Moving from town to town is difficult especially as a kid. I recently moved from Whitestone, Queens. Before that I lived in Farmingdale. Farmingdale was my hometown. Making friends was not easy. My family reminds me how I have a taste of different areas in New York and how I have a viewpoint of the places I moved to and from.

When I left Farmingdale, I was excited at first. I thought meeting new friends and going to another school would be awesome. I didn’t take into consideration how hard it would be to leave my friends and how hard it would be to keep in touch from a distance. When I moved to Whitestone every aspect of school was different. I went to a middle school that had about 70 kids in each grade. The school was a journalism school from grades 6 to 12. I had to wear a uniform everyday which involved a collared shirt and khakis. It was very different from my previous school.

I made friends in Queens but I did not have the tight bond like I did on Long Island. I missed my friends dearly. However, I adjusted to the new living environment. In 7th grade, I took the city bus home with friends and I grew up. Taking the city bus was a big step, but the outcome was learning to become more mature and responsible as well.

It was until the beginning of 8th grade when my parents told my sister and I, that we were moving back to Long Island to a town named “Wantagh.” I was shocked. I had heard of Wantagh but did not know where exactly it was. It was 10 minutes from Farmingdale. I could not believe I was moving back. I was hoping to reconnect my friendships and I did. My friend Kristin Browne and I have known each other since preschool and we are closer than ever today.

Madison Lampasona has recently moved to Wantagh and started the year as a high school student. She moved from Ozone Park, Queens. “It was a little hard transitioning schools but I got used to it pretty quickly,” she says. The work is similar and so far she is loving what W.H.S has to offer.

I have learned that life can bring obstacles but all that matters is how you conquer them. Madison and I have gone through the same adjustments. We are learning day by day what is new and what the school has in store for us as freshman. At the end of senior year we’ll be able to explore new options and part our ways to experience different areas of New York and maybe even the world!