Someone intelligent once told me that there is one year in everyone’s life where you age five years instead of one. In other words, there’s one year where you grow more significantly as a person than you have in other years. For me, this was the year where I moved out of state. Although this was a difficult time in my life, I now look back on it as a positive because without it I truly wouldn’t be who I am today.
1. It brought me closer to my family.
Moving out of state wasn’t easy at first, especially moving to a town I had never been to before. However, I knew I wasn’t alone because my entire family was having to deal with a lot of the same things I was, such as having to navigate our way around a new town and adjusting to a new home, so we were able to lean on each other during this time of transition. Their love and support during the move is what made me realize that I can get through everything with them by my side.
2. I now adapt more quickly to new environments.
One of the most important transitions in everyone’s life is going away to college, and for most people, it is the first time they have ever moved. While it’s easy to miss your family and a home-cooked meal in college, living somewhere other than the place I had grown up was something that came easier for me than most. Sleeping somewhere other than my own house, navigating my way around campus, and getting used to a new routine was not difficult since I’ve had to do all of these things before. Also, making all new friends in college was made much easier for me since I had to leave behind the friends I had grown up with when I moved.
3. It made me more proud of where I came from.
I never knew that there was such a thing as a “Chicago accent” until I was told how heavy mine was by multiple people at school. I didn’t like it at first because it served as a reminder to everyone else that I wasn’t from there. There were even some days where I tried to mimic the accent of the people I went to school with so that I wouldn’t stand out as much. But I quickly learned to view my “accent” as a mark of where I came from instead of being ashamed of it. After all, it’s where I grew up, it’s where my entire family is from, and Chicago is an amazing city in general, so what did I have to be ashamed of?
4. My sister became my best friend.
My little sister and I have always been close, but when I moved, there were few people besides her who understood exactly what I was going through. After all, she was the new girl at her school, too. There were some nights where we would stay up for hours comparing stories about how we got lost walking to class or how much we missed our friends back home. Our similar struggles during the move made me realize that she would only be a phone call away any time I needed someone to talk to.
5. I learned the true meaning of “home.”
During the move, the word “home” was thrown around in a number of different contexts. In the beginning I didn’t allow myself to call my new house my “home,” because at the time, “home” meant my hometown. After some time, however, I started to call my new house my home as well, but not just because I got used to living there. “Home,” I realized, isn’t about location; it’s wherever I’m surrounded by people who truly care about me.
