Sophomore Erica Hardy walks down the familiar halls of Texas High. She follows the same schedule she did at the start of the year, and she talks to the same friends that she’s had for what seems like forever. This year has been unique compared to all the others she’s had.

A few months into the school year, Hardy learned that she was to move to Everett, Washington. She had lived in Texarkana her whole life. She was born in Texarkana, she had friends in Texarkana, and she loved running with the Texas High track team. Washington was extremely different.

“It’s really cold and it’s raining most of the time,” Hardy said. “They dress and talk different. Their school is different.”

Everett was near Seattle, where Hardy had her favorite memory during her short stay in Washington.

“On my birthday I went to Seattle,” Hardy said. “ I drove around downtown and went to eat at the Crab Pot.”

The school in Washington was exceptionally different. There, they began school at 7 a.m. The time change effected her too, since it was two hours behind Texas. The sports in Washington, which were generally worse than the sports at Texas High, practiced after school. There, she wouldn’t have been able to run track. Hardy’s least favorite part of Washington was going to school.

It was cold in Washington. She was used to Texas weather, which was warm compared to Washington. In Washington, there’s snow, which Hardy, being from Texarkana, wasn’t used to. Hardy couldn’t stand it there. She missed her home and she missed her friends. A month later, she had to pack up her belongings again. This time however, she was moving back home.

“I plan on staying in Texarkana,” Hardy said. “I plan on going to college around here.”