I tried to watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey, but eight minutes in, I was out. Overly-coiffed females in designer clothes, fighting over guys and social status isn’t entertainment, it’s high school. I’m not sure how to say this without sounding completely conceited but -- I was the ugliest girl in my school. At sixteen I was so naive, I thought the popular girls would see my inner beauty, but I guess my outer ugly was too much of an obstacle. To be fair, I started each day looking cute, but with the humidity, gym class and my orange foundation that stopped exactly at my jaw line, I ended each day looking like Carrot Top’s unfortunate twin brother.

I just read about a 16-year-old girl from Australia who set out on the open seas to become the youngest person in the world to sail solo, non-stop around the world. On her first day out to sea, she crashed into a bulk freighter. Sounds like the day I turned sixteen and got my driver’s license. I was so excited, on my way out of the parking lot I slammed into a parked car. Because I’m a good person -- and because it’s the law, I left a note. I wrote, “Sorry I hit your car, I won’t do it again” and drove off, just another law-abiding citizen.

When you’re sixteen, you learn from your mistakes and the rites of passage are bitter sweet – like the sour patch kids and Pepsi I had for breakfast each morning. I wanted everyone to like me, so I let the popular girls copy my homework and hand it in with their name at the top, which is basically the same thing my boss does today. I'm grateful I’m not sixteen again because I’ve learned a lot of stuff since then, and even though I still can’t get my hair to stay straight, I’m much prettier, and now I’m proud to say, I look like Carrot Top’s unfortunate twin sister.

That’s why I’m grateful I’m not sixteen again.