unique forever

I have moved around a lot in my life and that has heavily influenced and shaped the strong person I am today. I feel that the most significant move was the shift from Singapore to the United States when I was nine years old.

Growing up in the rich culture of Singapore, I enjoyed the buzzling streets filled with hawker stalls and the beautiful greenery. I loved eating Malaysian and Chinese food and enjoyed the exciting places the city offered like the VivoCity mall and Sentosa beach. I loved the school system and most of all I loved spending time with my friends.

So when my dad said we were shifting to the United States, I was absolutely heartbroken. I bid farewell to my close friends and boarded the plane with an excitement for a new life but with a heavy heart at leaving a place I had loved and cherished for so long.

My first days of school were hard. I soon came to know that I had an accent my classmates were not used to and that my packed lunches weren't exactly “American”. Imagine my confusion when I had to relearn measurements from the metric system to the customary system!

However, as the days passed, I adapted. In order to make friends, I learned that I just had to be myself. I explained the Singaporean slang to my curious classmates and taught them about the foods I brought to lunch. There were still people who thought I was weird and different but that was okay because I made several friends who liked me for me. This was a huge thing that I realized at a young age: people's judgmental opinions of you don't matter.

I had joined in the middle of the school year so I was not familiar with the content that was being taught in my science class. When I got my first C, tears ran down my cheeks. I didn't give up. I kept working hard and I excelled in all my classes. Although it may seem small, this experience unlocked two huge character traits in me: resilience and determination.

Since then, I have faced several changes in my life. However, the experiences I had then have helped me glide through with courage and confidence.

For example, two and a half years back when I moved to Georgia from Texas, I was ready.