In 2019, my parents decided to move to New Jersey from Florida. They said that it would be good for us, since the majority of our family lives in New Jersey. I was excited at first because I wanted to play in the snow and see my mom’s side of the family more often. As our moving day grew closer, however, I found myself resisting.  I didn't want to leave my friends and the family I had in Florida.

When I was younger, I looked forward to our trips to New Jersey because I could spend time with family members who I felt closest to. When we visited in the winter, we enjoyed what I perceived to be a winter wonderland. During Thanksgiving, I liked participating in our family traditions. If we visited in the summer, we would go on hikes and visit the beach.  It was always difficult leaving them to return back to Florida because I knew I would miss my New Jersey family. As I started to think about permanently moving to New Jersey, however, I started to realize that I would feel similarly about my family in Florida. I knew the hardest part of the move would be saying goodbye to my cousin, who was one of my best friends.

On July 1st, we piled into the car and left Florida. We said our goodbyes to our family there, which was very difficult. The trip took about a day-and-a-half because we stopped to sleep overnight. Once we arrived in New Jersey, we settled into our new house. We still had two months of summer left. I struggled to make friends because I wasn't in school, so I spent most of the summer days going on runs and visiting the park by myself. The anticipation of attending a new school built up fast, although the summer seemed to move slowly. I had mixed emotions about starting a new school. I was simultaneously excited and nervous about making friends. I was also sad that I couldn´t be with my friends in Florida and that I had to start over.

On the first day of school, I was entering seventh grade. I was concerned about getting lost and making new friends. As soon as I met Mia, I knew that I had made a friend. She was kind, and I felt comfortable around her. Mia had moved to our school the year before, so she could easily relate to how I was feeling. We sat at lunch together and became inseparable. I decided to play field hockey, and that’s when I met Hailey. She would become my other best friend. We both played defense, so we were together every day for practice. Mia and I then began to sit with Hailey’s friends at lunch and we started to regularly hang out. Mia joined field hockey the next year, and our friendships grew as we spent more time together.

We have experienced typical ups and downs in our friendships. We’ve argued, and we struggled to remain close during the COVID-19 pandemic because of lockdown restrictions. But we have also shared through key milestones, including graduating middle school together, entering high school, and joining the high school field hockey and lacrosse teams.  We have been almost inseparable since meeting. As we approach the end of our time in high school, Mia and Hailey remain my closest friends.

Although I initially resisted the move to New Jersey, I have come to realize how it helped to enrich my life. As a result of this significant change, I gained forever friends who I will always be able to count on. I realize how grateful I am to have them in my life. I recognize that even when change is difficult, it can be one of the best things that happens to us.

© Gisele. All rights reserved. If you are interested in quoting this story, contact the national team and we can put you in touch with the author’s teacher.