The friend that changes you

When I graduated from the fifth grade my family and I moved from El Paso, Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico. This move appeared a little harder on my father than it was on my mother, mainly because most of my father’s family lived in El Paso and Mexico. Meanwhile my mother’s family lived in New Mexico. I on the other hand did not mind moving as much as my father did, mainly because I would get into fights at my old school. Albuquerque would mean anopportunity for a new start. 

I only remember bits and pieces of sixth grade: the first day of school I waited in the frontof the school with my sister for about one and a half hours before school started because myfather would go into work very early. I remember feeling certain nervousness while waiting there with my sister; the feeling kept growing as more students showed up to school. 

I do recall the bell ringing after that but I don’t remember many of my classes that day until I got to science class, this is where I met my first middle school friend: Gabriel. Gabriel and I started talking when the teacher set up an ice-breaker for the class; she partnered us up and gave us questions to ask each other to kick-start a conversation. Fortunately this worked very well with Gabriel and I. I remember asking Gabriel where he was from and he told me Albuquerque; he replied asking where I was from; I answered him telling him that I was from El Paso. He went on to ask me if I knew anyone from the school. I told him no, outside of my sister of course. Gabriel then invited me to eat lunch with him and his friends that day; I accepted his offer. That conversation I had with Gabriel helped me become friends with other kids in school and I became able to establish my own status at school that year. I became social, had my first girlfriend, and as well it resulted in me participating in sports. 

Everything seemed to be going great until my family and I moved back to El Paso and I once again had to start over at a new school. This time felt different though, I was taller, more outspoken, and I knew my weaknesses as well as my strengths. This time I made my own place among the other students, but I owed all of that to Gabriel. He taught me to be confident around others and to not let others tell me how to be, but to be myself and people will like that the best about me. Overall it might have not have resulted in the move itself that helped me to be the person I am today, but Gabriel himself.