By Stephanie Zhou, Student, CLE Costa Mesa
I have always been a quaint person. My Notes app on my iPhone is full of memes I wrote about me and my friends. And my camera roll is full of “Third Wheeling” selfies I took with a couple from my center.
Being this kind of eccentric person has led to many struggles. Growing up, it was difficult for me to converse with others. I just felt that everyone’s conversations were boring, and that all of their hobbies were boring. What I really didn’t get was small talk. I didn’t understand why people would just state things that happened to them without adding insightful commentary. I had only one or two friends throughout elementary school to high school. And even them I talked to fairly briefly.
When I came to CLE in August 2015, I was still a hermit. And I didn’t feel like giving the students a chance because I already felt bored by them and I couldn’t relate. However, eventually, due to prolonged exposure, as well as the fact CLE was a small community, I started opening up. What I found was that I could use humor to bond with all sorts of different people. It was this method of humor that enable me to develop a lot of relationships at CLE.
Going from being so lonely just a few years ago, to having all these friends is crazy for me. My neurodiversity plays a role in the humor and mood of these relationships and I am very proud of that.