Middle School and Me

My family lived in Brasil when I was in middle school.  We moved there when I was 10, and moved back to the United States when I was 14.  I was one person when we moved there, and I was an entirely different person when we moved back.  Pretty much an improvement all around, in my opinion.  I give most of the credit for these changes to the friends that I made while we lived there.

A week or so ago I was driving somewhere as school was letting out across Lincoln.  There was a group of middle school kids walking home and I watched them as I drove down the street.  I say group but they were spread out, in pairs, across a distance the length of a soccer field or so.  They would turn around and yell something at each other, having a sort of loud long distance conversation.

The way they walked, this awkward method of communicating with each other, the boy/girl scene, their clothes, even their hair all brought back so many memories of my own middle school days.

Ah, middle school.  The thing about middle school for me is that I did all three years of it in a different country, at a private school, and had no idea really how lucky I was.

I really began to miss those people that filled my days back then.  I tried to find pictures, and thought I had more, but this was all I could find.  There are a few pictures that I am really sad I couldn't find, so maybe I'll look again another day.

Until then, to the people in these photos and to the people in the photos I couldn't find, thanks for being a good friend to little, weird, silly middle school me.

You have no idea the impact you've had on my life over the years.

 At a sleepover. 
I still have that sweatshirt. 
Heather loves when I wear it, 
 because it has Mickey Mouse on it.

 Here I am, this is maybe 8th grade?

 This was my best friend, Elise, before we moved to Brasil.  We got to visit with them one summer, I think maybe I was in seventh grade?  I am the one all the way on the left, with the really bad looking perm.  Getting that perm was one of the worst choices I've made in my life.

Erika and Ivana

 
Carolina and Christen

This was my senior year of high school, Daniella and Christen came and surprised me with a visit.
I came out of school, and they were just there, on my car.
One of the top five best surprises of my life.

Comments

  1. Alisha ErinMarch 12, 2014 at 9:37 PM

    Now we need to know about the other four best surprises.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 12, 2014 at 9:59 PM

    This made me go look for pictures from back then. ..lots of bad perms, big glasses, and shy smiles but we owned it! We had such a great time together growing into awkward tweens. We need to try to catch up sonetime when we may be passing through each others states!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Carolina (@braziliancakes)March 13, 2014 at 9:09 AM

    Awww, I remember those days! I have pictures, will find them and send them to you. Also, love reading your blog and seeing beautiful pics of your kids. Xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mimi CollettMarch 13, 2014 at 5:03 PM

    Oh, those were some good times. And oh man, perms. :) You did have some awesome friends, and while they changed you, you also changed them for the better, too.

    ReplyDelete

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