Pages and Places!

This morning, I am remembering an English novel I read a long time ago. It was called "A Painted House" and was written by John Grisham. It was about a seven-year-old boy who witnessed things he shouldn't have. I was thinking about my childhood and the way I witnessed things I shouldn't have. I also read things I shouldn't have because there was no one to supervise my childhood readings.

Later, one of my aunts found out what I was reading, and she hid some of the books I shouldn't have read as a child. It was in my grandparents' house, and she was not always there. Once, the whole library of a women's dormitory was temporarily stored in my home because they had no place to keep the books, and I devoured all those books.

With fast readings, I do not remember titles or authors' names, but I remembered the contents. When someone talked about a well-known book later in my life, I usually knew the story. On that particular summer, I may have read over 50 adult books, possibly close to 100. I think I was around 10 or 11. I remembered my age according to the house we lived in, as we needed to move three times there. When I moved to the big city, my age was 12, and I was only there until I was 12.

When we moved to the big city, everything changed. Both the school and home environments changed, and I was in a famous school with schoolmates who included the sons and daughters of high-ranking government officials, famous artists, and rich people. In later years, I even saw a bodyguard with a hidden gun providing security for two students from the opposite building just outside our classroom. 

I was away from snakes and geckos, but I did not feel the new place was my home. I didn't feel I fit in with my new classmates, and I missed my former places dramatically. As a new student, I attracted a lot of attention, and it was very hard to cope.

As a school uniform, I needed to wear a Burmese traditional dress, which was difficult to hide my body shape, and I did not feel secure. I used to wear an additional shirt or sweater over it as much as possible. I am remembering the level of stress I had around that time, and I am glad I got through it. 

Just a few memories came into my mind this morning.

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