"There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind" by Ananya Vepa

“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 5^th 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 7^th 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.