Moving Out and Across the World

Oahu from an Airplane

I graduated from the University of Virginia in May, and my next question was now what. Due to COVID-19, I had been living at home with my family for the past 3 months. I was grateful for the extra time that I had with my family, the time I only got because of the Coronavirus. Coronavirus had changed a lot in my life. My summer plans to visit my grandparents in Nepal were canceled. My plans to vacation with my friends vanished. My dance competition season never to be finished. My boyfriend, Sajal, and I were going to move in together when I started my job in San Francisco. I had all of these plans that never came to fruition.

My job start date was one thing that always changing due to COVID-19. It was first pushed back from July to October. Then my start date was pulled back again to be earlier in the summer. The only information I knew was that my job was starting in July or August. Thinking that when I started my job, I would be working from home. Sajal and I started looking for a place to live. We decided to live in scenic places like Long Beach and San Diego. We came across Hawaii and decided that that's where we would go when my job started.

However, my job details changed again. I found out that there was a possibility that I could be starting my job in person in August. My heart wanted to go to Hawaii, not San Francisco. With ever-changing information, Sajal and I were worried that our dreams of Hawaii were fading away. Then Sajal came up with the idea that we move to Hawaii early in July, knowing with certainty that if my job started then, it would be online.

My heart wanted to go to Hawaii, not San Francisco.

In the beginning, I was super against moving early. I didn't want to leave my home; It felt too soon. I actually cried because I didn't want to leave my brother. With him being just 16, I wanted to spend more time with him. The fact that I wasn't ever going to live with my brother again shook me to my core. Hawaii also seemed so much more frightening than San Francisco. Though it's in the US, it takes 2 flights totaling 10 hours just to reach here from D.C. The possibility of me moving out of my house felt more real.

But I also wanted to experience life on my own. I wanted to learn how to cook. I wanted to have my own adventure. I wanted to be able to experience Hawaii. After everything that COVID-19 had taken from me - my senior year, my graduation, spending time with my grandparents, my trips - I wanted to take something back. I decided that it was time for me to leave the nest. I realized that I was always going to be sad and scared about moving out, whether it was Hawaii or 20 minutes away. And so, Sajal and I boarded the plane and moved to Hawaii.

Traveling to Hawaii

So far it has not been bad. The scenery is too beautiful here to make me miss Virginia. I do call home every day and have started to contact each of my relatives, just because I miss them. Something that my family will find amazing is that I've actually learned to cook! I've cooked stuffed bell peppers, grilled chicken, chicken stuffed with spinach and cheese, pork patties, meatballs, smoothies, omelets, and so much more. I do the dishes, vacuum the house, and clean the bathroom. I'm really becoming an adult. I feel like my mom when I tell Sajal to put something in 'teghan', a Nepali word that means the place where an item belongs or goes.

So what's moving out and going across the world feel like?

So what's moving out and going across the world feel like? Just like any other move. You miss home, family, and friends. You miss your mom's cooking, your dad doing your laundry, and your brother annoying you. But at the same time, you feel independent, strong, and exhilarated. You feel proud when you've made dinner and it actually tastes good. You're excited for the adventure that is life.