Olivia Lamont’s Personal Essay
Moving to Texas has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences in my life so far. We used to live up in Wisconsin along with the rest of my family on my moms side. My dads family lives in Buffalo, NY so they weren’t that far away either. We used to see them more than once a year for holidays and birthdays but ever since we have moved, we only see them maybe once every year, sometimes less. Family holds a lot of importance to me so it has been difficult not getting to spend time with them because I know I will be off doing my own thing with college soon. I definitely miss our Thanksgiving dinners and all of the chatter at the dinner table. I miss the smell of their homes in the holidays and the looks on their faces when we knock on their doors. Moving away has limited the amount of times I am able to spend with my grandparents as well. But with all this being said, we had to move. It was an amazing opportunity for our family that put my sister and I in an amazing school system and my dad at a good job. We have now lived in this expansive state for almost eight years and I am finally accepting my life here. The first few years were the most difficult though. I didn’t have a sport I wanted to join or any talent in the arts. I was shy and introverted. Completely content with my only friend being my sister Georgia. It wasn’t until I joined band and was given an opportunity to meet people like me that I started to open up and show my personality.
My sister has been like my twin for the last seventeen years. She is just a year younger than me. We look similar, we have the same tone of voice, and sometimes even think the same things at the same times. We are the best of friends. We do have our arguments but we understand how to work out our differences. We build each other up. We have our own humor that seems like no one else understands. I am so grateful for her. I look at my friends and their relationships with their siblings and they aren’t as strong as ours. I’m not sure what has made us so connected but I feel completely safe around her, like I can be my true self, and that hold great meaning to me. When I was younger, and still today, I used to hide my opinions and wouldn’t say much. I didn’t want to be judged. I didn’t want to share my ideas for fear I would be wrong. But with my sister, I don’t need to be shy or wary of her. I can say anything to her with confidence. We support each other through everything. I am so lucky to have a built in best friend because I know she will never leave me and I will never leave her. It will definitely be difficult to go to college without her because we have been through everything together. I cannot imagine not living under the same roof. There will come a time though that I will have to leave. I will have to become more independent but I think this will only make our connection stronger. She is my family and I know I will always find time for her because that is what I do as her big sister. I make time for her. Though I have moved miles and states away from my family, me moving away from my sister will feel both extremely saddening and lonely but it will make me stronger and make us even more connected.
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