Lil Lizard – Damien Luciano
Nico Gaddini
11 times I’ve had to move. And 17 times I have to either make new friends or rekindle an old friendship. I can’t even put into words the amount of times I’ve had to change schools or find new jobs. From Georgia, to Florida, to North Carolina, back to Florida, back to NC, BACK TO FLORIDA, to Georgia, then BACK TO FLORIDA AGAIN, then New Hampshire, different town in New Hampshire, NC, and finally different place in NC. And those are just what I recall.
The constant moving in my life has majorly changed my way of thinking and how I live. This challenge has been both a important piece of who I am. It’s helped me gain social skills and learn a lot about people, but it has also held me back. There are plenty of downsides to leaving your friends who you thought you’d grow up with. Trust me. I know. Each of my family’s moves have come with different adjustments. Sometimes I was living in a city and others the suburbs. The cultures are different and I know have 3 different accents that I switch from time to time.
My first move was when I was about 4 months old. From Atlanta to Fort Myers. I’ve only heard about this move since I was too young to remember, but I believe the reason I move so much is because I’m cursed. I moved at too young of an age and now the universe is out to get me. I swear it has to be. From here, guess what. We moved again. This time to Asheville. I stayed here for quite some time as my oldest memory is in that house. But there’s not time for that. We got 9 more moves to go. So, here comes Florida again. Basically my family’s favorite spot. This time I lived in Naples. A nice little town where I spent my 1st grade- 5th grade years. With a little gap missing in 3rd. This was alright as I had my first real connections here, although the kids were way too rich and spoiled. I had learned a lot from them and how not to act. The gap in third grade was the move back to Georgia. A little town named brasilton, where I was homeschooled for about 2 months until we ended up heading back to Naples. This one was weird because It didn’t even feel like I was truly ever there. The final days in Florida were 5th grade. I ended up moving to the complete opposite side of the country by going to live up in New Hampshire. This was were I would spend my middle school days. Although there was a different town there as well. My middle school years were a lot. That’s when I actually changed the most. I went from looking like a kid to looking like a almost teenager. A Tween. Looking back at the pictures is just horrible. Then we have good old North Carolina. Wilmington NC treated me well. My first highschool was there and all my friends were great. I actually looked like a high schooler and had my first parties here, and then sophomore year began. In the same place, but I started to act less like a teenager and more like an adult. That’s what really made me, well me. Unfortunately this all had to end. My friends. Which at the time felt like my family. I had to say goodbye. Now I’m here. At Ravenscroft. A new school in Raleigh NC.
With each move, I had to say goodbye to my old friends and hey to new ones. Most of the times I’d lose touch with them and never hear from them again. I think that was part of me being immature though. Some bonds I made lasted though and I have my growing up to thank for that.
The toughest part of moving was the schooling though. Moving to a new school almost each year took its toll on my learning and sometimes I would have to tutor for countless weekends just to get back on track with my new classmates. Some schools taught differently which was the hardest part to get around. Just when I was so used to being able to ask my teachers for help, I would move to a big school where the teachers had no time for me. Thankfully that isn’t a problem at Ravenscroft.
Finding new jobs was also very tough. As a kid who always had to pay for himself, I’ve taken time to find jobs before I move, so I could immediately start making money for myself when I get there. However this is pretty hard to do when you ask an employer to schedule your interviews for a month later. I’ve been turned down by jobs so many times that I lost track. However I kept trying because well, I need money.
Yet throughout all these moves and hardships I’ve faced because of them, I’ve truly become someone better. I’ve learned social skills, workforce skills, and different sports. My language has changed, and my look has too. From what I know, these things will keep changing as I grow older and meet new people. Hopefully for the better. And honestly, looking back at everything, I’m glad I moved so much. I am especially glad I moved here. At the time I moved from Wilmington, I thought my world was gonna end, but now it’s so much better. I met friends who I care so much about. If I had the option to go back to any of the place, I wouldn’t. Although I miss the times I had with my friends. Right here, right now Is so much better.