When I was young, I had to get used to moving often. It started at the age of six when I moved from El Salvador to the USA to live with my aunt. When I moved, I always enjoyed the time I spent with my aunt. My mom, aunt, uncle, cousins, and I all lived in a small apartment. I enjoyed living with my aunt because of my cousins since they were always there for me when I needed them. They also helped me learn English. We would always go out together which was a little chaotic since there were so many of us but I enjoyed the experience. However, it was so cramped that we moved into a house. Even now that I don’t live with them, I’m still close to them.

I moved homes so often that I attended multiple schools. I think that caused me to be talkative because I had to learn to make friends quickly. At my first elementary school, I wouldn't talk to people because I was scared they were going to make fun of me since I didn’t know how to speak English. I soon decided to talk to them and they didn’t make fun of me. I was glad. Our next move was from an apartment to a house. I began to get more comfortable talking to people. The friends I made in that school were pleasant. They would always talk to me which I enjoyed since that helped me practice talking to people more. I stayed long enough to graduate from my second elementary school. I still remember all my teachers who helped me develop my speaking skills. I was glad that they helped me make a lot more friends than I would have otherwise.

The pandemic started when I was in seventh grade. My family had to move again. This time we moved in with my mom's boyfriend. By the time we went back to school in person, I had already moved to a different middle school. I was very talkative so I quickly made new friends at that school. I helped the school think of activities to do since I was in ASB. That’s also where I made friends. I still try to keep in touch with the friends I made in middle school since we can’t see each other. Even though I was only there for one year, I enjoyed my experiences there.

Moving so often impacted me by not knowing what home really feels like because I didn’t stay at a place long enough to feel what home is. I feel like this made me struggle with adjusting to a new place. My high school experience so far has been wonderful because I made new friends. Some of the friends I've made I never thought I would be friends with but I somehow became friends with them. I also enjoy the classes that I have because they are super entertaining in their own way. My favorite class is Biology because we get to do experiments. The class I find interesting is Mandarin class because of the way that you say things and because I like learning new languages. I think that it will also benefit me in the future when trying to get a job. Also, the activities that they have at the school are pleasing. I think that I’m going to really enjoy my experience here.

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