Picture this: you've just completed your freshman year of college, and it's finally time to go home for the summer. You're exhausted, worn-out, and ready to be back in your own bed, with your family footsteps away as opposed to miles. However, you may find yourself a little out of place, and it's not unusual to wish you were back at your university. The first summer back home after a long year of college is one that is full of changes, and you probably experience the following problems:
You have NO CLUE what to do in your hometown.
When you return for the summer, you may find yourself running out of things to do. Things that were fun in your high school days now seem unappealing, and you struggle to make plans with others due to the lack of things you find interesting. The old hangouts just don't feel the same.
You get lost driving to places that you used to know by heart.
After a year away, remembering where everything is can be quite a challenge. Whether it's an old friend's house, or the restaurant you would go to for Saturday lunches, you find yourself relying on your GPS to get you to places that you've been to a million times. Streets seem unfamiliar, and roads that you used to go down every day seem new.
You're busier than usual.
Summers that used to be spent at the lake with friends, staying out all night, or binge-watching the latest series on Netflix, are now replaced by summer classes, long hours at work, and trying your best to catch up on all the sleep you missed during finals week. Planning hangouts with your HS friends are even harder than before, as now all of you are juggling work and school.
You spend more time with your family.
Being apart from your family for months on end means there is so much time to make up for. You run more errands with your mom, watch more movies with your siblings, and go to more sporting events with your dad. Every free moment you have is spent with them.
You miss everything about college, even the stress-filled days.
You crave late nights spent with your friends at Whataburger, cheering on your team at games, and even find yourself missing the weeks you spent frantically writing term papers or studying for finals. You miss going to class, spending more hours at the library than in your own room, and even the campus food.
You count down the days until you move back.
Rather than dreading the first day of school, you find yourself anxiously checking how many days left until you go back to college, wishing your move out day was closer.
While you'll always love your hometown, your first summer back home may make you feel like a stranger. Things seem unfamiliar, and you spend more time trying to "adult" than you would in the past. Even though it's nice to have a break from midterms and never-ending homework, you miss having your best friends five feet away, and even miss the lectures given by intimidating professors. Don't worry though, the first day of class is only a month away!
