When I was in eighth grade I had to start over. My brother and I were moving to a new school district. Both of us barely knew anyone there which made us stricken with fear, and really nervous at the same time. When we arrived at this new school we waited outside for what felt like the longest time, watching all of the other kids talk to their friends all excited for the first day of school. Once the bell rung signaling that the day was beginning I knew that although I was nervous, I would keep an open mind for this new experience.

I was a few classes in and it honestly did have its moments, my homeroom had a girl named Abby and Madi in it who were very welcoming and would later become some of my best friends. As i went on throughout my day I messed up my schedule without realizing it. Instead of going to social studies I went into science. When I got there I was a little shocked that I was the first one there, because I got lost on my way there but I introduced myself to the teacher and took a seat. She told me that it was also her first day and that she was nervous as well, which made me feel like I wasn’t completely alone. After we introduced ourselves we waited for the other kids, but they never showed, we sat there for about five minutes in silence before she asked me if I was in the right place. So I pulled out my class schedule and as I saw that I was in the wrong place my heart dropped and I started crying. I don’t exactly know why I started crying, maybe it was because I was just so overwhelmed with everything. When she finally calmed me down, we went to go find the class that I accidentally skipped. Thankfully the teacher was really nice and understanding about the whole situation. I went on with my day, and then lunch came around, the thing that I dreaded most. I knew nobody in my lunch and all of the tables were full so I couldn’t sit by myself. As I stood there for about a minute I finally had the courage to walk up to a table and ask if I could sit there, they thankfully said yes, but they never talked to me. They ignored me for the whole 20 minutes, which I didn’t really mind. I was just happy that I was sitting with people and not strangely eating in the bathroom for 20 minutes. The lunches at this school were split into 20-minute intervals, the first half was for the actual lunch, and the second was for a study hall that they called lunch group. It was really no different than lunch, sat by myself and scrolled through Instagram and kept my head down. Finally, when the day was over I walked home headed straight to my room and instantly made a huge list of reasons why we should move to a different school that all of my friends went to. When my mom came back from work I showed her the list and she told me that it would get better over time. But of course being the angsty teen that I was, I didn’t belive her. So I went to school the next day and a few people started interacting with me, like the two girls who I met in homeroom. They had started a conversation with me and I actually felt like I somewhat belonged for those few minutes. In one of my later classes, I was telling her about my lunch situation and how nobody really talked to me and even acknowledged that I was there. She told me to switch lunches to come to sit at her table with her friends, and frankly I loved that idea. So I went to my guidance counselor and explained the situation and she thankfully switched my lunch so I would be in her lunch. The next day of school I was so excited that I could sit with some people who I actually knew, and people who I saw myself becoming friends with. Lunch that day went perfectly, everyone was just so nice, even one of my friends in homeroom was at the table. After that day I started to notice how not so bad the school was, I joined a few activities and made bunches of friends!

It’s a few years later, and I still think about this experience a lot, that I should have looked for some positive experinces not negative. I’ve made so many amazing memories thanks to the people who I’ve met and been kind to me in the beginning. Now, because of them, I play field hockey, i’m also involved in theatre, musicals, and so many clubs. At first, I only looked for the negatives, like making that list only made the situation seem worse I didn’t try to find the good that came from that day, but eventually, I did and I couldn’t be any happier.