Personal Narrative Into Adulthood

It was the last inning in our all-star game, and we were losing 10 to 8. Our team had 2 outs and we couldn’t get the third. Our pitcher was doing bad, throwing all balls, while all of us in the field were tired, ready to fall asleep at any moment. There goes another walk. They score again.

Last year I moved from Guttenberg to Manchester, which moved me from Clayton Ridge to West Delaware High School. The whole move was a speedy process. Before we moved I only knew 3 people that attended West Delaware and out of those people, none of them are my age. I was upset with my parents for putting me in the position of leaving all my friends that I had finally gotten used to, to move somewhere where I didn’t know anybody. A rush of emotions were coming onto me; fear of losing friends, anger and resentment towards my family for not telling me until they had already bought the house, but also excitement because I would be starting all over again and meeting new people.

An accomplishment that saw me transition from childhood to adulthood was when I got my Eagle Scout award. Since the award occurred so close my eighteenth birthday and I had been working on it for so long. This accomplishment allowed me to look back on my childhood and reflect on everything that I had had to do to earn this award but more importantly reflect on what I had learned in my travel through scouting. This was not only a growing up process for me but for my community and family. Becoming an adult in society today is when you are able to use skills learned in childhood and combine these skills to complete one complex project or task.

My transition to adulthood came down to a single choice. Should I move four hundred miles away from my friends and my mom going into my junior year of high school or stay in Union, where I was comfortable, without my dad? Have I struggled with my decision? Yes. Have I regretted it?

For the past five years I have dedicated my life to soccer, and school, of course. This time of my life has consisted of driving an hour and forty-five minutes to and from Virginia Beach, Virginia, as well as getting the least amount of sleep anyone could think of. Since I was a little girl I have always had a dream to play soccer in college and proudly represent my school. Well, that dream is finally becoming a reality, but so is becoming an adult.

Coming of Age “Have a good time. remember to take food out of the bottom oven, bye” my mom said. Those were the last words she said before going off into the city with my dad that night. They had left Jack, Grace, and I with our grandparents for the night.

Moving to the United States was not an easy journey for my family and I. I had to get integrate to a new society which meant a changing to my traditional lifestyle and habit and learning a new language and culture. In high school, I adapted well because many courses were not too vigorous, and the classes moved at a slower pace. On the contrary, college requires juggling multiple classes and adapting to the new college life. For eighteen years of my life, I had never spent more than two days away from my parents, so it was quite difficult at first.

I had difficulty catching up with my classes and socializing with my classmates. As soon as I started to adapt, making new friends and understanding the curriculum, my family and I were switched to a new state. This pattern was at first draining, but eventually, I began to accept it and embrace it. I don’t think many kids I go to school can say that they’ve lived in over 2 states, let alone 6. It took time, but I changed my frame of mind.

Transitioning into something new or different is not easy. Sometimes you have to leave your values and personal belongings behind, but you may gain some insight from your new transition. In Orphan Train, Molly was learning about the Wabanaki Indians and how they had to carry their canoes and everything else they possessed across land from one body to the next. This is known as portaging. Molly was assigned to conduct an interview with a relative or friend asking about their own portages, the moments in lives when they’ve had to take a journey, literal, or metaphorical (Kline, 2013).

This made the transition somewhat easier growing up with my mother’s side of the family. Change is never easy each person grows in different ways. Some will excel while others stay

This move forced me to step outside of what I was familiar with and try new activities. I had a new dance studio, new school, new opportunities waiting for me everywhere and I had to face each one with a smile on my face; even though I was scared. It eventually became easier, I learned to love all these new activities in my life in a new way, change was exciting. I just needed to realize that change could provide me with beautiful new possibilities. As I move through life now I feel as though I harbor a certain spontaneity in my soul, a feeling that will allow me to go wherever life takes me.

Bumping into people while looking down and asking multiple people for direction even though I was shy. Giving five minutes after each class to get to the other, walking into a classroom on my first day people staring and observing. Moving to a different town is not about the new house, it is about adapting to a new environment. Moving away from family and friends can be a tough thing to do. I had to adjust to leaving my friends and family that I loved and seen almost every day.

Looking over myself as a teen I would define myself as being a procrastinating slacker who never wanted to do anything. I went from an all A student in elementary to a kid who made C’s, D’s, and F’s in my first 2 and a half years in high school. As I look back on my past I regret my outlook on life as a teen with no goals set until I joined marching band and my school’s debate team. Going into my freshman year I was joining the “Mighty Hawk Band” and I had no idea how this would change my outlook towards life. I remember before my first audition to obtain a marching spot that morning I thought to myself “It is just marching band.

Middle Adulthood My mom and dad did not socialize or have a lot of friends. They had one couple, Dave and Anne, who was dad’s friend from middle school that they saw on a regular basis. We traveled as families, boated on the Fox River together, and saw each other every Friday night while our parents bowled in a league. My dad coached my brother’s little league teams for years and was commissioner of the baseball league.

Life for me growing up was super difficult. A lot of my childhood was pure traumatic. Also, it was a struggle for me and my family, money wise and food wise. Also, our house was very small. We even lost our father and I also became a teen mom.