Bio of a Self-Proclaimed Badass

Ever since I was small I knew what I wanted to be- a writer- but the reason this sprung up was because of my love of reading. I can remember clearly my childhood from when I was four until now. I remember my four-year old self infinitely jealous of all of the things my brother was allowed to do, and capable of doing, at the age of six. He was allowed to go to school and meet friends, and he was even being taught how to read. That is pretty much where things began for me. I desperately wanted to be older, as any young person does, but I couldn't even read my own books, my parents had to do it for me. This is when I taught myself how to read. I carried around books and tried to remember which words went with which sounds when my parents read to me. My brother learned by learning the alphabet. I remembered small words at first, but then I began putting words together on my own, and eventually my mom discovered that I could read a few of my favorite books on my own, and she no one had even begun to teach me. I was so proud, learning how to read before my brother could, and it lead to more and more books. But I wasn't quite satisfied. My brother was still able to go to school, and I was not, so my parents started buying me workbooks. They worked with me on things like math and reading, but I did a lot of solo work too. When I was five, I was finally allowed to go to school...early. i loved school so much, and reading was still a huge part of me. It wasn't until I was in about sixth grade that I started reading things about empowering women. A girl who disguised herself as a boy in order to become a knight, a woman assassin, girls who kicked but and took names. After that, that is all I wanted to be. I wanted to be tough and smart and all-around awesome, but my parents had a hard time believing that I could do anything super physical or demanding. I mean hey, all I did was read and I couldn't even run a mile. I was practically allergic to exercise. But I knew what I wanted to do, and every time I have ever put my mind to something, I have gotten it done. I started playing sports and my body thinned out. I maintained good grades while still maintaining my life, but I still wasn't doing what I wanted to do. But then anopportunity came around that I couldn't pass up. I heard about the Military Arnis program that was offered at the Military University where my dad works- but neither of my parents thought that I was capable of doing a martial art that was so physically demanding or tough. Especially not as an eighth grader-- and yet they offered it to my brother. Ever since I was small, my brother has always been offered the opportunities that I want, and so this was an especially tough blow, but then he didn't even take the coveted chance to do something amazing, and that just made me angrier. For the next year and a half I can't say that I thought about it constantly, but it was never far from my mind. That is when my brother finally decided to take them up on the offer, just after I had brought it up again. That stung. They let him begin attending, and I kept begging to be allowed to go. My parents and my brother both argued that it would be too tough or demanding, and that I wouldn't like it. But I knew that that was exactly what I had wanted since I was about ten years old, and I had just turned fifteen. Then one day, out of the blue my parents allowed me to go. I woke up at six that morning, in order to attend the ten o'clock session, that would last four hours. I was beyond thrilled, and that day did not disappoint. It was everything I wanted and more. I began going every weekend, learning boxing, cane fighting, kicks, ground work, and even how to use/defend knifes and guns. It was the only thing I thought about every day of every week, and I finally thought my parents would see that it was my calling, that I was meant to be a fighter- which in essence I always have been. I think they noticed, but they still haven't told me so. The day I went off to boarding school, it hit me- I wouldn't be able to regularly attend the Art in which I had become a brown belt in a matter of a few months (which normally takes a few years). I was devastated, and it is still hard to hear of my team mates progress when I am not there to attend. But I have now found another outlet- the boys wrestling team. It reminds me of Military Arnis in some respects, and it helps me channel my inner badassery. I come back with more sore muscles than I have ever had in my life, and I often have nasty bruises, but that is what I was made for. I was built to be tough. I was built to be all of the things I always wanted to be, and I am just now beginning to dive into everything. All I know is, I wouldn't trade my kick-butt skills for anything in the world. They make me who i am, and everything and everyone I ever wanted to be. I finally feel like all of the book and movie and story characters that have ever inspired me, and I love it. And I can't wait to continue to discover myself, no matter what opposition lies ahead.