I can vividly remember the day I enrolled into the high school I attend now. After that day, every day was an adventure. From sixth grade to eighth grade, I attended a fairly small elementary and middle private school with only 500 kids. I am now in 10th grade at a huge public high school with over 3,000 kids.
Transferring from these two majorly different schools was more hectic than I could ever imagine. Before it happened, I had already known things would be tough, but I also knew that in the long run it would be a great change.
I was right.
One week before my first day of high school started, cross country practice began. I was extremely nervous since I didn't know anyone there and had no one to run with. But when I went, the coaches gave a tour of the trail to the new students, and I made my first friend. We both got lost (of course) and found each other, and after eventually finding our way back to school, we were late to the rest of practice.
Whoops.
Throughout the week, I made friends one after the other, and every day of practice was more exciting than the one before. On the fourth day, I met someone who would soon become one of my closest friends to this day. I was extremely proud of myself because I had already started to expand my horizons from the handful of people I knew from private school before high school even began.
SEE ALSO: My School Is Abroad The STEAM Train For Innovation, And Yours Should Be, Too
Now let’s get to the juicy stuff.
My first day of school was very crazy. I struggled to get around and had no clue where I was. It was the first day of practice all over again. There were plenty of people walking in the hallways after the bell rang — I could not see a thing! Towards the end of the day, I got used to all the eyes locking on me after being late to each class.
When I entered literature, I remember accidentally knocking over a girl’s water bottle. I apologized and said sorry about four times when she said, “Do you want to take this outside?" I couldn't tell whether she was joking or not, but I laughed anyway. I had no idea what people were like there. It was an entirely new atmosphere with a variety of different people with personalities I never imagined to exist.
I never imagined that I would run out of breath from simply walking to class. You could practically fit 20 copies of my old school building inside the campus! I used to think I was clumsy, but now I know for sure that I am after constantly tripping on the stairs and bumping into people every day. Especially towards the beginning of my freshman year, I struggled to pick outfits to wear every day since my old uniform practically took up my entire closet.
Somehow, however, I loved the change.
Eventually, schoolwork began to pile on top of one another, and I got stressed out. The learning style and teaching methods differed from my old school — some ways good, others, not so much. When I felt down, I would frequently reminisce on my old school and my old friends, wishing things were still the same. To be truthful, I sometimes do the same thing now.
SEE ALSO: Why I Continued Taking Foreign Language As A Junior Even When All Of My Friends Stopped
There are a few things I miss experiencing from the private school I grew up in. I used to co-host the morning announcements every day, and now I sit in third period struggling to listen to them at all. I miss going to Robotics club and staying after school until 10 p.m. with my good friends. I miss visiting the teachers' lounge while nobody else was there and slipping a few slices of pizza.
Simply said, I miss the memories.
But then I look around me and see how much I accomplished. Before high school, I never imagined I would be able to undergo such a big change in my life and enjoy it. I grew up in a school that taught me what I believe truly matters, and I learned many lessons that still stick with me to this day. I am very thankful for that.
So, sure, sometimes I miss the way things used to be. But there is no way they can compare to how great my life is now. Right now, I am content with the present, and I am optimistic about the future. Who knows what life-changing opportunities I will come across next?
