Dear Bully,

I hope everything is going well for you. It has been quite a while since I've last seen you and I still remember you clearly. While you may have called me names on my looks, my skin, and my shyness, I still thank you for this experience as this has strengthened my confidence as a person. I've learned that beauty should be determined by one's actions, rather than how they look and the color of their skin. Though what you've done to do was quite ugly, I still believe you are a beautiful person, and maybe you just needed someone to tell you that more often.

Remember how you made fun of me because I didn't speak any English when we first met. What you didn't know is my parents were immigrants from Mexico and came with only a suitcase of clothes and $50 dollars. My father lost his father when he was young and worked since he was six years old, and my mother was one of the few who managed to get a college education in Mexico (her degree in the USA is null and void, unfortunately). The only experience of English I had was with cartoon shows (I did not enjoy Dora the Explorer). So I bet it was easy to make fun of a person who was scared of being left out and confused. I still thank you for this experience as it has educated me that even knowing English, doesn't mean it makes you smart. It makes you privileged to know the language, but it is what one does with that education and how they may expand their knowledge from that basis to be productive, instead of regressing by tormenting others who were not as privileged.

Remember how you made fun of me just because I was shorter than you. Then when I became depressed and shy, you continued to physically push me around and eventually pushed me into depression and low self-esteem. Since my parents were raised in traditional ways, it was very easy to go under their radar to hide these mental issues you helped evolved in me. I still thank you for this experience because this helped me become who I am. Without this pressure you placed on me, I wouldn't have learned about myself to the point in which I'm now comfortable to describe who I am.

Even through all the heartache, nights of crying, and moments of worthlessness I've felt, I wouldn't change anything from our encounters. I hope you have a wonderful life and I wish you the best in all your endeavors.

Thank you,

Survivor