Growing up in Brooklyn was a blessing because I experienced diversity in every corner. I lived in a predominantly Hispanic and Asian neighborhood, went to school in an predominantly Italian and Muslim community, and played sports in a predominantly White and African American neighborhood. We all respected and supported each other, leaving beside our cultural differences. Interacting with so many people molded me to an extrovert person, however my once outgoing personality drastically changed to lonely, lazy and anxious when my parents made the decision to move from our small Brooklyn apartment to a more spacious apartment in Houston. Leaving the airport, I felt like a chicken in an oven. The humid weather pushed me back into the airport and allowed me to say my final goodbye to the cold New York weather.
Initially, I was ecstatic to move here and be able to play soccer all day in my backyard, enjoy the beautiful sunny weather, and spend time with my family, however leaving friends and family, delicious food, and a predictable living style behind was challenging. Everybody at my new high school already had existing friend groups, so it became difficult for me to make friends. Additionally, COVID made creating friendships more challenging because everything was through zoom and I was not able to physically interact with my classmates and be in the classroom environment that I tend to excel in. I became more reserved, cautious, insecure, and shy. I was doing well in my classes, but my mind was wishing I was back in New York. The thought that I was missing out on many things back in Brooklyn felt like I had encountered a Dementor who sucked out my personality and confidence. I was stuck in a bubble with no exit and which was trapping me and becoming smaller and smaller.
I determined I had to change and find my niche, so I decided to join various extracurricular clubs and attend school sponsored events. I also tried out for the school soccer team and went to the school’s pep rallies in an attempt to meet new people. In soccer, I was able to form close bonds with my teammates, which reminded me of my friends in Brooklyn. I became more comfortable and started to become my old self. Houston was my new home, I learned how to drive and learned many things I would’ve never learned in Brooklyn. I've reached a new level of maturity and molded into an excellent student but it cost me a lot. The opportunity to interact with others my first year was taken from me but I was able to succeed by getting involved. I learned that life transitions may not look promising at first but I can change the outcome by working hard and getting involved in my new community.
The move from Brooklyn to Houston wasn’t the fairytale start I expected to be. I became very shy, uncomfortable, and would overthink many things at first but once I started doing the things I would do back home in Brooklyn and envision Houston as Brooklyn, I started to show my true colors. Being able to go out of state will force me to adapt which is why I’m grateful of my moving experience as it gave me an idea of how I’ll be able to adapt very quickly and feel back at home wherever I go because of the connections I’ll be able to make with people.
The possibility of going to college out of state inspired me to write this poem because I had somewhat of a hard time adjusting to Houston but as I joined clubs I started getting comfortable and started gaining a new understanding on how I strive to succeed whenever I encounter something different. My writing process was easy at first as I described the way I grew up in Brooklyn and then the differences I got once I was in Houston. But then it got difficult as I had too many details but little meaning. I structured my poem by talking about how my life was like in Brooklyn and then my thoughts about Houston to the challenges I faced once I was in Houston to finally the way I managed to adapt to Houston.