Back in high school, whenever the previous year's seniors came home for winter break, it was always a big event. College was rumored to be this magical place you went off to, and after just one semester, you come home a better person. Nobody could quite explain what it was. But every year, people came home in better shape, more well-spoken, and much more confident with themselves.
You might not realize it, because you spend every day with the same people doing the same things, but you've very likely changed since you were dropped off back in August. You might not have dropped twenty pounds, but you've probably been in a Philosophy class that really challenged the way you see the world. Or maybe your roommate is a huge soccer fan, and now soccer is one of your favorite things. In any case, once you're home for a few weeks, and you start hanging with your old friends and family, you may notice they've changed a bit, too.
1. Some of your friends might have new gender and sexual identities.
College is an awakening period for everybody. Many people go away and discover things about themselves they never knew at home, or finally feel the courage to be who they truly are. Go college!
2. You might have a racist aunt.
If you go to a liberal arts school, you likely had a class this semester, or some kind of campus event where you learned how alive racism still is in society. You’ve likely learned about the subtle ways people are racist every day, and now you might go home and realize you have a family member or friend who is slightly racist, which you had never noticed it before.
3. Your mom's pasta is suddenly really good.
Because after four months of Sodexo or Aramark, home cooked food is DELICIOUS! Even if your family isn't particularly good at cooking, you will appreciate it.
4. Your high school best friend bores you.
Maybe you went away and they stayed there. They’re still caught up in high school drama that just doesn’t concern you anymore. Maybe you’re studying two totally different subjects and without the common ground of high school, you don't have much to talk about anymore. No matter what, it’s okay… You’re both bound to change, and it’s okay if you don't stay best friends forever. They were your high school best friend, and nothing will ever change that.
5. You feel like you’re too boring for your best friend.
Everyone has that friend that got to college and immediately signed up for the newspaper, be on 3 different sports teams, sing in the musical, and build homes for Habitats for Humanity on the weekends. Don't be phased if you feel like you’re not as busy. Everyone handles new environments in different ways, and as long as you're having a good time at college, that’s what matters. Chances are, your stories about drunkenly locking yourself out of your room three nights in a row are more interesting than their stories about tutoring underprivileged, inner-city kids anyway.
6. Your parents are suddenly cool.
You’ve been living on your own for four months now, and you haven’t failed out of school or seriously injured yourself… Congratulations, you're an adult! Now that your parents don't have to lecture you about getting your homework done and ground you for breaking curfew, they’re human beings who can have really great conversations with you.
7. Everyone has hundreds of questions for you.
No surprise here, everyone wants to know everything about your new life! Honestly, a lot of people back home are probably jealous of you. You’re completely independent, spending each day doing what you’re passionate about. A lot of people don't have that kind of freedom. Try not to strangle the hundredth person who asks you if you've picked a major out yet.
8. There’s not as much time to hang out with your best friends like there was in high school.
This one is difficult, because one of the most exciting things about coming home from college is hanging out with your friends just like you did before you left. Unfortunately, coming home also means people have to see their families and extended families, and a lot of people might not have time to hang out every night and binge watch Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix with you. You or your friends might only be home for a few days at a time, depending on your finals and Interim schedules. Enjoy the time you have together, and don't focus on it trying to be how it used to be.
9. Your dog barks at you like you’re the weird kid that lives next door.
You've been gone for a long time, he might have trouble recognizing you at first. Don't let this phase you, your baby still knows who you are!
10. Your closet literally has nothing for you to wear in it.
Did you bring every cute/passable piece of clothing you owned with you to college? “Oh, I don't need to bring more than a few pieces of clothing home… I do have a closet after all!” And now here you are, a week after Christmas, wearing your freshman year Band T-shirt and a pair of gauchos.
11. Walking from your house to Walgreens feels like you’ve just seen daylight for the first time in 20 years.
It’s easy to take for granted the little things that make home “home” when you're away for a long time. Enjoy them while you're back, they may be quirky, but they’re a part of what makes your hometown uniquely what it is.
12. You’ve been home for 2 weeks… and now you’re ready to go back to school!
This might be hard to believe when you were literally just begging for finals to end, but it isn’t unlikely that you’ll want to go back to school after a while. Christmas will end, parents will go back to work, and high school will start back up, it’s totally natural to want to go back home and be with your friends and continue on with the new life you’ve started.
For most of us freshman, this is our first time being back home. Sure, going back for Thanksgiving or Fall Break is great, but those are usually extended weekends, and it’s more of a short visit.
Winter break is when everyone is home, and you are officially back. It’s definitely going to be a little different than what you were used to home being back in high school, not better or worse, just different. So go home, and enjoy seeing your friends and family, you are all constantly evolving, but the love will always be there.
