I am twenty-six years old, and I have spent most of my life feeling like, and occasionally being told that, I am an alien. In the last couple of years, my wonderful fiance, without whom I would have probably failed to survive this long, has helped me figure out that I'm more likely just an aspie. I think, I hope, that this means there are others like me out there. Maybe you're one of them. Hi.
I have never been officially diagnosed. Back when I was failing miserably in school (I could do the work just fine, but I rarely bothered to turn it in or even show up for class when I had an out) I was informally diagnosed with "too smart for my own good." I was never made aware of ASD, nor were any of my teachers it would seem. The school system sent me to a psychiatrist once, who noted my "lack of empathy" and suggested I might be "antisocial." Now, as an adult, I'm not sure how or why I would seek an official diagnosis. A part of me would like to have some kind of validation of the cause of my differences, but another part of me rages against the idea that I should need any validation from some arbitrary authority.
In a twist of irony, I've sort of found my niche in the academic world. I am currently an undergraduate student in cultural anthropology, hoping to seek a PhD and eventually teach. University is perhaps the only place where I have ever felt like I belonged.
I'm a musician. My interests include Polynesia, religion and consuming carbohydrates.
That's pretty much my life story. So hey.