Going home for break is always an adjustment, whether you’re three miles or 300 miles from campus, but coming home from school out of state is sometimes more effort than I feel it’s worth. So, if you’re home from out of state for winter break, I hope you can relate to some of these themes, both good and bad, I always seem to come home to. Just know you’re not alone, friend.
Your dog’s reaction to your return home is the one that matters most.
Closely tied with your parents’ reaction of course, but nothing beats your dog running at you after months. Bending down with your arms open to meet them -- man, I’m getting choked up just thinking about it.
Your friends have been going to school together, so you’re the odd one out.
This is sometimes fun. You can sit back and listen to how everyone else’s lives have evolved and learn about the new people your friends have encountered, but you’re also suddenly the minority. All of the stories you try to tell that seemed so funny when they happened take on “you had to be there” when no one ends up laughing.
Hugs. So many hugs.
From friends, relatives, and parents' friends whose names you can’t remember. Every time you turn around, someone else is super excited that you’re home and has this deep desire to physically express it. It’s quite possible that this is just a South Louisiana thing, but I know everyone has at least one great aunt with the smother hugs.
You answer the same questions over and over again.
“Do you like it?” “What’s your major?” “Do you have a boyfriend?” “When are you coming home again?” Honestly, it gets to the point where the answers are on autopilot. Although you can appreciate how caring and interested people are, good things are still only good in moderation.
Something in your house has changed.
You have to be the one to ask where the forks are now or something. But it’s also kind of a game; you know, see how fast you can notice the new curtains or new brand of laundry detergent.
Your adjusted sleep schedule is not prepared for your mom’s chore list.
No matter how much you beg to sleep in, after a couple of days, it’s almost like you never went to college and you fall right back into the groove of your house responsibilities. Even if you didn’t wash one dish all semester, a switch flips in you when you see cups and plates piled in the sink. This might just be me. I accept that I may have a problem.
There doesn’t seem to be enough time to “get coffee and catch up.”
Your caffeine tolerance skyrockets just to keep up with all of the coffee dates. Which is probably a good thing because otherwise you’d withdraw from finals, but you could otherwise do without the reminder of your Starbucks addiction.
Family time becomes sacred
It won't happen again for a few months, so forget movies or lunch with friends. You’re only home for a little while, so the board games will make an appearance, and you'd better not ask if you can leave the dinner table early.
You start to miss school a little, but not enough to actually go back yet.
The break is nice, but maybe you’re reminded of why you decided to go to school out of state in the first place. Home will always be home, but now another place holds a little piece of your heart too.
