The few weeks leading up to finals were crazy, and of course, like everyone else, I was looking forward to winter break. I had gone home just three weeks before to spend Thanksgiving with my family in the sunshine of California, but I was excited to go home again and have time to really relax. Three weeks without classes to stress about or homework to lock myself in my room with! What a relief.
While it’s true that I did miss being home while I was at school, and I was happy to be back in the sunshine once more (no layers for three weeks!), I actually found myself missing Kenyon while I was home as well.
I’ve found that, since arriving at Kenyon, I always miss my “other home” no matter which “home” I’m currently at. Below is a list of things I have missed about each of my homes at one point or another.
1. From Home: Homemade FoodAs far as food goes, I know Peirce does its best. But nothing can ever beat food made with love by your mother, father, or whoever’s food you enjoy the most in your family. Also, my mom’s cinnamon muffins just can’t be beat.
2. From Home: The sun!I had forgotten that the sun exists to provide you with warmth while I’ve been trekking through snow and fighting not to slip on the treacherous ice of Middle Path.
3. From Kenyon: The Cold?Feeling cool in your favorite sunglasses is fun, and I love good old sunshine as much as the next girl. For December and January, though, 75-degree weather is unacceptable. I never thought I would miss the ridiculous amounts of layers I need to put on in order to traverse Ohio’s winter. Even now, I don’t take back saying that I missed the cold while I was back in California.
4. From Home: Old Friends!Living in the same building as all of your friends during finals week gets you to a point where you’re ready to have some alone time. I was happy to see the familiar faces of my friends through more than just through Facebook pictures and Skype calls. While the faces at Kenyon have become less foreign and unknown over the past semester, being surrounded by my home friends is irreplaceable. Plus, the inside jokes are always a comfort.
5. From Kenyon: New Friends!Let’s be honest: by the end of week one of winter break, I missed my Kenyon friends. I missed wandering down the hall to my best friends’ rooms to hang out, do homework, or just say hi because I could. At home, I wandered around my house mostly to find my cat. At Kenyon, I’ve gotten used to having my friends surround me constantly, and I missed that kinship more than anything.
6. From Home: In N Out and Coffee BeanI got off the plane home on Wednesday evening and by Friday afternoon I had had my burger and chocolate shake from In N Out and the seasonal red velvet hot chocolate from Coffee Bean. The two (culinary) things that HAD to be done at home were accomplished.
7. From Kenyon: Wiggins Street CoffeeThey make a wickedly good chai tea latte. This place threatens my K-Card balance every time I walk by.
8. From Home: Time to relax!Iam not ashamed to say I spent a good remainder of my time at home reading and watching a lot of television that, as a college student, I just don’t have time for most of the time. Then again, joining new fandoms is more heart wrenching than it is relaxing (hello, Downton Abbey and Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
9. From Kenyon: My sense of purposeI love breaks. I love taking them and doing things that aren’t homework every once in a while. But something about being home for so long without the crazy busy schedule I had last semester (and that has taken on a new level in my second semester) made doing nothing feel occasionally lackluster. I wanted to watch that next episode of Buffy, or read the next chapter of Jennifer Estep’s new novel, but I also wanted to feel like what I was doing was productive.
The break was much needed, but I know I’m glad to be home at Kenyon. Welcome back, everyone!
[Photo Souces: Jenna Wendler,  The Examiner, Kenyon.edu, PBS, and Imaginationlane.net]