Option 2)
I always consider myself as the type of person who likes to embrace change. However, I recently discovered that I may also resist change while I'm embracing the change. In the past decade of my life, I always face different changes, though I love to embrace them. I transferred to three different high schools in the past four years. Luckily, I met a bunch of great people and was able to make friends in every school. Until now, I’m still in contact with my friends in the first high school. I also like to travel, and I especially like to stay in a place for months. I learn social norms, talk to local friends, and study cultural traditions. So, when my parents asked if I wanted them to fly with me for the move-in, I refused.
At first, everything went smooth: I said goodbye to my parents at before departure, successfully landed at Philadelphia International Airport, and arrived at the airport hotel with four luggage. When I finished my first dinner, a lobster sandwich, realizing that I need to eat this kind of food for the next four months, I felt a bit lost. The thought of “Did I make the right choice to come here?” comes to mind. I texted my friends in China to find someone to talk to, only to realize that we have twelve-hour time difference; when it’s afternoon for me, it’s the wee hours for them. So, I didn’t receive any response. I stayed up late on my phone that night, thinking about how I’m going to deal with my back-to-school syndrome.
Nevertheless, I did not feel that way for long. Once school started, I became busy and had less time to dwell on my emotions. By the end of first week, my anxiety had gradually been replaced by a growing sense of achievement. After finishing all the assignment, settling down in my dorm, and completing my paperwork, I regained my confidence. Looking back, I realized that this feeling was familiar to me. Every time I entered a new school or stayed in a new place, I also experienced a period of discomfort and uncertainty at the beginning. Yet after some time, I would gradually build a new routine, meet new people, and begin to feel at home.
My experience at college made me realize that embracing change does not mean adapting immediately or never feeling resistant. I still consider myself someone who embraces change, but I no longer think embracing change means accepting everything without hesitation. For me, change has always involved a brief period of discomfort before adjustment. What matters is not whether I resist change at first, but whether I am willing to move through that discomfort and give myself time to adapt.