Learning to Embrace the Change
At just seven years old, my family made a drastic move from rural Iowa to urban Singapore. At first, I was beyond mad at my parents for thinking this was the right choice for our family. How could you just move your family completely across the world? How could you leave behind everything you’ve ever known? Now that I have been out of Singapore for nearly eight years, I’ve realized my parents absolutely made the right decision.
Initially, I was skeptical about the move. I was now going to an international school with thousands of other students from across the world, where, for the first time, I was the minority. I thought it would be hard to fit in with people who didn’t seem similar to me. Instead, people were more than welcoming to the new students regardless of nationality or culture because everyone was in the same position. I’d never experienced something like this before. Holidays and traditions from across various religions and cultures were observed and celebrated with open arms. People were excited to learn about your traditions and eager to participate with you. It was beautiful how open everyone was to learning about one another. This was something I had never experienced in the U.S.
Not only did I get to meet new people, but I got to travel to so many beautiful places where I learned some hard but important truths about the world. While Singapore was known for its luxurious lifestyle, many of the surrounding countries were far from this. Polluted skies in Hong Kong, unsafe homeless communities in Cambodia, and overflowing hospitals in Vietnam were just a few things I remember seeing during my travels that made me realize the world was not all as good as I had grown up with.
I soon realized I was lucky enough to never have to worry about these issues. However, most of the world unfortunately did not share this commonality with me. I am able to go to school, I go to sleep in a warm bed every night, and I never worry about where my next meal is coming from. These are all things you are told to be grateful for every day, but you don’t truly understand the extent of it until you experience or see it first-hand. I was experiencing the luxurious life of fancy apartments, exclusive clubs, and some of the best education in the world, while people in the neighboring countries were not living the same lifestyle despite being so close to people who were.
Now, I can fully say one of the best decisions my parents ever made was moving to Singapore. I never would have been able to experience so many different cultures, meet so many lifelong friends, and most importantly, experience some of the best life lessons first-hand. I often think back on my time in Singapore and remind myself how grateful I am for my experiences and the life I was given growing up. I have truly realized how lucky I am to have the life I have, and I don’t think I ever would have had this realization if I had stayed in Iowa. Oftentimes, the hardest changes leave the biggest impacts on your life and the way you view the world. Take the leap and embrace the change.