I am a pastor’s kid, which, in itself, automatically sets me apart from the majority of the population. I have been born and raised a Lutheran, and I still believe strongly in the christian values I have been taught. The only problem is that everyone that hears that automatically assumes I am one of two types of people: a perfectly innocent, 100% Jesus freak who doesn’t believe in gays or other religions, or a rebel who doesn’t want to do anything they’re told. I am neither. I am a mix, because I am indeed a “Jesus Freak” by some standards, but I am also a completely real person who has feelings and opinions, and I am open to all religions (and non religions) and have several LGBT friends who I am fully supportive of, thank you very much. It really annoys me when I say something that can be considered even slightly naughty or rebellious, and people stare at me, like I just killed someone or something. Not only am I a preacher’s kid, though. Oh no, I’m even more than that stereotype. Due to the fact we moved around a lot when I was younger, I was homeschooled until my freshman year. The thing is, people expect all homeschooled kids to be either anti-social geniuses, or stupid freaks. Once again, I am in the middle of that spectrum. I used to be pretty anti-social, I’ll admit that, but I was not a genius or a stupid person. After we moved for the 5th time in my life, my dad decided it would be a good idea for me to enroll at the local community school. (population:not very many). The town is so small that it is actually classified as a village. Normally, people say that your freshman year is a great new beginning, because nobody knows each other. Well, that might be true for most places, but not for here. Most of my classmates had known each other since kindergarten, and some of their families had lived there for several generations. Then there was me, the awkward, anti-social kid who had no idea how to make new friends. Having been homeschooled, I was pretty good at school, and got excellent grades. The only problem was that my excellent grades just got me tacked as a nerd. Kids only came to me when they wanted homework help. Even the upperclassmen took advantage of me, because I was so desperate to have friends that I was willing to do almost anything. (note: almost anything. I was very careful not to let anyone cheat off my papers!) My family was deceived in thinking that I had friends, because whenever they came to an event I was in, the other upperclassmen would be talking to me, and my parents just assumed we were friends. Honestly, back then I was so naiive, I thought we were friends. That is, until my sophomore year. By then, I had made some real friends, realized when someone was trying to use me to get an easy A, and still had time to get good grades. I finally had good friends and a life outside of my own family. Things were really looking up for me. But then, much to my dismay, my dad told me at the start of my junior year that we were moving. In the middle of the school year. I had to leave all my friends behind, and move to another state in the middle of the school’s quarter. I had to start over completely, and I had to start on a day that was in the middle of a semester, so nobody even noticed I was there at first, because school was already in full swing for them. Needless to say, my social skills have improved greatly since my freshman year. I now have some really close friends at my new school, and things are going well. I still miss my friends at my old school, but I am thankful for the opportunity to make new friends in a new area. I still keep in touch with my old friends, too. That includes my friends from everywhere I have lived by the way. My best friend lives about 3 hours away now, but we still keep in touch. The thing is, after living in all those places, I’ve figured out the best way to make new, genuine friends. It’s really simple, too. The best way to make good friends- is simply by being me.