My Unsuccessful Launch into the Cool Kids Club...

I didn't know there was a whole month dedicated to me until a few days ago when I clicked on May 1st on my calendar. Up popped "First day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month." Anywho. It made me think. Which in most cases is a good thing. What's so special about being Asian American? I think a story is called for here.

It all started when I wanted to be like the cool kids at school. It was second grade and of course the cool kids brought their own lunch to school. Don't all cool kids do that? or so I thought.

My mom worked long hours (12 hours a day, 365 days a year overnight) so if anyone was going to accomplish this launch into the cool kid club, it would have to be me. I eagerly packed my lunch box one morning (I'm not sure where I got the lunch box at.) In doing so, I missed the bus which made me late for school, but no worries. 

I entered the eerily quiet, empty halls of my school with my trusty lunch box in hand. As I turned the corner, headed for my classroom. I realized that instead of breadcrumbs, there was a trail of liquid behind me. Of course, I did what any second grader would have done in such a dire situation. I cried. 

My grand entrance into the cool club was when I swung open the door to my classroom with tears streaming down my face silently cursing my trusty lunch box.

Of course, my sweet teacher ran to me and coaxed me into telling her what the tragedy was. I hiccuped and sputtered out my dilemma. She immediately decided to rescue me. She took the lunch box over to the sink in our classroom while I sat down on the edge of my seat.

She spoke words of affirmation and comfort as she opened my lunchbox. 

"Noreen, it will be ok. Don't worry."

"Look, Here is your thermos of water, I will wipe it off and it will be as good as new."

"Look, Here is your cucumber, I will dry it off too." This is when she, with a puzzled expression, held up my whole cucumber I had stuffed into my lunch box.

She proceeded to look in my lunch box to retrieve the rest, and found the box empty. 

Yes, I had packed a thermos of water and a whole cucumber for lunch. In my mind, it was the perfect lunch. Don't all kids eat whole cucumbers with delight?

I heard the muffled laughter surround me and realized that my lunch was, shall we say, unusual at best. My introduction to the cool club was quite tragic. 

Just so you know, this did not deter me from my love of whole cucumbers. I still walk out to the garden and pick cucumbers and eat them whole. Avriel does it along with me. 

When I was in China eating lunch at the great wall, I saw other kiddos and adults doing the same, and I whispered to my friends, "These are my people."

Lessons learned from said cucumber debacle:

Sometimes it's fun being different.

Sometimes it's not.

It's always fun to be accepted.

It's always fun to be understood.

It's always fun to be accepted and understood when you are different.

Happy Asian American Month to me!