I moved from Korea to Victoria when I was seven, and at first, I hated it. I was leaving behind everything I knew like my friends, my family, my school, and the neighbourhood I was comfortable in. A month later, I was in a completely new environment. The culture was different, the environment was strange, and I often felt completely alone. Think of it as when everything that had once felt safe and familiar was gone and instead surrounded by strange and new things. I still remember the first day that we were in Canada, I was at my grandmas house (who I visited only once a year), and I opened this present I got from all my friends and it was a scrapbook filled with all the crazy random things that we did as a group and little notes from them saying how much they all loved me. That was the hardest that I have ever cried in my life.
At first, it was really hard. I wasn’t used to the routines at my new school, the way that I did things were always different as to others, and I missed my old friends a lot. Every day was a challenge, and sometimes I wished I could just turn back time and stay in Korea. It felt unfair and frustrating, the fact that all my friends got to stay together in our safe zone while I had to be across the world, and I didn’t think I would ever feel at home again.
But slowly, things began to change. I started exploring Victoria and learning more about my new environment. I made friends, discovered new hobbies, and learned to adapt to Canada. And slowly, what had once felt strange and lonely became familiar and even exciting. Moving taught me many things that I value and still think about today.
After eight years, I still sometimes wish I had stayed in Korea. I miss the comfort, the familiarity, and the friends I left behind. But I also know that moving to Victoria has shaped me in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I often think about what my life would have been like if we had never moved, and I’ve realized that this experience gave me a unique experience that I will appreciate my entire life. While I may always say that I like it in Korea more, I am grateful for the person I’ve become because of this change, resilient and adaptable.
While I personally have never had a big move like this, the way you wrote about how it felt let’s me see how that might change someone. Great post!
I felt your personal writing was very relatable to me, though I moved to Victoria from Vancouver when I was little, so I didn’t leave behind much, but I did live in California for a year and went to school there when I was around 10, so this writing resonated with me. Your writing took me back to that time, which included the bad side and good sides of moving; leaving behind everything, and starting anew.