Since coming to college, I have noticed myself and my classmates trapped in a continuous cycle of looking towards the future. At school, we all talk about how excited we are to go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and over the summer we all talk about how we cannot wait to return to school.Â
This semester I have been fortunate enough to be studying abroad in Rome. Before coming, I told myself I was going to do everything I could to live in the moment– put down my phone, look around, take in my surroundings, and appreciate being in Rome. I was expecting some homesickness at certain times throughout the semester, which surprisingly has not yet come.Â
I believe one reason I have not been homesick is that time is simply moving too quickly for me to even process the feeling of homesickness. I have now been here for three out of the four months, and I can say with complete confidence that it has been the quickest three months of my life. I am always doing something– exploring Rome, traveling, reading, or cramming in my assignments last minute (whoops).
However, I truly think the second reason I haven’t been homesick is because of my effort to embrace the life I am currently living. Yes– I am excited for summer. I love my family, my room at my childhood home, the beach, and my high school friends. I am also very excited for senior year at Holy Cross. I know I’ll be very happy to return to Worcester, live off-campus with my best friends, take interesting English classes, and enjoy my final year on the Hill.Â
With that being said, I know I’ll be going home before I know it and returning to Holy Cross very soon after– and when that’s happening, I’ll look back on when I was living in Rome and wonder where all the time went. Take this as your reminder (especially in the coming warmer months) to embrace the moment you’re living in, because it will be over before you know it!