So there’s a good chance that you just read the title of this article and are thinking, Shannon… Didn’t you JUST come back from a break at home? How are you ALREADY homesick? And the answer is yes. At the moment that I’m sitting in the library typing this I left home 18 hours ago. If I’m being completely honest, my homesickness is at it’s worst when I’m still at home, surrounded by the people I love. How does any of this make sense? Honestly I can’t figure it out but there’s no way I’m alone in feeling this way, so here’s to the girls out there stuck in a similar slump.
Late last night I found myself packing my clothes to come back to school and started crying out of what felt like nowhere. Now Mom, if you’re reading this, I promise I’m okay, just a tad emotional. As I folded my clothes into my suitcase and set my things near the front door I had a pit deep in my stomach. I didn’t want to leave. Did I not want to come back to Scranton? No, I adore it here. So why was I so upset? Home is familiar. Home is safe. Home is loving. At home there’s no stress of the next practical. At home I’m surrounded by 18 years of memories. At home my family is just on the other side of a bedroom door. Leaving such a comfortable and familiar place is always difficult.
Over and over again I kept asking myself the same question, so why do I continuously come back? There’s a part of me that wonders what my life would be like if I made the decision to finish my college education elsewhere, possibly somewhere closer to home. Sometimes I think that that is what I want to do, I want to transfer and give in to what I’m feeling. Other times I catch myself and remember why I chose this school. I think about all of the people I’ve met, the lifelong friendships I’ve built, and as cliché as it sounds, the memories I’ve made. When I think about leaving Scranton and never coming back, I get homesick in a different way. This place is my home away from home, another cliché true in my heart.
So how do I deal with my not one, but two cases of homesickness? I remind myself of all of the bright things in my future. I think about the fact that I’ll be home again for Thanksgiving, yet again surrounded by my friends and family. I think about the six weeks in between weekends home, six weeks filled with endless laughs with some of my best friends. I make it a point to call my parents and to FaceTime my friends from home. Although it’s hard to be away from them for so long, I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by some of the best people here in Scranton, and I’m not just saying that.
Whether you feel homesick for an hour each semester or an hour each day, I want you to remember that you’re not the only one feeling that way. If no one else, know that I’m CONSTANTLY missing home, even when I’m there (I too think I’m a little crazy, don’t worry). My best advice to you is to talk about it. Talk to your friends about it, talk to your parents about it, even talk to yourself in the mirror about it. Whoever you need to talk to, just voice your feelings and I guarantee you’ll feel at least a little better.