In addition to my Actifit Report, I am publishing my Memoir Monday today.
This time, I am answering a series of questions about my senior year of high school.
The image above is me (right) and another exchange student from Poland: Robert Sokolowski.
Did you know your current love in high school?
I didn't, but I did meet my ex-wife in this high school in 1993.
What type of car did you drive?
As an exchange student from Ukraine, I didn't drive. My host brother sometimes gave me a ride to school.
What kind of work did you do?
I was not allowed to work on my visa, but I did make some money doing jobs like mowing lawn, etc. I did receive a $100 per month stipend as an exchange student.
Where did you live?
I lived in Camarillo, California, with a host family. I loved living in California as it was very different from Kharkov, Ukraine 🇺🇦
Were you popular?
The funny thing is that I was quite well known around high school for a silly thing.
Once, while I was just sitting in Calculus Honors class, I was challenged by Chris Pohoski, a quarterback on the high school team, to an armrestling match.
I never armwrestled before, and the dude was clearly bigger and more muscular than me. But I am not one to back down when challenged, so I accepted the challenge.
My strategy was to simply try to hold on as long as possible to not lose in an embarrassing nature. I kept holding on, and I started wondering why he was not pushing harder. Then I noticed that he was getting red. I decided to push myself, and he instantly folded.
People were cheering on, and suddenly, there was complete and stunned silence. Chris could not believe it and asked for a rematch. I beat him instantly the second time, and he was shocked and asked how much I bench pressed.
I said that I never bench pressed in my life. I didn't tell anyone that I did 30 pull-ups since I was a kid and that I carried heavy bags in both hands from the train to our village house about 3 miles in Ukraine for years.
After that, I armwrestled the entire football and wrestling team as well as most of the big guys and never lost. That earned me a nickname of "The Mad Ukrainian." 😀
Were you in band or choir?
No, singing and music instruments were never my thing.
What did you do after your graduation ceremony?
I flew to Washington DC for the final week of my exchange program before flying back to Ukraine to study at Kharkov National University.
Ever get suspended?
I never did.
If you could go back, what experience would you relive?
I'm not sure there were lots of great experiences in USA like the first roller-coaster ride at Magic Mountain
Did you ever skip school?
Not while I was in America, I did skip school to play hockey in Ukraine.
Did you attend football games?
Nope, I was not into American football
What was your favorite subject?
History, probably because I was always interested in history and we had a great teacher.
Do you still have your yearbook(s)?
No.
Did you follow your intended career path?
No, I was planning to be a business person but ended up pursuing an IT career.
Do you still have your high school ring?
Never bought one, at the time I thought it was weird to wear a ring as a man.
Who was your favorite teacher?
Mr. Beck - History teacher
What was your hairstyle?
See the image above, not much of a hairstyle 😀
What were your favorite shoes?
Leather Reebok basketball shoes
What was your favorite food?
Pizza and peanut butter sandwiches
Who was your favorite singer?
There were a few: Modern Talking, MC Hammer, Madona, Vanilla Ice, etc....
What cologne did you wear?
None
How old were you when you graduated?
17
Did you have any nicknames?
The Mad Ukrainian. See above for the story about how I got it.
What high school did you attend?
Adolfo Camarillo High
What year did you graduate?
1994
What’s changed the most about the world since you graduated?
Internet and mobile phones
How have you changed since high school?
I have gotten older, my weight is 210+ these days and I was 172 pounds at the time.
If you could time-travel and tell your teenage self something what would it be?
I would tell my self to divorce my first wife before things got really bad and to catch my current wife as soon as she arrived to America.
Oh, and I would tell myself to accumulate as much Bitcoin as I can.
[//]:# (!worldmappin 34.21816 lat -119.00833 long Adolfo Camarillo High School d3scr)
This report was published via Actifit app (Android | iOS). Check out the original version here on actifit.io
