Boarding School

I wanted to do something life changing, so at the age of sixteen I moved away from California and changed schools. Not that I didn’t like my school or that I had to leave it but I had attended the same high school with the same people doing the same things for the past four years and I knew I still had two more years to go. Searching for a new challenge, I chose an east coast private boarding school called The Hill School. Coming from sunny southern California to cold Pottstown, Pennsylvania was a dramatic change. However it helped me understand the importance of a foreign climate and the effect it had on me. I learned a tremendous amount about myself and I have grown from this learning experience.
I arrived at The Hill School two weeks early for preseason soccer and was excited to meet people and become part of the boarding school community. After rooming with the team and getting to know them better, I acquired the nickname of Sunshine as a result of my Californian beach blonde hair. The season went well and I bonded with my team. We won often, and I had the opportunity to see a lot of the east coast when we traveled to games.
Before arriving at The Hill School, I had heard that my roommate was from Hawaii and I was fascinated to find out what he would be like. I imagined visits with him to the tropical island, Kauai. However when he arrived, he was not the true islander that I had expected. Nevertheless we became friends. On our first night together we ordered pizza, splitting the cost, and we laid out some basic rules in order to make living together as comfortable as possible.
Learning to live with another person was one of the hardest tasks I faced in the beginning of my boarding school life, and I was very proud of the fact that I had successfully managed to maintain a friendly, working relationship with Gordon. Dorm life is one of boarding schools unique learning experiences and I found it to be the best part about the school. I gained a deeper insight into both students and teachers and found that my relationships with my peers echoed the feelings I had towards my family members.
From the first day I realized that The Hill School was very different from the public school that I had left behind. The average class size consisted of only about five to ten people, whereas in public high school in California there were as many a thirty students per class. As a result, I was able to connect with my teachers for the first time in a way I never thought would have been possible. Because the class sizes were smaller my teacher was also my coach, dorm parent, and friend. I could ask for help regarding any topic and he was always available. The relationship between student and teacher was close and comforting to me being in this new situation.
However, after living back east for three months I became homesick, which made my return at Thanksgiving deeply meaningful. When I arrived home it was as though I had never left, I saw all my old friends and told them all the things I had done at boarding school and how different the east coast was from the west coast. I realize how good life is in California and have learned to appreciate the lifestyle. When I came home organized family beach days in order to rekindle my surfing skills, and spent time together since I knew I would miss my family once the break was over.
My first winter on the east coast was a dramatic shock! It is impossible to compare the cold of California to the cold of Pennsylvania. In the end the weather drove me back home. Boarding school taught me a lot of lessons that I will take with me for the rest of my life. I was forced to adapt to living with strangers for the first time. I had never really appreciated my home and family until I moved away. I discovered loneliness for the first time and learned to cope with it. Although I was on the east coast for only seven and a half months, it was an exciting time and I am glad I was given the opportunity to taste a different lifestyle. I would not be the person I am today had I not taken a chance and attended The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.