Jefferson

Ok so just as a precursor to this post... Jeff Zhang has asked/suggested that I make a post about him. If you feel a strong need for one of your own let me know; who knows it could be fun.

Alright so Jeff is probably one of the weirdest people I know. He's pretty smart but completely bipolar about showing it. He works really hard but doesn't want anyone to know. He's a nice guy, but only when it serves his purposes. Most everything about him is paired with a "but" statement and I can't say I've ever been able to figure out why.

I first "met" Jeff in eighth grade. He would hang out with a girl that was in my advisory so I saw him around but I couldn't say I really knew him. I associated him with the drawings that would randomly appear on the lockers and phrases like "saucy" or "el chep." I had heard he was smart but honestly, I lacked any educational stimulus so "being smart" was no big deal to me. For the rest of middle school he was just "that asian kid;" the only real notable thing about him was that I had heard he had skipped a grade but "big deal" I thought "that just means he's gonna get his license later, see R rated movies later," but ultimately nothing was different. 

Ninth grade honors physical science was the first time you could say I "hung out" at all with Jeff. He was smart...but still his level of genius was completely attainable. In middle school I saw him as a nonentity. We both got perfects and it didn't matter, but in ninth grade he became my drive and competition. Beyond the statisfaction I felt in beating him was the stigma associated with beating Jeff Zhang on a test. At this point I still didn't know the extent of Jeff's knowledge but I knew I enjoyed the challenge he presented.

Throughout tenth grade, I got to know Jeff better and unfortunately, some of the interest wore off and was replaced by a much less healthy sense of competition. I no longer wanted to beat him just because, I now needed to beat him...often times to shut him up. You see, in getting to know Jeff better, I learned that Jeff is extremely proud of his accomplishments and at times feels that they should entitle him to special treatment. (Now don't get me wrong Jeff should be proud just...maybe not so publicly at times.) The incident that most stands out to me is Science Olympiad in tenth grade. It was my first year and Jeff's second. We were initially in a few of the same events, but at regionals I had beat him. Later in the season he was no longer in this event but...I guess I'll never know why. Later when I made the state team, it always seemed that Jeff felt I hadn't earned it as I was a first year. What I actually remember is a fight he had with another girl on our team over an event that he felt he deserved. It got out of hand and I still shake my head when I think about it.

This year, Jeff and I are friends. Neither of us are perfect but I've gotten to understand the reasons behind his behavior. He is extremely accomplished to be sure, very...unique in his interests...(anime-I'll never understand that), and VERY good at piano (even if he does play boring music) but he can also be a great person. He's not the "asian machine" I pictured in years past and he does have his moments of weakness but hey, I'll always be a year ahead of him!