Going to a college almost a thousand miles from home was an easy choice for me. I liked my hometown well enough, but I was ready for something different. College was the perfect opportunity for me to get away and see what else was out there. But returning home for the summer made me realize how I attached I actually was to the people and memories of my hometown. Coming back makes you see that while you're in college, you are constantly in between. You float between two places and switch from independence to living with your parents and back again. Despite the constant adjustment, I love being at school and I love being at home. There will always be more than one place you're attached to, and that's OK, because each place has something with a hold on your heart. If you're anything like me, there are several places you'll always call "home."
Your hometown.
It's where you made your first friends and spent the majority (if not all) of your childhood. Each hometown has its own quirks and a unique set of people. It's familiar. It's the backdrop to all your childhood fights, lessons and triumphs and for that reason, it will always be your first home. Your parents, siblings and pets are there. All your childhood trophies and artwork are probably boxed up somewhere in the attic. Your hometown is full of evidence that you were there and provides a dose of nostalgia whenever you return.
Your college.
It's the first place where you were ever completely on your own, which forced you to grow up in an entirely different way than you did while still living at home. College is your first trial run for adulthood and responsibility. Making friends probably wasn't as easy as it was in your hometown, but you figure it out nonetheless. Since you picked your school, you probably fell in love with the surrounding area as well. You fill up your weekends making memories that will last well into adulthood, making your mark at school as well.
Your family vacation spot.
Maybe you've stayed in the same beach side cottage for a week every year since you were a little kid (or at a lake, a resort, an island, whatever). Like your hometown, your favorite family vacation spot was probably the backdrop for some of your best memories and played a major role in helping you grow up. It's also familiar, but in a more exciting way than your hometown is because going there means you can escape and enjoy yourself.
No matter where you end up, each of these places will still be with you in some way, and that's the beauty in being able to call somewhere "home."
