As some of you may know, I have spent the last two months as an intern in a town I had never been to with a group of people that I had never met. This summer, I have made many new friends while learning a lot about myself in the process. For the first time, I was thrust into a world independent of my mother's, where I provided for myself and made my own decisions void of her guidance. While this has been an amazing and beneficial experience for me, I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited to finally come home this week. So, whether you're coming home from an internship, or school, or even vacation, here is a list of some essentials for a successful homecoming:
1. A Long Hug From Mom
The best hugs. If you're like me, you won't even let go to let her cook for you.
2. Playing With The Dog
You may not have a dog or pet, but coming home to one is one of the best feelings in the world. When you open that door and see it freak out over you walking through the door, you feel like the most important person in the world.
3. Visiting Hours With Friends
In my case, I haven't seen many of my hometown friends since school started last year, and rather than seeing them all summer, I moved even farther way than I did for school. So, I'm now scheduling each day of the week to see as many of my friends as possible before everyone heads back to school. Having this time is absolutely necessary before starting the next semester.
4. Dinner At Your Favorite Hometown Restaurant
Everyone has that one restaurant that is a 'must visit' any time they are home. Let the record show, I visited mine my first weekend I was home.
5. Sleeping In In Your Own Bed
After an entire summer of waking up at 6 in the morning in a lumpy bed, it was absolutely beautiful to sleep in my cloud-like childhood bed until noon Saturday.
This summer has been an amazing, enlightening, and long adventure, but being home has been an adventure in itself. I'm so glad to finally be back, and I hope this list helps everyone appreciate their own homecoming's a little more.