“How long does it take you to adjust to a new environment?”
“I don’t think it will take long. I mean, we have friendly people around.”
“You just met them here?”
“Yeah, I just met them here.”
“Then, you clicked immediately?”
“Yeah. We kept texting.”
“How do you cope with being in a new situation?”
“I’m coping fine, although there are more responsibilities [and] more work to do. Of course, I wouldn’t have my mom around to help me so it’s quite hard but […] nobody else will do it for you so you have to do it yourself. You’re going to have to be independent.”
“What do you think you could learn from independence?”
“Being independent will teach me to live by myself. My parents are not going to be here forever. […] I can’t rely on [my friends] all the time so I’m going to have to learn to stand up on my own, pick up my bags, and go [to] where [my] life will lead me. The first thing […] that you have to let go [of] is the past. That’s going to keep crawling up in your mind but the best thing to do is to just look at the positive side, […] and be excited for what’s in store.”
“How can you forget the past?”
“You don’t technically forget the past, you just think about what good it brought you and what it could contribute to your future so that’s it. You can visit it sometimes but don’t live in it. Basically, if you cry because of the past or if you hold on to it every day, then that’s not good. You’re going to have to keep yourself busy with what’s happening now. That’s what’s given to you.”
– Ricoux, 16, Senior High School freshman
Interview by KOBE ADAM JOSHUA S. LAURENA
Photo by JANINE C. PEREA
