Speeches 2018

 

As humans, we are naturally scared of change. A new house, a new school, a new hair cut, anything. It terrifies most of us. However, change is an important process that allows us to grow and flourish as people. At the end of last year, my whole world changed. I moved to a new island, a new town, a new house as well as a new school. I had to quickly become optimistic and allow change to happen. Having all these drastic changes happen in my life taught me many things but more than anything.. to accept, allow and appreciate change and not to be scared to embrace a new adventure.

In April 2017, I found out my grandparents were moving to Wanaka. I was heartbroken. My grandparents had been a huge part of my life and I had seen them almost every day since I was born. So the idea of not getting to see them left me devastated. My mum was just as heartbroken as I was and quickly decided she wanted to move too. At first, I really struggled with the thought of having to move school as I had just moved school 1 year before. Let alone moving to near the bottom of the South Island. For the first few months I was in the denial stage, I couldn’t even fathom the idea of living somewhere different. I hoped with all my heart it wouldn’t work out and we would stay Auckland. However that was not the case. Mum already had her heart set on moving to Wanaka and it was out of my control.

I was mainly in denial up until the winter school holidays of last year. My brother, my mum and I all flew down to see the family and to ultimately look for houses. At this point I was still convinced we weren’t going to end up moving, even though my heart knew otherwise. The house hunting process was a massive obstacle we had to overcome. There was one house that my mum believed was her dream home and I loved too. This house made me somewhat excited for the move, It had beautiful black board and batten cladding, a gorgeous large backyard and I even would have had an ensuite. However, that sold the day before we came down. Disheartened, we spent 2 weeks going to a dozen open homes but eventually we put an offer on a house. Once again were in love with it, it was in a perfect location and an adorable little house but once again we didn’t get that one either.  Finally, we found a house in Lake Hawea, we placed and offer on it and in a quick few days the house was ours. At this point it all became real. I finally accepted the fact that my life was going to drastically change.

The next few months flew by in what felt like the blink of an eye.  My life became a blur of tears, packing boxes and goodbyes. The move seemed to creep up on me like a lion ready to pounce. Suddenly was moving day. We loaded our boxed up house onto the truck and we left. We left the small town I grew up in, we left the friends I’d had for years, we left everything that was familiar and everything that I loved. I spent my summer holidays getting used to the new environment but mainly daunted by the idea of starting a new school, as well as trying to hold onto the life I had in Auckland. I was terrified instead of being excited for the new adventure, and the new group of friends I was going to make. It was the fear of change, the fear of change that lingered and echoed throughout me. The fear of something so unfamiliar, something so foreign. It held me back from embracing an adventure. My mum told me the day before school started “great things are never achieved inside comfort zones”. She was right.

To my relief when I started school, I  have never been welcomed so warmly and openly by a bunch of people before. I quickly flourished in the new environment and have made some of the best friends I could’ve ever asked for. All because I took a leap, and embraced a new adventure. Furthermore, I now have a respect for change. It is what makes our life’s interesting and every day unique. Without change, we become complacent with our life’s and blinded from the adventures and opportunities that life offers. So take a leap, embrace a new adventure and don’t be afraid of change. Because you never know, the grass might just be greener on the other side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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