Daniella Fullah: “Change Is Not a Bad Thing”

Change Is Not a Bad Thing

by Daniella Fullah

I was never a fan of change as a kid. I always did things the same way: I ordered the same cuisine, wore the same hairstyle, and bought the same shoes when they were worn out. I believe it was this way because I discovered that if I tried anything new and didn’t like it or it didn’t work out, it would just be a hassle. It was easy to become acclimated to the things I was used to because they didn’t bother me. It was all part of the norm.

When we moved to a new area, our way of life altered. I had to make new friends. After a while, I discovered I was considerably more at ease in the company of my new pals. Changes continued from there; I went through puberty in middle school, which was a forced transition that I had to adjust to. I realized that I liked dressing a specific way because it fit me more, I no longer wanted the same hairstyles.

My natural hair would either be left down or braided in single braids. Because I have thick hair, everything that I wasn’t used to doing to it terrified me because I was frightened it would hurt. In middle school, I saw a friend having a sew-in. It’s a hairstyle where hair extensions are sewn into cornrows or a wig cap. I wanted to try the hairstyle because it looked so lovely. So many emotions rushed over me, but in the end, I got it. It was extremely uncomfortable; I wasn’t used to having my cornrows pulled so tight, but after the first day, it was much better.

In seventh grade, I experienced the most significant transformation. My friend Stephanie approached me one day and asked if I would listen to a new genre of music. At first, I was perplexed, not understanding what she was suggesting. She persuaded me to listen to and watch music videos for various songs. The first one she played for me was Monsta X’s “Stuck.” The music video was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. It had a choreography, and I was blown away by their ability to sing and dance. I ended up loving the songs she played, so I looked up the members’ names and the albums they released.

I came upon Amino, a social media platform. Stephanie encouraged me to create an account and start interacting with people online. I signed in with the mindset of making friends who were interested in K-pop. I formed friend groups with individuals who shared my interests. It wasn’t only about K-pop; I met people who were passionate about musical instruments and video game lore.

As a result of this encounter, I met a bunch of incredibly wonderful folks with whom I felt at ease. It was an eight-person group that seemed like family. I knew I could always count on them if I needed help with something here, and I knew I could always help them with something if they needed it as well. Despite the fact that we lived in different regions of the world, I was pleased to have met them. They were the ones that urged me to be more accepting of myself and taught me how to deal with certain situations, like when I had a friend that would talk down to me and not, I even met up with two of the other members of the group.

I’m so glad I took advantage of this opportunity to make friends with people who support me. This experience has made me more adaptable to change and more receptive of it. I got to figure out who I am, and I’m finding that I like things that I never would have thought I would like. Change is not always a bad thing.

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(Read all the pieces in This I Believe; featured image by Graduate Studies used under a CC Attribution 4.0 International License)

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