A Teen’s POV Of Moving To A New Country (During a Pandemic)
I would like to point out that everyone will have a different experience when moving. We all are at various stages in our life, and we may respond to things differently since we are all individuals who interpret things in unique ways.
A wave of sadness and familiarity
Johanna is the daughter of a diplomat. She has lived in several countries such as Sudan, Vietnam, Germany and now Israel.
Recently, 14 year-old Johanna moved from Berlin to Tel Aviv. For her, anxiety and grief began the moment she set foot in her new school. She left her old life behind and finally realized that there would be no turning back for the next three to five years. She would have to re-introduce herself, make new friends and get used to the different education system.
This is not something unheard of in the life of a diplomat’s child. Wherever our parents go, we follow and we must adapt. Moving is a familiar feeling but that does not make it hurt any less.
I deeply miss Berlin, I miss everything I left behind and it hurts.
Johanna did zero research before coming to Israel but questions like “Will I find friends?” or “ Where are we going to live?” still plagued her mind.
When Johanna and her family arrived in Tel Aviv, the government announced that Israel would be going under lockdown to reduce the spread of COVID.
Online school has been keeping Johanna pretty busy. For eight hours a day for five days a week, she needs to sit in front of her laptop and attend classes. The rest of the day, she works on assignments, studies for tests, and with some time left over she tries her best to relax by jogging or calling her old friends.
Johanna skipped a grade when she transitioned from the German school to her new school in Tel Aviv which is run by the Church of Scotland.
The school transition wasn’t that hard. I don’t really have material to catch up on or anything like that despite skipping 8th grade.
Without realizing it, online school is affecting Johanna negatively even though she enjoys online learning. There are no new friends for her to meet, no proper interactions between peers, and definitely no opportunities to participate in after-school activities. COVID has limited Johanna’s chances of socializing and finding new friends and things to look forward to in her new home.
From what Johanna shared with me, she has been plagued and tormented by random stomach aches (a new kind of anxiety attack, perhaps) and feelings of sadness. Being constantly on guard and missing your friends back home can certainly have that kind of effect.
In Vietnam, most of my friends moved away by the time I moved away and Germany wasn’t like that. In Germany I had closer friends, so it was harder for me to move away from Germany.
But… there’s room for exploration and growth
I do not want to end the blog with a sad tone, so here is my advice to Johanna:
Eventually, you arrive at a point where you have to decide to make it work. You are going to overcome any obstacles there might be. You are a strong individual. There is nothing you haven’t handled before — the only difference is that the country is different now. In this circumstance, you have to try harder and invest more energy into making it work. Letting go of your old home is never easy but you need to stop resisting and start accepting.
Make the best of your time in Tel Aviv. Appreciate its beauty. You have so much to discover and one day you will be able to accept your new home. Go to the beach and play volleyball; visit the historical/religious monuments of Israel; go on a desert trip with Bedouins! Once the lockdown is over and the COVID restrictions have been minimized, take the time to meet new people. Don’t shy away. You’ve made friends before and you can do it again!
Appreciate everything and everyone while you are still living there; I made the mistake of not appreciating my past homes enough and when I look back at those moments, I wish I hadn’t taken them for granted…
Self-reflection
I would love to hear the things that you experienced. Which of the things mentioned can you relate to?
How do you let go of your homes and embrace a new one? Do you cling to the past? How do you say goodbye to your old home?
