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The first one when I was about five or six. I was taking swimming classes, and during the last class, this girl next to me began to panic. She grabbed me and pulled me under, and I ended up struggling with her for what seemed like forever before two of the instructors pulled us out of the water. I remember being pissed afterward because it was the last class and everyone was playing pool games, but they wouldn't let me go back in the water.

And I had a second experience a few years ago when I choked on a piece of shu mai at a Chinese restaurant. The thing got lodged in the top of my windpipe with enough force that I had bruising at the back of my mouth. Even worse, I couldn't get anyone's attention. I eventually managed to push myself against the table, putting enough pressure on my diaphragm to generate a good cough and loosen the dumpling from where it got stuck. I managed to compose myself enough to drive home, but later that afternoon I went into shock and started shaking uncontrollably.