Less than a month after I graduated high school, my family moved from our home of 17 years in the suburbs of Boston to the city of Houston, Texas. At the time, it felt like life as I knew it was over. Now, more than a year has passed, and although my life is definitely different, I think that in some ways, my family's move has helped me broaden my worldview. Although leaving your childhood home can seem sad, here are some of the things I've learned from the experience.
1. It takes a while for your new house to feel like home
Because I knew that I was leaving for college soon, I was hesitant to ever really feel settled in Texas. It didn't feel like my move, more like I was just along for the ride with my family. But then my friends came to visit, I got around to decorating my bedroom, I celebrated my first Thanksgiving and Christmas there, and eventually, Houston just started to feel like home.
2. It's hard to meet people in a new place
When you move to a city after you graduate high school, there aren't a lot of ways to meet new people. This made for a pretty lonely first summer, but it also meant I got to spend quality time with my family that I wouldn't necessarily have had back in Boston.
3. It makes leaving for college much easier
When you move a few months before your freshman year of college, your entire summer is pretty much dedicated to thinking about/ planning for school. The sadness that came with saying goodbye to my hometown and best friends already happened, so once it was finally time to leave for school, I was more than ready to go be around people my own age.
4. You will get FOMO from seeing your high school friends together
Summers and breaks are hard. It's tough to know that all of your best friends from high school are together and can easily drive to each others' houses - like you used to. No matter how many times you visit or FaceTime them, it just isn't like that for you anymore. Staying in touch can be difficult, but if you are lucky enough to have friends like I did in high school, every time you get together, it will feel like you never left.
5. Seeing your old house gets weirdly less sad
My house in high school was the place all my friends hung out at and slept at on weekends. I grew up so much in that house, leaving it was even more difficult than I ever thought it would be. However, in the few times I've been back to my hometown, seeing my old house has become much less sad. The memories are still there, but it just doesn't feel like my house anymore, and I'm okay with that.
6. When you travel a lot, distance stops feeling so far
Constantly having to fly has made me realize that it's not that hard to get anywhere, no matter the distance. Everything is just a plane ride away. This realization has made the world seem a lot smaller in a good way, and the distance between me and all of the people in my life feels significantly less.
7. It's cool to have friends and family all across the country
These days I feel like no matter what part of the country I go to, I have friends or family there that feel like home. I go to school in the midwest, my family lives in the south, and my grandparents and high school friends are on the east coast. It actually makes life pretty exciting, and you always have a excuse to travel.
8. Every place is different, yet feels somewhat the same
Texas is nothing like I thought it would be and neither is Michigan. Although each place I've lived has its own quirks, it feels like they are much more similar than they are different. No matter where you go, if you find people there who love you, it feels like home.
