ABANDONED. at any age, we are all previous ages, too

[Dabeatty]

It was a short that we read in a middle school class some 10 years ago or so... I'm not sure what type of larger piece it was a part of...
all I remember is that I just remember a woman that basically says that she is a certain age, e.g. 30, but she continues being every age prior to that, 29, 28, 27, 26... I cannot for the life of me remember the title or author, but I would love to find the source of this concept/quote. anything helps!
might have taken place in china or japan, however the woman was american

[Kate]

There is a short story called Eleven by Sandra Cisneros in Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories

It begins:
What they don't understand about birthdays and what they never tell you is that when you're eleven, you're also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one. And when you wake up on your eleventh birthday you expect to feel eleven, but you don't. You open your eyes and everything's just like yesterday, only it's today. And you don't feel eleven at all. You feel like you're still ten. And you are --underneath the year that makes you eleven.

[Asia | Adventures with Asia Minor]

Dabeatty, have you found your book yet? Kate's suggestion looks really similar!

[Rainbowheart]

Eleven for the link to Kate's suggestion.

[Kris]

Note: Dabeatty (OP) was last active in January 2018.

[Kris]

No response, moving to Abandoned folder.

Dabeatty (OP) was last active on the site in January 2018.