5 years ago today, I created my ZooChat account. My first post was my introduction thread here:
Hi
I was 13 at the time, and had been lurking on the site for several months beforehand, but on September 17 2022 I finally decided it was time to make my account. I had visited around 20 or so zoos I think, and had been interested in animals my whole life - you know the drill.
Shortly after I posted about Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (my first non-introduction post) and clearly did not understand how quoting worked yet:
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary [Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary]
I proceeded to be active nearly every single day, and proceeded to make a lot of - admittedly not great posts over the first few months (I like to think my post quality and writing skills have improved since then
).
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I'm 18 now, and I am not that same person that joined ZooChat 5 years ago. I mean, I've obviously matured a lot in that time. I was in middle school when I joined, and I'm in college now. But it's more than that. For much of the last five years, I struggled with depression. You all probably didn't know it, but this community, as well as visiting the zoos I posted about, is a huge part of what helped me out of that terrible state.
I am glad to have become an active (and hopefully well-respected) member of this wonderful and welcoming community. I just want to thank everyone in this community for being a place I could get away from it all and talk to about animals when I needed it. To many more years, for me, this website, and all who sail in her!
Hi
I was 13 at the time, and had been lurking on the site for several months beforehand, but on September 17 2022 I finally decided it was time to make my account. I had visited around 20 or so zoos I think, and had been interested in animals my whole life - you know the drill.
Shortly after I posted about Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (my first non-introduction post) and clearly did not understand how quoting worked yet:
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary [Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary]
I proceeded to be active nearly every single day, and proceeded to make a lot of - admittedly not great posts over the first few months (I like to think my post quality and writing skills have improved since then
)._____________________________________________________________________
I'm 18 now, and I am not that same person that joined ZooChat 5 years ago. I mean, I've obviously matured a lot in that time. I was in middle school when I joined, and I'm in college now. But it's more than that. For much of the last five years, I struggled with depression. You all probably didn't know it, but this community, as well as visiting the zoos I posted about, is a huge part of what helped me out of that terrible state.
I am glad to have become an active (and hopefully well-respected) member of this wonderful and welcoming community. I just want to thank everyone in this community for being a place I could get away from it all and talk to about animals when I needed it. To many more years, for me, this website, and all who sail in her!
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