To strangers, my resting face is interpreted as apathy and coldness. Friends I’ve had since freshman year of college still claim I still look scary and serious. I don’t try to create this reputation, but like my housemates say, “it’s inevitable.”Â
Because of my unwanted reputation, people assume I don’t put myself out there and experience embarrassment. This is incredibly far from the truth. Almost 40% of my brain’s energy goes to reliving every embarrassing moment or thinking of ways to prevent them from happening.Â
If you’re burdened by the thoughts of your own embarrassing moments, here’s a list of the memories that haunt my every thought!
- My experience with Glass doors
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During freshman orientation, I talked with a friend in her dorm building until 1 AM. After walking back to my dorm, I slammed my entire body into the Manzi double doors because I assumed they would be unlocked.
A huge group of students were conveniently hanging out in the lobby. I scared half of the girls with the sound of my body ramming into the glass and scared myself in the process as well!
- A scary encounter
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After a late night of studying in the library, I was walking back to my apartment with a friend. She suddenly stopped when she saw a family of raccoons in our path. I have the worst eyesight and completely missed them. When I heard them scurrying, I screamed the loudest I think I’ve ever screamed. The raccoons visibly jumped.
My friend’s laughs were expected, but the couple behind us that giggled while they walked past really threw me over the edge. I walked back home in shame. Every time my friend sees a raccoon, she makes sure to mention this story to whoever we’re with.
- catching up on content
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During rush hour on campus, my headphones weren’t connected to my phone and some random Liv and Maddie episode started blasting out. Everyone in a 100ft radius stared at me. The flight part of my fight or flight kicked in so I turned into South hall to avoid everyone’s stares. My section was in the ILP and I was quite late to class.
- the most intelligent
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I left my glasses on one of the swivel chairs in the library to get a snack from the arbor. My squirrel-sized brain wasn’t smart enough to put them on the table or remember that I had left them on my seat. I sat on my glasses and there was a loud crunch. That day I lost any credibility in defending my intelligence.
- Nap time
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In an early morning Campbell hall lecture, I fell asleep with my mouth wide open. I’d like to say I wasn’t snoring, but I can neither confirm or deny. I only knew when class was over after people tried climbing over me.
- an interview pro
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In the winter quarter of my sophomore year, I had an interview with a recruiter whose company name I couldn’t even pronounce. When they asked for my name, I said “yes.” When they asked for my major, I responded “that sounds great.”
It’s safe to say I did not get that internship. I can’t even recall how the rest of that interview went; my brain refuses to remember any other details.Â
There are probably far more embarrassing moments I’ve experienced during my time at UCSB, but maybe it’s for the best that I can’t remember them. This might just be another embarrassing moment for me if any of this article’s content gets brought up in conversation.Â
Regardless of all the pain I’ve suffered from these moments, I’ve learned that living an interesting life comes from experiencing embarrassing moments. To salvage the shreds of my reputation, I’ll make sure to bury this article deep in my mind as well!