As the days go by and the years pass, we all mature through different ways in many different environments. Certain occasions call for specific actions and maturity levels to get through that particular point in time. Throughout life many choices and decisions will come upon you and they may be hard to understand but in the end you will be held responsible for the choice you make. Growing up is different to every single person. It can be a difficult time in life. The ways you decide to grow up are based on your personality, perspective on life, and the circumstances.
I remember the fear, the voices in my head, and the worry I had that I would be shy, unable to be myself, and have a hard time making friends when moving to Orono in 7th grade. I attended a private school my entire life, a school with roughly 45 children in the entire grade. Everyone knew each other. Holy Name elementary school ended in 6th grade, so we needed to choose a new middle school to go to. Most students go to either Wayzata, Benilde, or another private school, and some attend Orono. My parents chose Orono. I knew it wouldn’t be easy moving into a new middle school because all the others have been with each other since kindergarten. Something else that was new to me was that there was going to be about 200 students in my grade now, not 45. I was defiantly terrified for life before entering the school on the first day. But at the same time I told myself it’s going to be a new adventure!
The first time anyone ever does something they most likely will be scared. I knew a few people prior to switching schools because of playing hockey for Orono but not many. I was nervous for the first day. I remember the feeling in my stomach; it felt like I was on a dropping rollercoaster 1000 feet above the ground. So many things were going through my mind I could hardly think straight. The moment I walked into school I remember saying I was going to make the most out of the day and try to make as much friends as possible. Of course being a girl, I was worried about my clothes and hair and wanted to fit in but I truly did realize that’s not what life is about. Some people say throughout your life you are riding a rollercoaster, this change for me was a bump in the ride. Coming here has made me a lot more comfortable with myself and told me it’s time to grow up and start new things and begin helping in any way I can. Having to go through this has made me become so much more confident in myself, it’s unbelievable. It has helped me begin to realize who I really am. I finished the day very successful, making and meeting plenty of new friends. Every single person was welcoming towards me and this was a useful lesson to me to be welcoming to others that I will meet throughout life. I felt, and still feel today having done this transformation helped because there will always be times were I won’t know everyone, where I may be the new girl. Times that may just be hard in general, and now that I have accomplished moving and meeting new people this made me much more confident.
You’re going to make choices almost every day in life having to do with a range of things. In middle school some say it can be a turning point, but some might disagree with this. I personally feel the change of going from a private school to a public middle school has taught me well on decision making. Sometimes I make wrong choices but I learn right away from them and know the better thing to do next time.
Self-belief took a massive part in switching schools. It was point for me to grow up. I couldn’t be shy, nervous, scared, and not be myself; I needed to be me, with my outgoing, fun loving personality. Now I’m not afraid when I am with a new group of people because I know I have accomplished meeting new friends at school and am able to do it many other places as well. Also another part of growing up during that time was I knew I was leaving almost all my friends. That was one of the hardest parts for me, knowing my best friend I went to school with since first grade wasn’t going to be by my side anymore. I remember the last day of school crying with my three best friends because we were all going in different directions. The reality that everyone was going off into new routes was scary, but I knew it was time and that life must move on for new thing to be able to happen.
Growing up is probably one of the hardest parts in life. Different people grow up in different times and different ways. This way made me become much more responsible and even more organized, it helped me realize that no matter where or who I’m with I can always be my own character. Being the oldest of four children, now the first to do something is slowly starting to become less scary. I was the first to go through this process so I wasn’t sure what to except but I really enjoyed the change. Society views things in their own way. There is not one specific path every person must take in order to mature and grow up to live life. Each and every one of us lives life to its fullest the way we decide to live it. We all experience our own adventures that take us down the path of slowly becoming an adult. Some paths are scary and nerve-racking but we are strong enough to get through them. Life is a crazy rollercoaster but at some point on it, we must all gain the knowledge to grow up.