People talk a lot in college a lot about “homesickness” and the quiet ache of longing for everyone and everything from back home when you move away from home for school. As someone who moves across the country for school, homesickness has been biting me in the behind this semester.
Usually, when I am away at school, I’m so preoccupied with life that I don’t really suffer from much homesickness for back home. I have made such an incredible support system and home away from home here since most of my friends and my boyfriend are all at St. Bonaventure, and with all the demands from professors and from different clubs, I don’t always have the time to miss home.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t have my moments.
While last year was easier due to how new and fun everything was, this year hit me like a punch to the gut. I wake up very often, and I just miss being surrounded by the green forest and mountains with the Pacific Northwest fog. I’ll miss my comfy bed and my room decorated exactly how I want it to be, and my dog sleeping next to me on my floor.
When I want to take a drive, I miss my little Ford Focus and my sisters, who’d come with me if I promised to get them french fries. I’ll start to miss the bean and cheese burrito I’ll crave from time to time, or an Aftershock Rebel from Dutch Bros. It’s the little things in the little moments that get me out of nowhere.
While it does suck when the ache for home hits, there is a beauty to it when you change your perspective on it. For me, it always hits the hardest around holidays and breaks like Easter and Thanksgiving, when I know that everyone else can go home to see their families, while I have to wait until Christmas and Summer. But, I think of all the amazing people whose families have hosted me during these breaks and have made me feel so welcomed and loved. I also love getting to see my friends’ hometowns and learn about what growing up was like for them. I am then filled with more gratitude than sadness, and it helps the longing die down for a bit.
Phone calls and FaceTime also help with the distance, especially with my sisters and parents, and talking to other students who come from faraway places also helps me feel less alone. But ultimately, if you are struggling with homesickness at all, remember what a blessing it is to have people and a home worth missing, and know that there are many people here who love and support you.