What I Learnt from Moving to a New City

About three years ago at this time of the year, my parents threw a bombshell at me. We were moving to a new city. I cried, I fought. I let them know I wasn’t happy.

My parents told me not to tell my best friends till we were sure of things and sure about moving. What did I do? I went and told them. I was so angry at my parents that I didn’t want to listen to anything they had to say. I didn’t want to do anything they wanted me to do.

My friends were outraged. They threw a fit. The teacher called me to her later on to ask what the commotion was about. She found out. She became even more outraged than my friends.

The moving was the only thing that we could talk about for the next few days. Slowly I started getting accustomed to it. The day my parents told me that we were moving for sure, I gave them a disappointed okay and continued doing what I was doing.

Over the next few days my friends became very distant from me. They kept asking me vague questions, just ensuring my suspicions that they did not want anything to do with me, now that I was moving. I kept walking dejectedly wherever I went. On the last day of school, the last day I was going to be seeing my friends in person, they pulled me to the side and gave me a gift. That was what they had been planning for days! We all pulled in for a hug and stayed like that till our teachers told us to cut it out.

Over the next few days, I listened to sad songs and reminisced about all the fun times with my friends. My mum had organised a going away party for me and had called all my friends home, who came gladly.

Then came the day. We spent all our time packing our things away, wrapping them in newspaper and putting them away in boxes, labeling them. After sending the boxes away, we piled into our car and drove off to another state…

The day we came to where we were going to live, I went to introduce myself to a few girls around. They harshly shooed me away. I got the signal.

From then on, my routine went something like this: Go to school, sulk, come back from school, sulk, stay in the house, sulk, eat while sulking, sleep, repeat. I had become dull, which was the complete opposite of how I used to be.

Slowly, some girls came and started introducing themselves to me. I started getting comfortable with them. I hung around with them, and they introduced me to even more people. Things had also started looking up in school. People were talking to me, but were also talking about me behind their back. I got used to it. I tried to start something where I lived. Some show for Independence Day, some clubs, but they all failed. I had fights with my friends in the process. Major fights. I thought everyone hated me, not only where I lived, but also in school. I got used to it.

Then, a new year came. I got shifted to a new class with a girl who didn’t really like me (She is now my best friend). I saw a new girl and went and introduced myself. We immediately hit it off. We went together everywhere, we talked and gossiped about the same things. She didn’t hate me; I didn’t hate her.

Things were getting better, for real this time. I had made some good friends, my academics were fairly good, and so were my extra-curricular activities.

I was happy where I was, but still a little upset about the move.

It is our fourth year in this city now, and I have started to accept my life the way it is. I am still in touch with my friends from before, and I have three new best friends who love me for who I am. What did I learn from moving to a new city?

No matter where you go, change will come. You just have to learn to accept it and move on.

People will also change. As I said earlier, that girl who didn’t really like me is now my best friend. You will also find people who don’t like you at first, but as they get to know the real you, they will want to hang out with you more.

You will change your perceptions about people. People will change, but it is also the other way round. You may not like some people in the beginning because they come off as loud and irritating, rude and dominating, but as you get to know them better, you will start enjoying yourself in the presence of these same people, who once, maybe, made you feel insecure about yourself.

You will change. Your attitude will change, amongst other things. You may become sullen and rude because things aren’t going your way. You may become silent and an introvert, because you are afraid of rejection and negativity. Just be yourself.

In the end, things will work out alright. No matter how much time it takes, things will get better with time. Just stop fretting about it. As they say, time heals almost everything. Give the time some time.

That is all I have for today. I keep learning every day, and so will you. Hopefully ten years later, I stumble upon this once more, and have a million other things to add to my list.

Sincerely

She Who Likes to Read.