A few years ago, Saturday Night Live created a skit called “Back Home Ballers” featuring Cameron Diaz and the girl gang rapping about going back home after a semester at college. For those of us who were in college at the time, we couldn’t have agreed more with the video and began referring to ourselves as Back Home Ballers. My freshman friends out there, go educate yourselves really quick by watching the video here.
You rookie ballers must learn that although the video portrays the positives about going back home to your parents – it fails to present the entire picture.
Going back home means leaving the Dallas night life for at least three months. I can promise you, the little suburb you call home will not have as great of parties as SMU. Especially not after you’ve been spoiled with fraternity mixers and Uptown.
Going back home also means giving up your freedom. You can no longer come and go as you please. It’s back to either asking your parents or guardians for permission – or at least giving them a heads up before you leave. Be ready to tell them where you are going, how long you’ll be gone, and who is going to be there. If they’re really strict they’ll probably ask for a picture for proof.
While you are home you can forget late nights. Crawling back to your dorm at 3 a.m. after a night out and a honey butter chicken biscuit at Whataburger is not an option during the summer. If you do stay out late at night, use your stealth skills you picked up when getting dressed while your roommate slept in to enter the house. Remind yourself where all the squeaky parts of the floors are and slowly shut the doors behind you.
The worst thing about going back home for the summer is this weird feeling of being at home but not completely feeling at home. Your things are scattered around, some of it is in storage, some of it is at home, and some of it is in a couple of suit cases you just haven’t unpacked yet, even though it’s July. Your close friends you made this year are not around, and your old high school friends have such different lives now. Your daily routine has completely been shattered because you no longer have to walk across the street to Umph to get breakfast. You pray you remember how to drive because you’ve gone a year with no mode of transportation other than Uber.
Although going home for the summer has it’s ups and downs, it’s still the summer and the best season of the year. Enjoy your vacations and time off of school. And besides…it’s only three months.