Transitioning from middle school to a boarding high school can be very scary. Even if you believe your middle school prepared you academically, nothing can prepare you for leaving everything you've ever known and being thrown into a highly competitive school with a bunch of strangers. Not only will you feel alone and misplaced, but you will also probably feel like you've been thrown on the spot. You will feel many emotions, but prepared is not one.

I remember my first day very vividly. I am not a very shy person. The days leading up to my departure I was not very nervous. Maybe it had not hit me yet that my entire life was about to shift. As my parents and I threw all my stuff into the back of our car and I hugged my three younger siblings goodbye, I did not shed a tear. The car ride was oddly silent except for the GPS directing my dad when to exit the highway. It was only my third time every visiting this foreign place which would shortly become my new home. It was the first time I began to feel a bit anxious.

Once my parents had checked me in and unpacked all my belongings, it was quickly time for us to say our goodbyes. I gave them each a big hug and kiss, telling them I did not need anything else and I would call them right after dinner that night. My mom was crying as my dad pulled the car out of the parking lot. I watched out the window. The whole experience felt surreal. For sure it was just a dream and they would still be there to tuck me in at night.

I looked around my tiny room. The place I would call home for the next nine or so months. It was funny to imagine calling a place home without having my crazy family of six present. I had envisioned living on my own to be such a blessing. No distractions and no annoyances. Ironically, it was the silence that suddenly gave me butterflies. I missed my aggravating little brothers and talkative little sister, I missed my mommy and daddy.

I, unlike many of the other preps in my grade, did not make it a point to reach out to any other new students before the start of school. I did not know anyone. The journey that lay before me was the definition of a clean slate. I remember, as do all of my classmates, the frantic rush to find your place. To cling onto the first person you talked to--whether you have a lot in common or share nothing at all. And although you barely know one another, you appreciate the other's company. These total strangers had instantly become my "best friends" for fear of being alone.

I know exactly what you are thinking right about now...how can I call this place home?

Boarding school is a funny thing. It is like life, at a much faster pace. You must adapt to your new lifestyle and bond with those around you who are in the same boat. Sure, the first night you will be homesick. Sure, you will feel nervous for the unknown that lies ahead. But you are not alone. Your best friends are waiting for you and your new life is about to begin. You will soon learn the blessing of living with your best friends and you will learn very quickly to embrace the opportunity of a fresh start. And then you won't feel so lonely anymore. And before you have a chance to blink you will quickly fall in love with this place we call home.