I was bullied when I moved to secondary school in year 7 - it was a girls boarding school, and the year group was very small for the first 2 years (about 20 people). I had come from a very small primary school (only 15 people in the year), so I was new to the whole clique thing, among others, and so they were quick to identify me as 'the outsider'. It's true that I was different to them - I didn't wear make-up, our clothes were different, I loved books and video games and other things considered 'loser-ish' by them, etc.
They isolated and excluded me, messed around with my stuff when I wasn't there, spread rumours that weren't true, talked down to me and ganged up on me in conversations, and I knew they talked about me behind my back too. The worst thing they did was when they set me up - one girl suddenly started acting friendly, and so, being naïve, I eventually started to open up to her, but I didn't know that she was feeding back everything to the others, who thought it was the funniest thing ever. I felt so humiliated when I found out.
The worst thing about all of it is that I couldn't get away from it until I went home at the weekend, and the whole year was in on it, so I had nobody to laugh it off with. I spent those two years with absolutely no friends.
I know it's fairly mild compared to other cases, and so I've never really talked to anyone about it, even my parents. I'm worried that if I do, they'll just say it wasn't 'proper' bullying, and that I was just too weak to deal with it.
And as for all the people who say 'bullying makes you stronger', I completely disagree. My experience took away the important chance for me to develop socially for those two years, and even though I'm nearly 18 now and have moved on, I still have huge trouble making friends, largely because of what happened. I retreated so far into my shell that I don't really know how to come out any more.
I am not proud or thankful for the experience in any way.