Published: 2022-04-21
Moving is not easy, at least not for me. The number of times I have had to move from one house to another house, one apartment to another apartment, a familiar environment to a completely new environment added up to a total of 16 times. I'm only 14, so that would mean I've moved about once a year. I've had to switch to a number of different schools and this is the fourth country I've lived in ever since I was a child. There were several changes each and every time our family moved to a different place. For example, me and my siblings leaving our previous schools, making new friends, relocating to another country and having to get used to the multiple differences. The toughest part for me was unpacking and packing again and again. Our house would be in a huge mess and getting everything organised was exhausting.
At one point in time, my dad was not with us for about half a year due to the pandemic. Me and my siblings had to help my mom out with the unpacking as we moved from Shanghai to Malaysia. It was extremely tiring and difficult for all of us, especially my mom.
Mom said, "I am sure the Covid19 situation affected many people in many ways, some worse than the others and we are no different. After committing to a new rented place in Malaysia and then receiving a 40 foot container filled with our stuff from Shanghai was a daunting task. The three children were always at home and were not at school. In addition, living in Malaysia was new to them. They were dependent on me to move around as it was not safe (in my opinion) for young children to travel around by cab in Malaysia. I needed all their help and assistance in unpacking, sorting and arranging our stuff from Shanghai where we've spent the last 14 years. I am very appreciative of their help but many times, tempers spilled over due to the physical and emotional drain. My husband was also not with us due to Covid19 restrictions. In addition, we had a new puppy as a gift for Nina and that needed a lot of attention. The ongoing renovations of our neighbours also increased the stress due to the loud and disturbing noise."
I also asked my siblings about what they thought about moving. Nash (my older brother) said that it did not really affect him that much as he has gotten used to it. The only thing that he found annoying is when he has to pack and unpack every time we move.
Kate (my younger sister) said, "Moving houses had some positive and negative affects... when moving, we need to learn how to pack, unload, and organize things in our own room. That makes us more independent in different situations. But sometimes moving can mean going to different countries and different schools in which it may affect us. When we go to school, we meet new friends, some are good and some are bad... once friendships are built, we move to a new school or even to a new country. I think that sometimes moving is bad as friendships are important in our lives. And when moving, we don't really have a chance to develop strong friendships. However, moving still has a positive side to it so I don't really mind moving as now I can still stay in contact with my friends through social media."
Moving affects everyone in different ways and sometimes we just have to learn to adapt to the situations we are put in.