core memory unlocked: at age 9 or so (!!) i translated a linux date applet into hebrew by replacing the bitmap font with hand/mouse drawn hebrew letters
then going into the code and replacing the month names with the garbled strings of latin letters that corresponded to where i put the hebrew letters inside the font sprite
hey i managed to find that program (the english original; i never published my translation lol) on an ancient website dedicated to showcasing little applets for my favorite window manager of all time :3
i remember wanting to do more (though i don't remember what exactly), and being frustrated that despite knowing some C, the code was still completely unintelligible to me