How to Move Across the World

I was born and raised in Iran, and pretty much lived the majority of my life there. When I moved to the United States, I was excited but scared at the same time. I left a whole life of family, friends, and school behind myself for a more comfortable life and a better future. I started sophomore year of high school in a local school in the county that we were living in, and I felt pretty good about myself and my first day. I was so optimistic that I was destined to meet many people and make lots of friends and become that cool main character from the movies that I used to watch back in Iran.

In a few months, however, all those dreams died down. I soon came to realize that I was in a whole new world, a whole new social circle, with different expectations. Fast forward three months in and I still had no friends to hang out with, no one to hit up on the weekends, play sports with, or just talk to. It wasn't because of lack of trying. I did try at first. But then I realized that I was too different for the kids around me, and maybe I wasn't even good enough. I started to miss everything I left behind in Iran and started to doubt myself. But it wasn't because of people around me—how could they know? They were raised their way and I was raised the Iranian way.

Now that I look back at it, it was because at some point I gave up trying, and I became too scared to express who I was. I looked for people's approval rather than their acceptance. I became someone I wasn't. I gave up on myself as well as others. I wouldn't put my real name down on my homework, I'd switch it up to something that everyone could pronounce. I had lost sight of who I was, and I was so buried under all this that I didn't even care. What helped me? It was the realization that I was in a country with many different people, races, religions, beliefs, etc. I didn't have to be somebody else, all I had to do was be myself. If someone liked me enough for that, good. If not, then it was okay. I couldn't be friends with everyone, I couldn't get everyone's approval, and that was fine.

When I realized that, everything changed. I became a whole new person, met new people, engaged in different activities, and I was finally truly happy. The culture was still a bit unfamiliar to me, but that was fine, too. I was at a point of my life where I felt like I could do anything. So, I joined the soccer team, signed up for the talent show (and did pretty alright), joined different clubs, made my own club, and above all, met the friends that I call family today. What I'm trying to say is don't look for people who approve of you because you're like them, look for people who accept you for who you are. Don't let a different culture get the best of you, stick to your roots, be proud of who you are, and let that make you a better and stronger person. Just remember that no matter what you are going through, there’s always someone who will hear you out, understand you, and if you’d like, help you out. Don’t bring yourself down. Always keep your head up. Thank you for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it and it meant something to you.