IB次元官网网址檝e never had much of a problem being friends with anyone younger than me, at least not until this year.
I graduate this month from Belmont secondary. IB次元官网网址檓 moving away in August and I wonB次元官网网址檛 have time to talk to any of the people I currently keep close to my side. With the school year ending, this chapter of my life is also. My close ninth and 10th grade friends have begun to wail their lamentations for my leaving. The moves we all used to pull on our parents, such as the puppy dog eyes, are now being used on me.
In these past few years, IB次元官网网址檝e created clubs and have met enough people to make my 256 friends on Facebook all legitimate; to the point that leaving now is affecting me more every day. At the beginning of the year, I was ecstatic to finally be in my last year of high school; as the days passed I felt less jovial and more disinclined to leave. At Belmont, IB次元官网网址檝e thoroughly enjoyed three years of Leadership, being a part of the Gay Straight Alliance, helping out with the breakfast program and sitting around with some amazing people in the Anime club. Until now, IB次元官网网址檝e merely followed the B次元官网网址榡ust get to graduationB次元官网网址� path, completely grasping the fact of whatB次元官网网址檚 inevitable.
I donB次元官网网址檛 particularly understand why IB次元官网网址檓 so afraid of leaving; IB次元官网网址檝e moved what feels like hundreds of times, abandoning previous schools and homes. Switching between 12 other schools before Belmont conditioned me into not caring about leaving. At least I thought so. I suppose it could be because IB次元官网网址檝e lived here longer than anywhere else, which has given me a chance to establish real relationships. IB次元官网网址檝e known many of the people that I donB次元官网网址檛 want to leave for nearly as long as IB次元官网网址檝e been on this side of the Island.
No matter what, I have to leave, despite how scary leaving is to me. I often find myself asking if any of the other grade 12 students feel the same. IB次元官网网址檝e asked my graduated family members and theyB次元官网网址檝e all said something similar: I was ready to go; my time in school was up; I didnB次元官网网址檛 feel the need to stay. Why donB次元官网网址檛 I feel the same? How come I have to feel so ripped up over leaving a building and a few people?
These feelings donB次元官网网址檛 come without facts. I had never really been taught how to deal with the reality beyond the gates of a sheltered childhood. I know how to write an essay, which can be helpful in getting that well-paying job, but I donB次元官网网址檛 know how to do taxes B次元官网网址� I never took accounting.
Basic survival instincts like cooking barely scrape by with me. Mr. Noodles, I can do; a sufficient dinner which tastes okay and covers all necessary food groups, is a whole other story. I canB次元官网网址檛 even handle budget-shopping and head to a coffee shop pretty much daily, spending money that could be going somewhere far more important. Soon, IB次元官网网址檒l be without the constant guidance of my parents, and that will be the hardest thing of all: nobody on which to dump responsibility for all my problems.
A few of my classmates have told me theyB次元官网网址檙e scared of the real world, scared of leaving their safe haven, scared of the unknown, and that they donB次元官网网址檛 know enough to be properly prepared. IB次元官网网址檝e realized that I feel the same way and more so. IB次元官网网址檓 not ready to leave because IB次元官网网址檓 afraid of not knowing how the adult world works. IB次元官网网址檓 not ready to leave, because my feelings are somewhat based on the feelings of the younger teens who are important people in my life. IB次元官网网址檓 not ready, because IB次元官网网址檓 comfortable here.
Recent Belmont secondary grad Kendra McCarthy was a student this past term in Lauren FrodshamB次元官网网址檚 Writing 11 class.
