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Halifax, England, UK
Where I was born, and the only time I spent with both my parents. -
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
The last place I lived in the United Kingdom, and the first of many moves to come. -
Jackson, Missouri, USA
The rural small town along the Mississippi river that my mother grew up in before leaving for college. She and I lived with my grandparents here for a few years as she got back on her feet in America. It was likely the biggest cultural change I made. My accent in particular only lasted two months, so I relate in many ways to Linda M. Christensen's "Teaching Standard English: Whose Standard?". We both unfortunately faced mockery and criticism from the students and our teachers alike. -
Kansas City, Missouri, USA
The first truly large city I lived in, it made quite an impression on me. In many ways the area and city didn't feel unfamiliar to me, and that likely eased my transition. We lived in two different rental houses in the two years we were here, so the moving momentum remained consistent. -
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Elementary School
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Baltimore, Maryland, USA
We moved here so that my mother could get her teaching degree. While it was another large city Baltimore was deeply East Coast, and definitely a different environment physically and culturally. I started spending much more time inside, and both our house and car were broken into on separate occasions. This was also an interesting time in my life as I attended an nearly all black school, which again left me standing out. While I didn't always hate it here we were both glad to be gone at the end. -
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
My mother got her first Teaching job here. It was a return to a more familiar place, though certainly not always like the other Midwestern/Southern areas I had lived. I spent time outside again, however I wasn't really a rural person and the culture of country music, hunting, and guns never really felt like my own. The city itself never seemed genuine despite its history, and overall I didn't feel sad to leave. -
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
This was one of the first places I really liked, it felt close to nature and trees while never being unbearably hot and the nearby sea water was an interesting new dynamic for me. I made many friends, some lasting long past the short time I spent there. And I remember this being one of the first moves that I really felt like I had lost something which I was worried I wouldn't get back. -
Silverton, Oregon, USA
We lived here for two years -though in two different houses again- and it cemented my affection for the Pacific Northwest. I started to feel more of the local culture and it seemed like something I could relate to more. By this point I didn't feel like as much of a cultural standout and my stress around that largely faded I believe. Making the transition to middle school here also allowed me to keep continuous friendships for the first time in years. -
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Middle School
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Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
This was a very jarring move for me, the high desert was not quite like anything I had seen before, it paired with snow that I had hardly seen in years. It was also a very low point for me in terms of mental health, with the previous two moves both being from places I wanted to stay in and where I had made good friends. It started to feel like my life was just getting objectively worse, and In this year alone I attended two different middle schools before spending the last months online. -
Eugene, Oregon, USA
Eugene is far from perfect, however it has always been a place that I didn't feel separate in. I spent all of high school and a year of community college here, far longer than any other place ever. And while I was eager to leave by the end it was not because of the city in particular. Culturally it was quite strange but not aggressive in my experience, and I will always appreciate it. -
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High School
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Period: to
Community College
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Corvallis, Oregon, USA
Now we approach the present, getting to where I currently live. Corvallis has felt very familiar to me at this point, and the Pacific Northwest feels natural to me now. However, after being so far removed from so much of the moving I did, I've started to feel like I really understand the effects it has. It allows me to empathize with students facing something completely new and different from what they're used to. Something which they might feel they always stand out against. -
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College