“There are far
better things ahead than any we leave behind”- C.S. Lewis
“The wheel in the
sky keeps on turnin’. I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow.” – Journey
Change is something we all deal with-
change of clothes, change of schools, change of homes, even. Change is
necessary, whether we like it or not. I definitely don’t like changes. Or
surprises. I hate not knowing what’s going to happen because I’m scared of it,
which means I’m probably scared of 90% of the world.
Living in the US was like living in a nice, big bubble. I had little
to no experience in other countries. I was oblivious to the world beyond my
little bubble. So it came as a shock when my parents casually mentioned that we
were moving to India. As in the country, India where cows are everywhere and
trash flows like water.
WHAT?
Sorry, could you repeat that,
I thought you said we were moving to the other side of the planet; they
couldn’t possibly be serious.
Nope. Turns out it wasn’t a joke. A couple months later, we arrived
in the Bangalore airport, ready for our new life. Though in those few months,
my sister and I kicked up such a storm and complained like never before. But
why was I so against the idea?
I was scared, I guess. I’d been to India before, but staying with
your grand-parents for 2 months doesn’t exactly provide enough experience for
an 11 year old girl. I’d have to meet NEW PEOPLE and MAKE FRIENDS! How was I
supposed to do that AGAIN? It’s exhausting.
But I was curious
too. What were people like in India? Would they like me? And most importantly:
Would I be able to start over? “It’s a different experience,” I thought. “
Maybe I’ll like it.”
“NO!” said the other voice in my head. “YOU BELONG HERE WHERE YOU
KNOW PEOPLE!”
“But-!”
“YOU DON’T KNOW ANYONE THERE!”
“I have-!”
“THEY WON’T LIKE YOU!”
“I could-!”
“SHUT UP YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!”
As you can see, I have a very conflicted mind.
But the biggest
reason I didn’t want to move: I didn’t want to let go. America was everything I
knew. Could I leave my friends, my extended family, my future- just like that?
Could I leave Netflix, the weekly stops at Taco Bell, the huge Barnes and Noble
20 minutes away? Would I ever get it back? I didn’t know what I had until I
left it, how lucky I was. I figured this out at our 5th grade
graduation party. We went to say goodbye to my favorite teacher, and when I
opened my mouth to say ‘thank you’, nothing came out. That was the only time I
have ever been truly speechless, when I realized that I would probably never
see her again. I just nodded mutely and tried not to cry as my mom said
everything for me.
However, moving to
India was not as bad as I thought it would be. The people were nice. The food
was nice. The roads were horrible, but I was expecting that. What I wasn’t
expecting was all the… acceptance. That was probably the weirdest thing. One
day I wasn’t there, the next day I was and it wasn’t a big deal. The other
times I had been a new kid, (and I don’t mean to be vain) I was noticed. “Oh my
god it’s a new kid, don’t touch her she has cooties!” or “Ha look at how stupid
she is, all she does is read.
But that didn’t
happen here, which made it easier to get to know people. By 7th
grade, I was so comfortable, I never wanted to leave! The huge, horrible change
I was dreading turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to
me, and I wouldn’t give it up for the world.
The moral of the story is…change isn’t as bad
as people thought. Or, your expectations might be a little crazier than
reality. And don’t get scared by something new, because you only got where you
are by… something new. Does that make sense? I dunno.
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