If It’s Meant to Happen, It will.

I was held back in high school

You may not know this, but I was held back a year when I started high school. It wasn’t because my grades were poor or because I failed a subject. I was held back when I was enrolled in high school when I first moved to the United States at the age of 14 and 3/4. I didn’t understand it back then, but now I know, everything happens for a reason.

My school decided that since I did not speak fluent English, I needed to start school in an English as a Second Language program (ESL). That drove them to their decision of holding me back a year. In their opinion, it would allow me extra time to learn English and acclimate to my new environment.

To be honest, I was devastated by that decision. I was young, so I felt that being held back meant I was stupid and untalented. It added to the list of reasons that caused me to cry myself to sleep for the first few months of my new life in the US.

Looking back on that decision now, I am still torn whether it was the right one. I learned to speak fluent English in approximately 6 months and was subsequently enrolled in honor classes. So clearly, their decision to hold me back without giving me any type of testing was wrong. I could have finished high school with the same age peers and could have moved on to college on time.

If I was tested properly, I wouldn’t have been held back

I think that course of events would have given me the confidence to come out of my shell quicker and acclimate better to my new life in the US. It also would have made me feel like I fit in and was accepted.

I think there would have been many positives to come out of that decision. However, it also would’ve meant that I wouldn’t have met my first American best friend, Joanna. Perhaps I would have made a different friend, but spending my first year of school with Jo was so special that I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Enrolling in high school with my same-age peers would’ve also meant that I wouldn’t have met my best friend, Denise. That would have been a nightmare because, to this day, she’s still my best friend. Not being held back, I wouldn’t have had my group of friends. I wouldn’t have had my first boyfriend for the 3 sweet weeks that that relationship lasted. My experience would have been entirely different.

Everything happens for a reason

What I mean to say by all this is that everything happens for a reason. I genuinely believe that. Don’t rush things, live in the moment. Let life happen how it’s meant to happen. Even though sometimes life may seem unfair and twisted, trust that the universe is there to help you along and guide you in every situation.

You are meant to be where you are right now. No matter how difficult or enjoyable your current situation is, be fully present. Everything in life is interconnected. What was meant to happen has happened. What is meant to happen next will happen next. Be patient.