Moving at any age can be challenging, but overcoming such enormous changes as a child was difficult. I remember the day my mom had told  me we were moving. I was scared. I already knew I was going to have to overcome a big issue at a very young age. Leaving my family was a very hard part of my childhood to overcome. Switching schools was a difficult component of my life because I was so timid and quiet. But moving here improved many parts of myself. Moving schools and leaving my family was difficult, but overcoming everything was even harder.
    

Growing up in an environment with close family and many memories, and then leaving after eight years was hard to overcome. When I moved 300 miles away from all of my family and a couple of friends in Ohio, it was hard to adjust. I had a pretty normal lifestyle for a second grader, easy homework and no problems. My mom, brother, and I constantly went on adventures to different places around the state to make our days more exciting. We went all around, finding ourselves at  different fairs or just a beautiful park. My house had many memories for the whole family. We hosted many family parties for football, birthdays, holidays and all sorts of events. Our family events are probably one of my favorite memories to reflect on when I think of my childhood in Ohio. I can always remember hearing the laughter and the feeling of the family atmosphere. Probably one of the hardest events to move away from was my dad and my cousin Sam. My cousin Sam and I get along very well, and we act more like best friends than cousins. Being separated by more than a few hundred miles effected our relationship but we still remain close. My dad and I have never been very close, but the strong bond we have makes us connect even after we haven’t seen each other in a couple of months. I see him more often than my other family, so it is not that horrible of a situation. Now that I have adjusted to the new small town environment, the move doesn’t affect me anyone.
    

The end of summer, 2010 was the day my life had changed majorly. I still remember congregating with a few of my close relatives before I left and saying our goodbyes. It was hardest saying goodbye to my dad, but I kept in the back of my mind that I would see him in a little while. Driving past the Michigan border frightened me, even though I had been there a few times throughout the summer. This was the time when I realized I would have to meet all new people, talk to new teachers having no information about any of them, and try to make friends. I was never close to many people at my old school in Ohio, so that part of the moving ordeal was not a problem. I left behind very few friends and so much of my family. Starting off as a third grader in a new school was a little odd. I was in the middle of very young and slightly mature kids. I knew that my whole school life would be here in Michigan so I would need to make a few close friends. I was very shy when it came to meeting new people so it took me a while to break out of my shell. Michigan was a huge improvement from Ohio and definitely made it easier to fit in with everyone. The main issue for me was meeting new friends, because I tended to stay by myself at my old school. Over time, I started to realize it wasn't even a problem. I actually bonded with more kids than I thought I would, and people liked me. Since I found meeting friends a lot easier than I thought, this part of the move was not that difficult.
    

Moving as a young child has a pretty large impact on my life considering I left most of my family behind. Before I moved, I was never really outgoing. I was always a little scared to show my wild personality to my friends in Ohio, worrying they would disclude me. After I had experienced my new style for a few days, it made me realize I could be myself. Moving away from my family made me realize how much they actually impacted my life, and that was probably one very difficult to overcome. It affected me in a way that I could move on slightly easy, but not being able to see my family or even just my dad like other kids sometimes made me feel left out. I used to feel embarrassed to explain that my dad and other family members lived in a completely different state. But, some other kids were in the same type of situation, it made me feel better. I'm no longer affected by the move as much as I used to be, even though I never really was. At this point in my life I was used to the fact that I may have a different family life than other kids, but I have overcame it and understand that it doesn't effect me or even make me second guess explaining people how my family works.
    

Even though leaving family and moving schools was extremely difficult, there are many benefits it has on my life. Moving away has opened me up to many opportunities according to school, sports, friends and a lot of other activities. Also, leaving so many things that were very close to me have made me a stronger person in a lot of different ways. I know that if I had never moved, I might not be as outgoing as I am now. Overcoming moving has affected my life in a negative and positive way. I am miles away from my family and the worst part is my dad. The positive outlook of this situation is that I have opened end up to my peers and have became a stronger individual. Moving away from so many people I love is a win lose situation, but it has given me many great opportunities to improve my life.