New Girl in Town

By Kelly Mou, Palo Alto, California, U.S.

On Friday, March 13th, 2020, many California schools announced they were closing. 
The following morning, I received a text message from my mother, who lives in China. 


“Please go stay with Grace until school reopens,” she wrote.

Although I normally live and go to school in Los Angeles. I agreed to stay with her friend Grace in Northern California for three weeks. 

When I started packing, it was already 9 pm, and my flight was scheduled to depart in two hours. As an avid cross country runner, I grabbed my running gear, school clothes, essentials, and tossed them into a suitcase. I left a note for my homestay family, called an Uber, and headed for LAX. It took me less than 40 minutes.

The moment I heard the squeaky sound of my boots on the airport floor, I felt chills run down my spine. The place was eerily still– one of the most populated airports was empty. In less than 10 minutes, I was sitting alone at the boarding gate. Normally when I travel, I grab something from Jamba Juice or Starbucks, but because of COVID, I decided against it. I had two seats all to myself; there were fewer than 30 people on the plane.

I phoned my mother’s friend as soon as I landed.

“Hello! Is this Grace? Hi! I’m Kelly.”

The ride to my mother’s house, where Grace lives, was quite enjoyable. The road was as barren as the sky; the only sound was of raindrops tapping against the windows. Grace pulled into the driveway. I recognized mom’s house because I spent Christmas with her there last year. Grace rents it from my mom. Another friend of my mother’s greeted me from the door and ushered me in. She asked me to put my traveling attire in a plastic bag and take a shower before doing anything else, handed me a white plastic bag, and pointed me to the bathroom.

I spent the next few days logging in long runs while exploring the city. There was not much to explore, though, because everything was closed. I was not used to empty streets and public areas.

While I waited for the three weeks to pass, California announced the complete shut down of schools across the state. Just like that, my life turned upside down. No one could go anywhere. While many people found ways to connect with family and friends, I learned how to be with myself. 
I ended up enrolling in a nearby high school to continue my studies, although classes were held remotely. Eventually, I was able to join the track team. I coped with a new challenge, a new community, a new school, and new friends.

I had three goals in mind: to become more independent, to explore new interests, and to graduate from high school in Palo Alto, a town I have grown to love. That is reason to be hopeful.