takes time, and this was my struggle in high school.
Starting as a freshman student, I was a timid kid who did not have enough confidence to talk to my peers. I would rather have them talked to me first. Because of that, I did not have any friends; instead, I considered the people I talked to as being acquaintances. I participated even less in class. I was technically a nobody in high school. For most of my freshman and sophomore years, my life was just about going to school, doing class work, and not getting myself in trouble.
Starting in junior year, I decided that it was time for me to get involved in at least one school activity that interested me. At the beginning of the year, there were many posters on the walls that advertised different types of clubs, such as the "Gay-Straight Alliance" club, the "Bible Study" club for Christians, and the sports club. I hoped to make new friends, gain more self-confidence, and wanted to fit in somewhere.
The first group that picked my interest was the "Nerds" group. The "Nerds" were schoolmates that were actually smart and all in advanced classes, and since I was not as smart as them, I decided to join their group to get help with homework. They could help with any subject—math, english, reading, science. However, as helpful as they were, I started to find them boring. I mean, all they ever talked about was school work and nothing else. It is not a bad thing, but could they not talk about anything else other than school work? I left the group shortly after, because I could not fit in with people who had no other interest but school.
The second group I joined was the French group. Since I was taking French class, I thought it would be easier to make friends with the people in that group. This group was about learning the culture of France and practicing our French speaking skills. The people in the group were very interesting; many of them had been to France and knew how to speak well. I really liked that group, and they always served free croissant, grape juice, cheese, and crackers every Tuesday. I even picked up the language "Bonjour mon nom est Binita, et je suis age de 21 ans", meaning Hello, my name is Binita and I am 21 years old. I had been a member of the group my entire junior year. I had made a few friends, and even improved my social skills. Sadly, the group was cancelled at the end of the year because the French teacher retired, and there was nobody else wanting to take over the group. Since there was no longer a group, I lost touch with the friends that I made, and was left trying to find another club.
Finally, I joined this other group called the "Anime Club" during my senior year. This club was mainly about comic books and cartoons, which they referred to as manga books and anime. This was the group where I finally felt that I fitted in. I actually found it very fascinating, and I enjoyed reading manga books. Some of my favorite books now are Ouran Highschool Host Club, Fairy Tail, Inuyasha, and Black Butler. I made some great friends, whom I still talk to today.
I wanted to write about finding where I belong because I want anyone to know how it feels when you try to fit in a group, and how you have to keep on searching until you actually find a good one. I had finally found which group I belonged to, and it was the Anime Club. I even made a lot of new friends along the way. Currently, I have two best friends, both of them were also part of the club. If someone has a similar story, and feel that they can never fit in, then this person needs to learn how to be themselves, and not be afraid of anything. Be yourself, explore new possibilities and experiences, like joining a group you might be interested in, and gradually make new friends and maybe you might find your best friend as well. Also enjoy high school while you can.
