The first time that I ever remember experiencing change was when I was in the 2nd grade. My parents told me they had bought a farm in a small town about one hour away from my hometown. I remember feeling excited about meeting new people. I was sad to leave my best friend Ashley behind. I also knew that I would miss my teacher. I knew that there would be a lot of things I would have to leave behind, but I was excited to see what my new school would be like.
By no means was Jasper a huge city. I mean, it had a Walmart and place to shop, but it wasn't huge. I had no idea I would be moving to Plainville, Indiana aka small town, USA. When I first saw where we would be living, I remember thinking that there was literally nothing around us. Plainville had a population of about 500 and we had a gas station and a bank. I immediately knew that it would be a HUGE change for me.
My first day at North Daviess Primary School was, well, memorable. I remember exactly what I was wearing and how nervous I was to start a new school. What if no one liked me and I had no friends? I was beyond scared. My dad drove me to school the first day, which was in the town next to Plainville. As we pulled up to the school I remember thinking it looked like a school that I saw in old movies. It was tiny and so old.
To my surprise everyone was super welcoming, I was the center of attention. Everyone wanted to play with me at recess. I learned to love it. It was so different than my old school in Jasper. There we had cliques, you hung out with only your friends. At ND everyone kind of hung out with everyone.
As the years started passing I definitely got used to living in a small town. I got used to the environment and having to drive forever just to get to a shopping mall. I mean, I got so used to it that I don't remember it ever bothering me. Looking back I think I just settled. I mean, I had no option, my parents were not planning on moving away anytime soon and I got so used to living there.
The next time I would feel such a change would be when I graduated high school and went off to college. The only difference was that it was my decision. My parents let me decide where I wanted to go and were very supportive with my choice. When I got to Purdue, I met so many people. Each and every one of those people left a certain mark on me. I remember everyone I meet, and even if things didn't work out, I see everything as a lesson learned. Now that I've been in West Lafayette for three years, I can't see myself ever moving back to a small town. I see a lot of people from high school talk about how much they love it, but there is nothing there for me. I can't say I had the time of my life in high school and I could never do anything with my major there. I always said I didn't want to be stuck in a small town, and I won't be. Life is all about changes, and I am ready to challenge myself and see where life takes me. I know it will be an adventure, but it would be boring otherwise. I don't want to look back at my life and say I didn't take any risks. I want to know that I did what I could to experience life to the max. Life's to short to settle, and mine's just getting started.
