I am a rare guy...

When I was little I would have to face the public school system in Philadelphia. My mother knew that there would tough times ahead. In her heart she wanted to home school us. Well with a strange aliment which she found out later was LUPUS, limiting her she had no choice. We had to enter public school. We were loving to each other before entering the hell that is public school. After experiencing bullying, the peer pressure, and for me an environment where teachers could not insure your physical safety. It changed us my siblings and I. I can not speak on how it changed my brothers, and sisters. I can speak on how it changed me.

Today, many parents feel that kids need social lessons. They feel that the nonsense that I faced in school is a good social lesson. Here in Korea the situation is very different. So I will not fault Korean parents, they just do not know what it is like to raise kids who are going to low income public schools. My experience was a circus. Fighting most days, with cruel taunting everyday. I admit I was a fool. I did not communicate what was going on. I felt like I could handle it on my own. I am so glad I grew up when I did. If I did what I did today...I would have ended up dead.

I fought. I hated bullies. I hated kids who would pick on other kids, make them cry or shame them in different ways. Perhaps making them do some simple task as if they are a servant. It ignited an anger I never felt in my young life. I decided I would fight them if they decided to do the same to me.

My battle was a silent one at first. I would refuse to cry or show fear while the bully would pummel me. Looking back it is so amazing how the bully was so perplexed. He just could not understand how one kid would not cry, or do as he said.
Eventually this just would not cut it. I became a punching a bag. I am a person with a short temper. I did not know this then. So one day one bully was hitting me, my temper went red hot. I literally threw him to the ground and started pounding him. Something amazing happened after I did that. That kid left me alone!! I had peace of mind for the first time in years.

So I started punching back! I would take on bullies taller, heavier, and sometimes stronger than I. You see I was small but I had more power than one could tell from looking at me. The downside was that well...I was not trained in hand to hand combat. In addition I had very little endurance at first. I would swing several punches, that would surprise the bullies. However, soon I learned I needed to practice somehow. I would tire too soon. The result? I would fight kids that would bully other kids. It got to the point that weaker students would run to me for help.

I felt like a hero at times. Being a hero was actually a stupid idea. I was a child. I was not equipped to deal with trying to help other students. I was a student myself. Well, finally it got to the point that the bullies finally respected me and left me alone. However, the fear they had of me did not go away. You see the "respect" was not a normal respect you see people showing each other in a civilized world. It was something out of the animal kingdom. They knew that even if 2 of them would attack me, one of them would get hurt. Even when 10 students would attack me, I made sure to put a hurt on one of them. Usually the poor sucker who ended up in front of the pack got several nasty punches from me. Of course they would over power me, and I would endure an ass kicking. But I was used to taking pain.

The animal kingdom style respect was more dangerous than I could have realized. When animals fear another animal they form packs to hunt said feared animal. That is what those bullies did. Eventually they learned that I am actually human after all. One of them hit me with a rock. I saw more blood pouring out of me than I had ever seen in a lifetime. Here is the kicker though. I was not afraid of the bullies. While this happened I was planning to knife the one who attacked me the next day. I was about to throw my life away with out even consulting my parents.

Fortune smiled on me that day. When I got home covered in blood but fuming. My mother and father took the reins out of my hands. They confronted the teachers and the administrators. They saved my life. I had a knife in my jacket, and was waiting for an opportunity to attack the kid who hit me with the rock. If I had succeeded I would have ended up in prison, and my life would have been terrible. Instead while in the school my parents refused to let me "get something" from my locker. They stuck with me.

Fast forward today. I am married to a wonderful woman. I have two sweet boys. I am a real traveler. I live and work in foreign countries. Instead of fighting bullies, I help people better themselves. I am in a country where violence is frowned on. I have learned patience. I even prevented one massive solider from pummeling another solider. How did I do it? Did I fight him? No I simply said sorry, and managed to calm him down. We became very friendly afterwards.

I am a rare guy. My parents had issues yet I was never forgotten. Now that my mother has passed away I have gained another mother. She is so loving, so sweet, where my mother had to hard, strict, my new mother has shown me softness, tenderness. I am not taking away from what my biological mother did. She did the right thing, another reason why I am such a rare guy (well my brothers and I).

Oh and it is friday....yeah boy!!!

/tata