It's no secret that going home for break has its perks. Home-cooked food, family pets, hometown best friends... But is going home really that awesome? After the first week or so, here are some things you might encounter.
1. Bumping into people from high school you don’t talk to.
The awkward moments where you don’t know if the other person will say hello, so you try to pretend you don’t see them. Or you do say hello and they don't say hello back. Or you both say hello and can't maintain a long conversation so it becomes awkward.
2. Having to answer those questions from family members.
Are you seeing someone? Do you have a significant other? Did you get a full-time job yet? What’s your plan?
3. You miss your college friends.
These are the people who you spend most of your current life with, and separating from them might give you anxiety.
4. You have nothing to do.
You don’t have a job at home, you don’t have anything to study or read for. I CAN ONLY NETFLIX SO MUCH.
5. You forget about house rules.
Your parents will ask you where you are going, with who, why, and you will have to answer. Their house, their rules.
6. If you have a sibling that’s not in college, too much time together is not good.
They have been used to not seeing you as often and they’ve declared the house their kingdom. You are now a stranger in your own home, and you’ll have to fight for space again.
7. You become the chauffeur.
Suddenly you find yourself driving everyone everywhere. Your sibling has to go somewhere, guess who’s driving them.
8. You become the errand boy/girl.
You’re young, energetic and full of life and your parents will send you on anything they please. You will have to do it because you love them, but it gets annoying after a while.
9. You run into your ex, or your ex’s parents.
It’s inevitable, your hometown is probably small and you will run into your ex, who you don’t talk to and makes you wish you could for a moment just disappear. Or you will run into their parents who for some reason loved you, which only makes it all the more awkward.
10. You forgot something at school.
You checked and re-checked everything you took, but the inevitable is that you will forget something, something important you will need; your ID, yours keys, your wallet, or charger. It always happens, it's what happens when you pack last minute.
11. Police officers at every corner.
Unless you go to a school where there are cops at every corner it’s a bit of a culture shock when you go back and drive to the store and see more than five cop cars. It’s nerve wracking.
12. Your parents' plans are your plans.
If your parents have made plans to visit family members or go somewhere, it includes you, you have no say. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing. Just a little unfortunate when it affects your own plans.
All in all being home after experiencing the freedom of college is hard. Doable, but hard. Don't worry however, soon enough you'll be back at it.
