No matter what you have gone through in your youth, it is about who you choose to be in life. You can define your own destiny. You can be stronger than a very difficult past and overcome it.
It's pretty strange because you have images of people in your head when you left, then you just think they're going to be the same when you come back, like time freezes. I have sisters and from the ages of 11 to 13 - it's a big change for girls.