As I sit here, on my bed, I am wondering where all of the time went. It felt like it was just yesterday that I was coming to Santiago on a bus with my fellow eighth-grade class, and now, I am less than a week away from having my entire high school experience come to a close. This experience, more than anything else I have endured before, is so surreal. I have always dreamed of graduating and finally being able to become an adult, but now that the time is here, I want nothing more than to be a kid again.

I think that is the most difficult part; growing up. We lose that sense of personal comfort- the comfort of knowing that we are still kids and are capable of making little, stupid mistakes without having a second thought. All of the people who have been there since the very beginning will soon become mere memories, simply stories in a book that they won’t be able to finish reading. This moment marks the beginning of the end, the beginning of a new chapter.

Within the gates of this school, I have gained so much. I have met some of the most genuine, kindest people that I know who I will never forget. I would not on behalf of the person that I am today if it weren’t for the lovely individuals that I had by my side, leading me throughout high school. I wish that I had more time to spend by their sides so that our bonds could grow stronger, but at the same time, I know that it’s time to move on. We all have to be able to let go and say goodbye to achieve our goals and aspirations. We need to step away from what we are the most comfortable with and be able to go beyond our small window of comfort into the real world. Having to say goodbye to the only world that I know is saddening, however, I know that everyone has big things coming their way.

Everyone is going off to college, some staying local, while others are flying farther away from their nests, but nonetheless, I am so proud. As someone who chose the local route, I’m not going to lie and say that it doesn’t hurt to see everybody go their separate ways, because it definitely does, but I wholeheartedly believe that we need to have this moment of separation from the worlds that we have grown so comfortable with throughout our lives. If there’s a time to explore, it’s now. Leap so far out of your comfort zone that you are capable of finding a new place to call home, with new friends, new experiences, and just a new vibe in general.

It is completely understandable to feel lost as we are making this transition from teenagers to adulthood, and it is okay to feel sad or emotional about it as well. As we begin to enter this new chapter of our lives, be sure to cherish these last few moments with the ones that you love and try to make the most out of our last experiences as high schoolers. This is just the beginning.