From the West coast to the Third coast
Michael Berch, used under Creative Commons
Pleasanton, Calif. is Branden’s hometown. He hasn’t been back in two years.
Moving from California to Texas sucked.
Especially when I was transitioning to 6th grade. Which made it even worse. Leaving all my friends behind without second thought. Plus the constant stress of trying to make a good impression and or getting used to everything. Which makes it so very fun.
I moved due to the constant stress my parents had when living there. Prices of homes and rent in California went for an all time high in 2019. My parents assured me and my siblings that moving would be better for all of us. Which didn’t sound true because I’m basically leaving my roots and all my close friends behind.
My family and I, besides my dad, flew out to the new house we bought. My dad stayed behind and drove instead for some reason. Couldn’t tell you why. So we flew out and had to stay at a hotel for a bit while the sales people got the house ready for us, and being cramped up with three other siblings not including myself, was super ideal for everyone (It freaking sucked).
After constant arguing and fighting with my siblings we finally got to stay and see the house. We took an Uber to the house and I’ll be the first to admit, this house was so much bigger than my old one. And supposedly, it was cheaper too. So we enter the house and because it was emptied, it felt very eerie. But it was still home, right?
Then the best happens, our stuff from the moving trucks didn’t show up for 3 weeks. We moved in and got settled in expecting our stuff to arrive 3 days later and… It never showed up. So we basically lived in a house with no stuff, eating on the floor, and sleeping on inflatable mattresses. It was great.
To make things even better, when they did finally show up, they lost stuff along they way. Personal belongings of my mom’s were lost. Things that my mother’s mom passed down to her. Even belongings of ours.
After like two Ice Ages, eventually my dad shows up. He’s also been informed about the moving problem. He chewed them out profusely. But it still didn’t make up for all the lost things. That’s entirely on them as a company.
Then school started. My absolute favorite. I had no idea who any of these kids were and they didn’t know who I was either. The new school plus the pressure to make sure I had a good impression made everything hard. But I did eventually find some friends.
So all in all I think that I now realize what my parents meant when they said moving would be good for me. The journey was long and hard but it makes it all worth it. I now have three really good friends and I’m going to a great school. I’m very happy here.
But do I wish I stayed in California in the situation it’s in right now with everything that has happened?
Respectfully, hell no.
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![Photo of Branden Gregg](https://twhscaledonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/IMG_6511.jpg)
Branden Gregg is now a senior at TWHS while also being a second year staff member. He is the eldest of 3 siblings. He enjoys working out and on cars while...