Hello, my name is Oat
Tags: Biography, College, Self, Writing, Autobiography

When I was a sophomore in high school, I had an assignment in my English class where I had to write an autobiography. Well actually, in the words of an influential math teacher I once had, I got to have the opportunity to go to school and write that autobiography. So I made sure to do a damn good job writing it.

I thought I understood almost everything when I was a sophomore. I was starting to find success on the debate team, had evolved from my middle school phase of being shy and introverted, and had even successfully asked the girl I liked to go to the winter dance with me. I had recreated myself in the span of two years of high school, and I was really proud of the end result.

Unsurprisingly, my autobiography was glowing. I had nothing bad to say about myself, just pat on the back after pat on the back. But looking back, I remember almost nothing of what I wrote, only the title,

Oatmeal doesn’t have to be Boring.

I spent a little longer than I’d like to admit coming up with that title, but it’s a statement that perfectly defines me. Here’s the rundown on who I am: Asian, average weight, average height, glasses, plays non-contact sports, occasionally studious, vanilla, and alternates between dressing like Macklemore in “Thrift Shop” and your average finance bro. On the surface, I look like my favorite breakfast food, oatmeal. Average. Bland. Boring. I’m a carbon copy of tons of people on the outside, but as I elaborated in my autobiography, “oatmeal” gets really interesting when you dig beyond the surface.

my autobiography’s cover

Beyond the surface, there’s berries, bananas, craisins, and plenty of flavor. That’s me. Regardless of how I looked and what I did, I always thought I was special growing up. And in some ways, I still feel that way. I feel an itch to do something special and be someone special. But if I’m being honest, there’s little that I’ve done towards satisfying that itch. The oatmeal is still bland for the most part.

I always say this, but this time for real, things are going to change soon. I’m at a sort of turning point in my life. I was dumped by my first girlfriend (who I dated for three years) about two months ago. I had a crisis about the purpose of life, fell behind in school, and just didn’t have the free time to pursue things I wanted to do. She was my entire support system, so it’s beenhard to move on. But I’m tired of being tired. I’m ready to start enjoying life again.

I’m not really sure why I decided to start writing on medium. But having gotten to this point, I’m glad I did. Writing out what I’m feeling, telling stories, and generally just sharing words with anyone is actually helping me feel less lonely and more empowered to go do something. My former girlfriend used to be the recipient of all my words and feelings, so it’s been a hard transition to the single life. But right now, I feel excited to be sharing the flavor of my life once again.

This first article was written completely off the top of my head with no planning, but I might try to write with more organization in the future. With a month of break ahead of me, I can’t wait to start writing more. I have no idea who will find my writing or if I’ll share it with my friends, but if you’re reading this, I hope you’ll enjoy everything I have to share!