Going to college miles away from home is a huge adjustment. Living away from the people you have spent your entire life with is always a change and it comes with its consequences. Remember that holiday you and your family used to celebrate together? Or when you and your best friends always had sleepovers on birthdays? Remember when you and your sister used to watch movies and eat ice cream, talking about how the day has been? But you can’t do those things anymore because you study in another country with an inconvenient and annoying time difference. As much as I love living on campus and meeting new people, these traditions at home will always remain special and the memories that come with these simple things will always be cherished.
Last week, was my best friends birthday and I wasn’t there to celebrate with her for the first time in seven years. Even though we face timed and spoke for hours, and I knew exactly how she was celebrating, the day felt weird and empty. We couldn’t have our sleepover and it was as if a tradition had been broken. There have been many events, such as this, that have gone by and I couldn’t be with my family or friends. Birthdays and festivals or just small things like baking and watching movies. It feels weird at first to not celebrate with them and when you see all the pictures and videos, you are filled with a different kind of emptiness for a brief second. But it is in those little moments is when you have to remind yourself why you chose to come to college so far away from home and how much fun you are having. Meeting new and exciting people and gaining new experiences comes with sacrifices. College isn’t forever and the hard days makes you appreciate the good ones even more! Home will always be my happy place, but I wouldn’t trade being on campus or studying at Brandeis for anything.