There is a major difference between being a car ride away from home and being a plane ride away. I always knew this might be a problem when I committed to Villanova two years ago. I am originally from the east coast, New York City to be exact. I did not want to immediately to return to the city per se, but I wanted to be close. During the entire college application and decision process, I never questioned leaving California. The move just felt natural. Or it felt natural to me.

My friends were hesitant to be excited about my decision to go back east. Of course they were happy for me, but they were confused why I wanted to leave the state. They were less vocal about it compared to my high school teachers and college counselors, who also were perplexed by my choice. Regardless of what everyone else thought of, I was happy in my decision to attend Villanova.

During my freshman year, I never questioned my decision to attend here. Most importantly, I was always too busy to think of the large gap between Philadelphia and Los Angeles. I joined the crew team, I found my people, and I got involved in a myriad of student organizations on campus. I did not have time to think of home. And even when I did, it was usually around a semester break where I got to fly back.

However, this year I do not fly back until our winter break in December. I do not know why the homesickness wave crashed decided to crash into me now. I think it was building up for a long time, and I just did not want to admit it. Maybe some of you reading think I am overreacting. Or maybe you are feeling a very similar way. Regardless, my point is it is okay to feel this way.

I like to think everyone gets homesick. And granted, if you're only an hour drive away and you can go home whenever you desire, you're probably unfamiliar with the homesickness feeling. Anyways, no matter how much you love your school, there is always something missing. A hole that can only be filed with something from home. This can be your family's home cooked meals, your dog, or in my case, a breakfast burrito from Hermosa's Brother Burritos. There is always a reason to come back home. And it is normal to want to.