Moving 1,361 miles away is never easy. I would know.
When I was 12 years old, I moved from the happy golden state of California to the hot lone star state of Texas. Although I wasn’t too happy with the decision at first, the move has given me opportunities to better myself and was how I developed my passion for writing.
My dad decided to take a job offer outside of the state in 2010.
“My job is not enough for us to make it out here,” he said. “I’ll send you and your sisters over to come visit me during Christmas break”.
Of course being 10 years old, I didn’t know whether to be mad or happy my dad found another job. I thought, “Out of all states, why Texas? Why couldn’t it have been Florida or something?”
That December, we went to go visit Texas for the very first time. I saw my dad after five months and met my family I didn’t know I had. All of it was a great experience, but no matter how great I thought it was, I didn’t want to leave home to live somewhere where people “rode their horses to school.”
My dad continued to work in Texas for year — that was too long. Of course, my mother was doing a great job alone in raising me and my sisters, but a father figure was still missing.
“It’s just getting too hard to live here without seeing you guys,” he said. “I’m coming home.”
Hearing those words made me the happiest kid alive. Not only was I going to see my dad again, but he was coming back home to try and provide for us here instead of moving us so far away to start a new chapter in our life.
When my dad came back, he still struggled to find a job that could provide us with everything we needed, so we were forced to put our house on the market. The house finally sold May of 2012. Saying goodbye to my friends and family was the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced. I worried no one was going to like me. I thought I would be the ‘new girl’ everyone stared at.
The drive to Texas was 18 hours long. There isn’t really much to do in a car for that long. The only other thing that kept me entertained was a pen a notebook. I never really touched a notebook just for the heck of it before then. But I’m sure glad I did that day.
At first I wanted to draw, but the drawings developed into words then soon turned into quotes, poems and stories. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a writer.
It’s been four years and since then, I’ve been involved in the cross country, track, and the journalism program. I’m glad to say that being involved in these programs has really changed the way I accept change, and that’s what life is all about.
Yes, adjusting to the change took me a few months, but because of the move, I probably wouldn’t have ever met the people I’ll still contact after high school. I don’t want to say I’d rather be in California, but I don’t mind living in Texas. I have something to look forward to everyday.
You should never be afraid of change. You may lose something good, but gain something better, and maybe that’s a good thing.
