Feb. 10 marked two years since my family moved to Connecticut.
To say it was an adjustment would be an understatement.
When I first found out we were moving, I was very unhappy with the decision.
I was moving an hour and a half away from all of my hometown friends, our memories, and my entire adolescent life thus far.
I had to quit my job and I was an even further drive from my university.
There were so many factors that I felt my parents didn’t take into consideration before we chose to do this and I felt like they didn’t really care about how it would affect me.
Of course, I love them and they knew it was going to be difficult for me, but it felt like I had to start my life all over.
Looking back on it two years later, it is still something I’m adjusting to, but it’s definitely gotten easier.
I got a job at a restaurant as soon as I came back home for the summer because, in my mind, that was the only way I was going to make friends.
I still adore my hometown friends and the drive to go visit them, and vice versa, isn’t too bad, but it’s hard to see them still being so close and I feel a million miles away (the FOMO got me for a while).
I’m happy to say that now that I’ve given it some time, life in my new town isn’t too bad.
I actually really like my job because the people make the place.
I have funny, kind, and supportive coworkers who took the time to get to know me, and for that, I’m so grateful.
I know that everything happens for a reason and that my life would be so much different right now if I never moved.
Having to make that change, even at an older age, is tough, but I’ve learned that my independence is one of my greatest gifts.
I found my spots and places I enjoy going to just be with myself. Because sometimes, my own company is the best company.
Luckily, I have people that want to spend time with me because they WANT to.
My entire life, I’ve had trouble adjusting to certain change because as an only child, when something changes, I have nobody to relate to.
Nobody else understands it from my point of view and that’s something that still sits with me.
But I love meeting new people and trying new things, so that’s helped me handle change a little bit better.
Throughout this whole process of being in a new place with new people and new things, I’ve definitely learned a lot about myself and my life.
Yes, it was hard, but yes, I got through it.
Yes, I had to start things over, but yes, I GOT to start things over.
It was a fresh canvas for me to paint on and create new aspects of my life that I didn’t think were possible.
No, I didn’t show up to my first day of work with some fake identity and pretend I was someone that I’m not (that would be crazy).
I got to show up to a new place and just be myself, while also learning how to blossom into a bigger and better person.
I’m so grateful for all of the opportunities this new town has offered me for the past two years and will continue to offer me.
But P.S. I’m still a New York girl at heart.