**La Version en Enpanol esta Abajo**
When I was in elementary school in Chile I would always pick on one girl. The way I picked on her (if that is how you would call it) would be to ignore her. I am not exactly sure how this started but it went on for a few years, maybe from second to fifth grade. I believe that it started one day when some boy said she had some infectious decease, only to tease her, but this kind of shocked me (I guess) and I decided I would not get close to her. Every time she would try to talk to me I would ignore her, and this went on for a while.
I did not really think about her feelings. I just thought about myself and how she bothered me for some reason. I did not think much of her presence until one day my mother came to talk to me about it, as this girl had complained to my mother (who was a teacher at my school) about my attitude towards her. My mother asked me why I was doing this, and let me know that it was not good for me to hurt other people's feelings. I told her that I did not know why she bothered me, that I could not explain it, but that I thought I didn't have to be friends with anyone I did not want to. My mother asked me to make an effort, and to think about my attitude and whether it was the correct one. At that point I told her that I would make an effort and talk to her. After this I tried to talk to her, and even defended her once when a kid tried picking on her in the fifth grade. We never got to be best friends, but at least we spoke from time to time.
When I was in 6th grade my parents decided to move to Canada. At first I was excited to go to a new country, but sad that I would be leaving my friends and the world I knew. School in Canada was very different, as I was not surrounded by people I knew, and what is more, I could not understand anyone, as I did not speak English. For the first time in my life I felt like an outcast, and very lonely. I went from being a very outspoken, social and extroverted child, to being a very introverted and shy kid. I was picked on for not knowing the language, and bullied at school for being "different". That was the day that I understood that my attitude towards that girl in Chile had been despicable and now the tables had turned and I was the one being picked on. Luckily I was able to learn from that situation, I learned the language in 6 months, and then transferred schools, where I was able to make new friends. From that day on I realized that you cannot pick on people because you think they are different from you. I learned that your actions can affect other people, and that you should not do things which you wish people did not do to you.
Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and not have picked on that girl, and treated her well, but at least I hope one day I can have the courage to tell her that I am sorry for treating her like that. On the positive side I believe this experience helped me to grow and become a stronger person, and helped me realize at an early age the significance that your actions have on other people.
**VERSION EN ESPANOL AQUI**
Cuando estaba en la basica en Chile, simper ignoraba a una nina. No estoy sugura como comenzo pero duro varios anos, como desde segundo a quinto basico. Creo que todo empezo un dia cuando un nino dijo que esta nina tenia peste, o algo asi, para molestarla. Esto me choqueo (creo) y decide que no me le hacercaria mas. Cada vez que ella intentaba hablarme yo la ignoraba, y esto duro por mucho tiempo.
No pense como esto la afectaria, y solo pense en mi y en como ella me molestaba por alguna razon. No pensaba mucho a su presencia haste que un dia mi madre vino a hablarme del tema, pues la nina le habia reclamado a mi mama (quien era profesora en mi colegio) sobre mi actitud hacia ella. Mi madre me pregunto por que razon hacia eso, y me dejo saber que no era bueno herir los sentiments de otras personas. Le respondi que no sabia por que razon mi molestaba tanto, que no podia explicarlo, pero que yo pensaba que no tenia por que ser amiga de alguien con quien yo no queria serlo. Mi mama me pidio que hiciera un esfuerzo y que reflexionara para ver si mi actitud era la correcta. Le dije que lo pensaría y que haría un esfuerzo para hablar con ella. Después de eso hable con la nina e incluso la defendí un dia de un niño que la molestaba. Nunca llegamos a ser mejores amigas, pero almenos llegamos a hablar normalmente.
Cuando estaba en sexto mis padres decidieron que nos mudaramos a Canada. Estaba contenta de ir a un nuevo pais, pero triste de dejar mis amigos y el mundo que conocia. El colegio en Canada fue muy differente, puesto a que no estaba rodeada de la gente que conocia, y mas enicima no le podia entender a nadie pues no hablaba ingles. Por primera fez en mi vida me senti rechazada, y muy sola. Despues de haber sido una nina muy extrovertida, social y abierta me converti en una nina introverted y timida. En la escuela me molestaban por no hablar el idioma, y acosada (bullied) por ser "diferente". Ese fue el dia que comprendi que mi actitud hacia esa nina habia sido despreciable y que las cosas habian cambiado y agora era yo la que estaba sufriendo desprecios. Por suerte pude aprender una leccion de esa situacion, pude aprender el idioma en 6 meses, y me cambie de colegio donde pude hacer nuevos amigos. Desde ese dia me di cuenta que uno no puede molestar a otras personas por el solo hecho que son diferentes a ti. Aprendi que tus acciones pueden afectar la vida de las personas, y que no debes hacerle a otros algo que no te gustaría que te hicieran a ti.
Aveces me gustaria volver al pasado y no haber ignorado a esa nina, y haberla tratado bien, pero por lomenos espero que algun dia tenga el valor de decirle cuanto lo siento por haberla tratado mal. En el lado positive creo que esta experiencia me ayudo a crecer y a ser una persona mas fuerte, al igual como me ayudo a reconocer el significado de como tus acciones pueden afectar la vida de las personas.
