I have always loved living at home. However, as I got older, I just felt like I was beginning to outgrow my childhood home and found myself dreaming about going to a big college in a city. I ended up going to VCU in Richmond, right in the heart of the city. I am not a stranger to the city. Northern Virginia is a part of the suburbs of DC and is the place that I have called home for my whole life. I look back at my memories of going to elementary school, middle school and high school at home and always ask, “How did I ever get work done?!”
Ever since I started going to college and stopping living at home, I found that my perspective of being at home changed. I am not used to living at home for school, unlike before, so I don’t associate school with home anymore. I find myself being so unproductive and barely doing any homework when I visit home. On the flip side, I consider Richmond my “home for school.” Whenever I am in Richmond, I get into school mode and am hyper-focused on my assignments. All I think about is a school— all I breathe is school.
This past midterm season was so rough. I barely held my head up because I was just drowning in assignments and projects. Luckily, I did not have to take any exams this semester, but it did not make it any easier. I found myself getting tunnel vision, doing my assignments and working on my projects. I was crying every single night before going back to work and running on only four to five hours of sleep. There was no single waking moment where I was relaxed and happy for almost two weeks. I needed an escape from school really badly, so I made a last-minute decision and went back home.
I was planning on going home to vote in the 2020 Presidential Election, and since my birthday is five days after the election, I just decided to not go back to Richmond and stay at home in Northern Virginia for the rest of the week. I mentioned staying home for the rest of the week to my parents to see what they think, and they were very on board, considering I cried to them three times over Facetime within the span of three days.
While I was home, I was actually able to feel myself let go and truly relax. Being back in my childhood bedroom and seeing everything reminded me of how hard I worked to get to where I am now and that everything is going to be okay. My parents welcomed me back with open arms and words of encouragement (which is rare to get from Desi parents) to help me relax. I was able to breathe again, physically and mentally. I spent some time with my friends and family for my birthday, which also helped lift my emotions up. Knowing that I am surrounded by people who are so supportive and loving reassured me that a rough two weeks does not mean a rough life.