Out of the comfort zone

An exchange student writes about her desire to change her location and get away from her family. The piece begins at a family meal. She describes this meal of lasagna and other traditional Italian fare in detail. This is not because she has a bad family. Instead she is trying to grow up and change patterns of behavior, her behavior of acting like a middle school student when she is at home. She applies for the exchange program and gets in. Now she is in America at a different family dinner table. She knows she is changing now but she can't see it. What she can see is the difference and that she is having a real life experience, the result of which is as of yet unknown.