The night before her first day at a new school, Lucía Gaitán stepped into Medellín for the very first time. The city lights flickered across the Valle de Aburra as Lucia looked out from the car window, going down the Tunnel de Oriente, nervous about everything that awaited her. She had left behind friends, family, and the comfort of her native Bogotá for her mother’s job; she now faced the unknown. “I had never switched schools before,” Lucia said. “The first time I ever stepped foot in the city was a day before school started.”

Lucía’s story is more than a simple move between cities; it’s one about what it means to start over at fifteen years of age. From leaving behind a familiar world to the relief of being welcomed into a new one, her journey shows how a single invitation can shift the way someone feels about belonging.

Arriving in Medellín, Lucía felt out of place. She explained that while people at her new school were welcoming, the adjustment wasn’t immediate. “Pretty scared and intimidating,” Lucia recalled of her first weeks. “People were very kind and polite. But it was still hard since the groups are already formed and everyone has their own friends” [0:28].

Despite the warmth, she struggled to figure out where she fit in. She said that starting from scratch made her doubt how long it would take to feel at home. Still, she reminded herself that change would only come with patience and openness.

The turning point came two months after the move, when a classmate extended an invitation. “Violeta Eastman, one of my friends today, asked me if I wanted to come to her house,” Lucía said, her face lighting up when she told the memory. “Obviously, I tried not to show my excitement, but inside I was really happy.” That afternoon, she nervously called her mom for permission. She explained that her mother was relieved, thrilled that Lucía was finally building connections. The hangout itself was simple; they just talked, but it meant everything for Lucia. For the first time, she felt like the barrier of being “the new girl” was a good thing.

As she compared Medellín hangouts to those back in Bogotá, Lucía noticed differences that revealed something larger about teenage life in each city. “In Bogotá, hangouts are usually really small and informal or a party, no in betwee,n really,” [1:38] she said. Medellín gatherings, she explained, felt bigger than casual visits, but not as overwhelming as large parties. That balance helped her ease into social life. Looking back, she reflected that the moment wasn’t just about spending time together; it marked the first step toward finding her place. “It meant the first step towards finding where I belonged and who my true friends were going to be,” she said.

Lucía’s experience mirrors what many teenagers face when moving cities or schools: the uncertainty of starting over, the fear of being left out, and the relief of gestures of kindness. Her story speaks to the importance of friendship while in the teenage years and how a single invitation can mean the difference between isolation and belonging.

Now, with a circle of friends she proudly calls her own, Lucía says that the first hangout was “the chance to know where I truly fit.” One invitation turned a new city into a new home.