This past weekend, my most anticipated event finally occurred: I went home for the first time since being at college. After being engrossed in college life for the last month and half, I looked forward to returning home, reuniting with my friends and family, showering in my own bathroom, and sleeping in my own bed. I soon learned, however, that the transition back home was far too short, awkward at times, and slightly bittersweet.
You may be wondering why I said that my visit home was awkward… between attempting to teach myself how to drive a car again, accidentally walking into my own shower with flip-flops on, and waking up several times throughout the night because my bed felt so oddly low to the ground, it was certainly an experience.
When I returned home, I thought that everyone would be completely different and I would come home to many new and exciting things. The most different thing about home was the sign my mother made for me that said “Welcome Home Blake” across our front door. That was it. My family was the same, my friends were having very similar experiences to me at college, and the Connecticut weather was pretty similar to Chestnut Hill’s. But I realized that the biggest change was with myself: that I was so much different than the girl I once was.
I felt older, more mature, and like a new person when I returned home. There was a new level of respect and maturity between my friends and me, my parents and me, and with the other adults that I ran into during the weekend. In one month and half, I had grown up far beyond my years, and guess what? Things were different. My parents never gave me a curfew or asked me where I was headed that Friday night, my friends and I discussed our futures like we never had before, and for the first time, I felt more like a college student than ever.
Coming home made me realize that home is always there for you and remains constant. It’s the smell of our kitchen on a Sunday morning, or the way your pet knows exactly where to sit on your favorite couch, or the traditions that your family upkeeps each holiday season that makes a house a home. Home is special to each person and as much as things will change in my college life, home will always remain the same and can offer me a sense of support that I can’t find anywhere else. Yes, having a home cooked meal, showering in my own shower, and sleeping in my own bed were excellent additions to the weekend experience, but being surrounded by people who truly know me and believe in me proved to be an even bigger perk. You will always have home, whether it is hundreds of miles from your campus or simply down the street, and it is irreplaceable.
There is just something about our home that we can never forget, and we will retain its memory as we continue our studies in college. As author Tad Williams put it, “Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You’ll find what you need to furnish it – memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey.” This is the key: move forward with your life but never forget to look back and remember what got you to where you are now, in college, making memories and a life for your future home.
Photo Sources:
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/home-quotes