They say that change is a good thing, but then they say that change is also hard. See our brains are wired to do the same thing over and over, regardless if that thing you are doing is good or bad. In my eyes, change is something you need to go through in order to become a better you, to really grow up and come out of your comfort zone. Which is what I did. I am a really shy person until you get to know me. I spent all my life up until this year in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I love where I am from, I love that my family, friends and everyone I care for live there. However, I needed a change, a new environment, new rules, new friends, basically I wanted to start over with my life and provide myself new experiences that I could apply in my future. My sister Amanda asked me to come live with her and her husband Matt, in Oak Park, California. And honestly,  who wouldn’t take the opportunity to move to such a beautiful place. I moved here in July, for my senior year of high school. I was very sad to leave my mom and dad in Pennsylvania, but I knew this change was going to be good for me, and they agreed. A year across the country in a new environment would help me to reset and focus on my future and goals that I have for myself.

The first day of school was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I woke up two hours before I had to leave because I was so nervous. I was about to walk into a school where I didn’t know where my classes were, I didn’t know where to park, and the worst part, I didn’t know anyone at all to ask for help. I woke up around 6 am and laid in bed contemplating if I should skip the first day. I thought to myself, “Am I crazy for being here and starting a new school my senior year?”  At this point, I was convinced I was gonna back out and go back home, but then I remembered why I wanted to come here so badly and that taking the easy way out would waste all of the time my parents and sister spent to make it possible for me to be here. So, I forced myself out of bed, I brushed my teeth, washed my face, did my hair and makeup, and picked out what I was going to wear. I picked out simple light-washed high waisted jean shorts, then just threw on a light purple v-neck cropped top, with black sandals. I didn’t wanna look like I was doing too much for my first day, I didn’t know how everyone at school dressed, if they carried a backpack around, or just carried books in their hands, and I didn’t know if the girls wore a lot of makeup or if they wore none at all. When I finally went downstairs, my sister made me waffles. As I sat down to eat I realized that after all the time I wasted being nervous, it was already time to leave for school.  

Five minutes later, I arrived at school.  I pulled in and felt all my doubts come back as I realized I had no idea where to park. At my old school, we had assigned parking spots, so I didn’t want to take anyone’s spot. After driving around a bit, I decided to park by the tennis court and started walking towards the building. Looking around, seeing the mountains, and the sun glistening down on everyone’s skin, I was already loving it, it was a completely new environment. It reminded me of the tv show Zoey 101. My school back home in Philadelphia was indoors and we had lockers in the hallways. My graduating class was a total of 250 max and everyone knew everyone’s name. As I walked towards the buildings, I noticed everything seemed much larger and there were many more students. After walking around the campus a bit, I realized that I still didn’t know where my first class was. I found a teacher and asked her to explain to me how to get to my class and she showed me the way. When I walked into the classroom, it was filled with so many students who were happy to see each other and eager to start a new school year. I found a seat and sat on my phone silently until the bell rang. I felt like an outsider, I felt like everyone was staring at me and talking about me as if they never seen a new girl at school before. Or maybe I was just overthinking it, they probably didn’t even notice me, I hope. The first thing the teacher asked us to do was get in small groups and present things about each other to the class. I wanted to cry and just leave the room, but I knew I couldn’t do that, so I presented. Standing up in front of the room, I felt my face get really hot and I knew it was extremely red, but I just pushed through and read what I wrote down on the paper and sat down. I felt so relieved when it was over. To my dismay, every other class that day was exactly like that one. I even went to the wrong class and sat there until the teacher took attendance and realized that wasn’t even my classroom so I had to get up and leave. This made me late to my actual class, and of course, walking into a quiet room and have everyone look up and watch you walk in and sit down is never fun.

A few people introduced themselves to me that day and I was able to talk with a few girls. I was really proud of myself.  I went home and immediately called my mom so I could tell her all about it. After all the anxiety I felt, I’m happy that my first day went well and after the first week of school, I got comfortable with my classes. I even met some great friends, that I still have.

Overall, I am happy I made this move. In the beginning, it was really scary and exciting.  It was a bittersweet feeling to leave so much behind and start over so late in high school, but I did it, and it has taken me way out of my comfort zone. I love it here now. I have great friends that I spend time with during the week and on weekends and I feel more at home. It has been such an amazing experience so far, I love the weather, the vibe. Everything is so pretty and so new. Every day is a new adventure, and every day I learn something new.