Culture Shock

Moving from green, lush, mountainous landscape to a corn field was quite the adjustment. At 14, she hadn't considered the culture shock she was going to go through again. Because, hello, it's the States. The United States of America. She'd been there for 10 years before being plucked up and whisked away to a magical place that always looked like a fairy tale come true. How different could it be from Texas? She couldn't remember her birthplace, but Texas was about as close to home as she would ever get.

Being shy didn't help matters any. She had spent 4 years cultivating relationships with kids who were absolutely just like her. All military brats, all in a DoD school, all taking as many fantastical class trips to ever more foreign places. Now she would have to make friends with people who were from this little town her parents had moved her to. There were other brats there, sure. But there were also plenty of kids who had lived in that town their whole lives and never been outside a 100 mile radius of it. That's a type of life she couldn't even imagine. And definitely did not envy.

The first day of school was nerve racking, to say the least. She walked to her new school, found where she was supposed to wait (the cafeteria) and hang out until her next class. There were some other kids there. Why did she have to be so painfully shy? Finally, one of the girls came up to her and introduced herself. If you had told the girl at that moment that this new person with the long hair and thick glasses would be her best friend forever (or at least the next 20+ years) she would have laughed in your face. Because friends come and go so easily. You miss them for a while, but then you get over it. Move on.

In no time, she didn't feel so different.

But she never did get used to living in a giant cornfield.