Personal Narrative: Moving To Australia

On December 19, 2012, on the way back home from soccer practice, my parents broke the news to my brother and I that we were going to be moving to Orange County after spending a wonderful year in Chicago. Prior to our move to Chicago we lived in Sydney, Australia for three years. I had looked forward to the move back to the US from Australia for two reasons. One, I was beginning “middle school”, 5th grade, but was considered middle school there, and two, I found out that our family was moving back to the Windy City, well…a little north from there to a small village called Glencoe. Upon moving there, getting settled in, and starting school, I fell in love with the place and everybody who was associated with it as it was a small village with less than 2,000 people. I also did not expect to move anywhere and thought that this would be the place where I would grow up and call home. Naturally, after experiencing all this, when I found out the news about our relocation to

California, my heart sank. I was not looking forward to- starting over with making new friends for the third time, going to a new school once again, and moving to a place where the weather is at a constant. I had moved once before which resulted in a great range of opportunities, and didn’t wish to risk that the slightest.
The three most compelling reasons I had for resisting the change of location were… I did not crave to lose the fantastic, new friends I had made in the last 5 months of school.

I did not want to leave the remarkable red brick building that was my school, and I did not yearn to leave the weather that defined Chicago and the Midwest. Regarding my first reason for resistance, the friends I made in Glencoe could be described as the toughest, friendliest, utmost empathetic people on planet Earth. They are tough because they are eager to play football at lunch in temperatures ranging from -20°F to 90°F. They are friendly because day in and day out, they look out for you, compose you to laugh when you are down, spruce up a boring winter’s day with classic North Shore (referring to the area where we live) jokes and games, etc. And, they are empathic because they know how it feels to be new, to be different, and how much you try to achieve your goals, and how appalling a failure along that path feels

like.
Regarding my second reason, the school I went to in Glencoe could be compared to the standards of a private school, with the title of a public school. The opportunities, the goals set by all and sundry ranging from the students to the principal, the helpfulness of the faculty, etc. made the school a place where leaving brought sorrow on a daily basis.
Lastly, regarding my third reason, the weather in Chicago was something that could not change for me. The reason I was fond of it was not because it is the most comfortable to experience, but because it was different and (almost) unpredictable every day. To me, that provided inspiration for the day ahead for whatever task or challenge I was up against.
In conclusion, change can be something that is not preferred, but it will most likely happen. You must embrace it and make the best of the new opportunities that arise such as I did. I’ve made new friends, attending a great high school, and had plenty of new experiences. And, I’m beginning to like the constant sunny weather that is Southern California.