Since I've gone to college, my time is split between my hometown and my home-away-from-home, my college campus. The summer before my freshman semester, I was so ready to leave my hometown and start a new chapter of my life in a new place. I've lived in the same city for my entire life and I felt a change would do me some good. As it turns out, it did. I made new friends, got involved in clubs and activities, and really felt like I belonged on campus. The first month was like a dream, and, while I missed my family, I didn't necessarily miss my town. The more I settled into a routine in college, I found myself missing certain things about my hometown. In fact, when my parents came to visit me for Parents' Weekend, they brought me an entire Imo's thin crust pizza because Chicago-style thick crust just wasn't cutting it for me (no pun intended). I missed working at my old job, I missed my friends, and I missed some of my favorite coffee shops and restaurants. Being away from all of these places made me appreciate them a lot more and kind of opened my eyes about my hometown. During my entire childhood, I thought there was nothing special about where I lived and it wasn't until I left that I saw my hometown is special because of all the memories I've made there.

Over the last month I've been on winter break, I've found it works the opposite way, too. Do I miss going to classes, and doing homework? No, not one bit. But I miss not having to clean dishes after I eat. I miss being able to walk everywhere I need to go and not paying for gas. I miss having my closest friends in such close proximity to me. With most of my friends living hours away, it's not as easy to see each other. It's a train ride or a day's drive away instead of just going up or down a flight of stairs in the dorm. But, having said that, it makes me appreciate all of the funny, quirky habits of my friends. My day doesn't feel the same if we don't meet up for lunch or dinner together. I miss their sarcastic comments and quips.

The old saying goes "you always want what you can't have" and it rings true for a college student like me. The more I'm away, the more I forget about the "undesirable" things about home or college. Suddenly, I don't mind taking my dog out for a walk in the freezing cold weather or having to sneak out of the room quietly in the morning because my roommate's still sleeping. Those things that I feel like are missing in my life show how important they are to me. Plus, it just makes going home or seeing my college friends again that much sweeter.