In the past eighteen years of my life, I have moved a total of eight different times because of my dad's job. Sometimes it was a 45-minute drive to a new city, sometimes it was a two-hour flight to a new state, and two times it was an eight-hour flight to a new country (it is remarkable the movies you can catch up on when you have four eight-hour flights a year). With each move, there were lifestyle changes and adjustments to prepare for. That being said, no move compares to the move to college.

To be fair, moving often has helped me with a few aspects of the process:

1. Packing a suitcase

Word of advice: Knowing how to pack your closet into a 50" suitcase is handy, no matter where you are going.

2. Saying "goodbye" to friends

It will always be sad, there is no doubt about that, but it is a lot easier when you are accustomed to doing so every two or three years.

3. Going to new restaurants and places

Honestly, as long as I have a Starbucks nearby, I will probably be fine in the middle of a desert or on a stranded island.

4. Feeling nostalgic

I still look back and miss the cacti of Arizona, mountains of North Carolina, the bridges of Hungary, and the pastries of France. But especially the pastries.

With that in mind, moving to college is not nearly as easy as a family move. After you graduate from high school, you have one summer to get yourself together. This includes, but is not limited to: packing enough clothes that prepare you for all weather encounters, buying the school supplies you need for college-level classes, remembering to bring every charger you might possibly need, choosing the pictures that will make you happy to see on your wall while also not taking entire photo albums, and finding the fine line between being prepared for college and being the freshman who packed their entire bedroom.

Then, the day you must walk out the front door and get in your car, you have to quickly take a ride on an emotional rollercoaster. Having to explain to your dogs that you will in fact be back soon is rather painful (especially because they probably have no idea what you are saying). Even if you manage to get through saying goodbye to your dogs, your next obstacle is the farewell to your parents, siblings, grandparents, significant other...the list is nearly endless.

Finally, you sit in your car and go through your packing list in your head, hoping that you, in fact, did remember everything you will need for this new adventure.

Leaving for college is not a piece of cake.

It is exciting, it is nerve-wracking, it is terrifying, and it is thrilling. While I take a look in my trunk and see all the things I already regret bringing, it is hard not to smile. Cheers to a new move. One that I am not prepared for, yet one that I am ready for.