Every life is filled with change, some unbidden and some welcome. On occasion, the life we know gets turned upside down, forcing us to confront the unexpected and cope with what comes our way. And this is what happened to 13-year-old Alex Zenit.
Alex Zenit lives with his family in Providence. In the fall he will enter the 9th grade at the Moses Brown School.
Change may not be what we want, but it may be exactly what we need. I spent most of my life living in Mexico City. All my family lived there and almost all of the friends I had made in the past 11 years lived there too. I still remember that day my parents, the two people that I looked up to most, told me that everything would change. An opportunity was taking us to a new life in an unfamiliar place. I remember feeling angry and sad at the same time. Angry because this would ruin all of my upcoming plans with my friends that I had been looking forward to. Sad because I would have to leave this place and these people that I loved.
I never realized how much I valued living there, and how happy it made me to live among all the people I grew up with. When I think about it, I still see this one image of my room with nothing in it. It reminds me of the moment I realized that what was happening, was actually happening. Saying goodbye for the last time to my friends wasn’t one of my favorite parts. I am a really emotional person, so I cried every time one of them had to leave.
August 20, was the day it actually happened. I flew from Mexico City to New York City and then to Providence. I remember sitting on the window seat and posting photos on social media, finally feeling a little excited about what would come. When I landed, there was a different scent, I suppose the difference between a city with 20 million people compared to a state with barely a million. Sometimes, even today, I still smell the scent and it reminds me of when I first arrived. After actually getting here was when it all came crashing down on me of what had happened. I started to tear up most of the times I thought of the good times I had with my friends and family. I had really left everything behind and started again.
I believe that change is something we need, even if at the time we think we don’t need it. Today, I am grateful for this massive change that I went through. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to meet the amazing people that surround me and who inspire me to keep going every day. Thanks to this, I can tell my story to others and try to help others tell theirs.
