Editors’ Note:  Zainep has already moved again!  Good luck in Canada and we miss you!  

Every year, a lot of people move. Moving brings a lot of changes: a new school, new friends, a new home. It’s  scary for some people. I changed four schools in four years and I still get scared and have anxiety on my first day at a new school. But why people get scared or have anxiety is because people don’t know about the place they are in or if they can find friends or not. People get scared because there are a lot of differences from what they’re used to.

I recently moved to Texas from New Jersey, but I am originally from Turkey. Last year was my first year in the U.S. and I didn’t know anything about what is was going to be like, what people are like or any other thing about New Jersey or the U.S. Even if you know about the country, there will be a lot of differences. Wherever you look, you’ll feel different. It’s like you’re on vacation but it’s not going to feel like you moved until you go to school. It was the biggest difference I’ve ever had but at the end, I got used to it. I got lost every single day in school and my schedule was confusing because it wasn’t same every day. In New Jersey, they have letter day schedules like A, B, C, D. Every day your period number is different so you don’t have same schedule. I mixed up all of them and went to different classes. And my first lock-down, was terrible. I was in the bathroom and I had no idea what to do. But, now, it’s a funny memory.

But wherever you go, there will always be people. If you change a lot of schools, you will have the same experience to make friends. First thing is, you need to talk. That would be helpful. But talking a lot didn’t help me that much for first year because my English was not very good. I had some really embarrassing experiences in New Jersey but eventually I figured it out. Talking helped me a lot because that’s the only way to introduce yourself. As time passed, I was not as stressed. You’re not alone, you’ll find friends eventually.

The biggest difference between Texas from New Jersey is weather. If you come from a place where your body is used to having snow and it being cold for winter, Texas is so hard for you. But warm place, warm people. In New Jersey, people won’t talk with you that much. Some people will but if you are new, you need to introduce yourself. Don’t wait for people to come and talk with you. What helped me a lot was sports and clubs. They aren’t like your classes during the year. In class you don’t have to talk with people and it’s kind of boring. But when you play sports, you need to talk with people or they will eventually talk with you. You’ll get close with them because you will have games and trips together. They can become your best friends that you didn’t know in such a short time.

Don’t be stressed about new things or differences. It will show you more of yourself. The first year at high school is always hard. Even if you’re freshmen or someone who moved because high school is whole different world.