First Week

It's official. I'm a freshman... 

First of all, summer went by too fast. Yet I'm remembering my trip to DC this summer and it feels like it was a long time ago. Weird. Anyways... about my first day of school...

                  A little over a week ago, the morning of my first day of school as a high schooler arrived. 

I was really nervous, because I knew a few people, but I wasn't really close with anyone. I didn't know where I would fit in. The school I'm going to has alot of kids that already know each other from previous private schools, so I had it in my head that I was not going to make friends easily, because everyone would have already had their group of friends...

    

            For the first few days, I was worried. I felt awkward. I didn't know who to sit with at lunch, and when I did sit with people I didn't know how to start up a conversation. I started just getting overwhelmed with the whole thought of high school. Trying to make a good impression on not only my teachers, but other kids my age was tough to think about. I'm a shy person, so it's a little harder for me to feel comfortable quickly. For some reason, I felt like I annoyed the kids I already knew, by following them around. I was also told that joining cross-country was a great way to make friends. Believe me, running isn't my favorite thing to do, but I wanted to try it out just to see what it would do. 

   It worked! Cross country quickly gave me many new friends. I found people who I asked to run with,  who I thought were my pace, and have been friends with them since. I have a few running-"buddies" to run with, too. In fact, just this last weekend we went up to Cross Country Camp a couple of hours away. Our whole team stayed in little cabins. Each grade/gender had their own cabin. The freshman girl's cabin was so much fun! Although I knew a few people on my team just a little bit, it really surprised me that in just two nights and two days, I got to know them really well. It was such a great experience. I made friends. Good friends. The people in my cabin are now becoming close friends. They are all so nice, and I couldn't ask for a better way to start my school year. The cross country freshman guys are really nice, too.  It's a great group of friends!

  

  As for making friends in class, for some reason, I feel like cross country camp opened my eyes a little bit. In just 48 hours I began to feel more comfortable. I realized that there are alot of people in the same boat as me. I'm not the only one trying to make new friends. I was really worried about how my year would go. But honestly, it's getting better. Not perfect yet. But better. It's getting better every day! Better as in, feeling more comfortable talking to people, making friends, talking to teachers. 

    So... I guess I could say that, my first day, was OK. Even if it didn't seem great in the beginning, putting a little effort into it, along with a little confidence, goes along way.