Moving is something that takes years to master. It’s not something I’m proud of mastering, but I am definitely an expert in the matter.
So much so that moving away is something I don’t think twice about.
It’s not because I’m heartless; it’s simply the number of times that I have done it that has made it a little easier each time.
In my 19 years of life, I have lived in three countries, four cities, attended seven different schools and called eight addresses home. I am about to add an eighth school and a ninth address to my long list that will probably never stop.
But even through all of the moving, I have never regretted the decisions made by both my parents and me.
But it’s those moves that have really shaped the person that I am today. The experiences in your life make you a well-rounded individual.
Through all of the times that I have moved I have experienced a different culture. In Vancouver, I lived in a neighorhood with predominantly Chinese and Indian people who helped with my cultural experience.
When I was 5, my parents took a leap of faith and packed up everything we had and moved across the world from Australia to Canada, taking me and my baby sister, who was only 11 months old at the time, to a new life.
My dad moved a few weeks before we did to find us a home and establish some things. So it was my mum’s job to take us on a 15-hour flight to Los Angeles, then a three hour flight from L.A. to Vancouver.
We lived in Vancouver for almost 10 years, so it was sad when we packed up the house and its contents and drove to California.
It was always my dad’s dream to move to the United States, and even when I was a kid, my dream was to go to school in the United States.
So the day that we started our journey down the coast to Carlsbad was a day that my childhood changed.
I spent most of my childhood in Canada, so a part of my heart is still in Canada.
But the great thing about moving to the United States was that my dad has finally achieved his dreams.
He had finally gotten to a position in his career in which his was able to bring his whole family to the land of opportunity.
And the more he provided opportunities, the more I grabbed onto them. But as I was deciding on a university I told my parents the same thing that they told their parents.
“I have to make the best decision for me and for my future.”
Moving is hard for anyone and everyone involved. Starting something new is hard because it requires you to be brave, but my best advice when moving is ask yourself, “Is it the best decision for you and your future?”
AMY BENKOVICH
