Throughout my educational career, summer vacation was always something that I looked forward to. Once school let out each June, I threw myself wholeheartedly into summer and didn't look back. I rarely missed anything about the school year, and even when I reached the apex of summer boredom I didn't wish to go back. I assumed that I'd feel this way as long as I was in school, but now, about a month after finishing my first year of college, I can say that things are a little different.
In grade school all the way until the end of the summer after my senior year of high school, a majority of my friends were just a few minute drive away. I could see them pretty much whenever I wanted. Even if they went on vacation, I knew I'd see them in a few weeks at most. The social life that I'd spent the better part of 12 years building was contained within a 10-mile radius of my house, and it didn't feel confining, just comfortable. I'd spend my summers surrounded by friends and family that I'd known and loved for years.
Starting my college education at a university with enough students to make up a small city and living in a dorm capable of housing 800 students definitely rocked my world. I was used to my own room in a building that housed only 3 other people besides me. But after spending the better part of 9 months living in a place where there was constant activity (whether you liked it or not), sitting in my quiet house feels almost foreign.
I spent all of the last school year building a new life for myself at school: finding new friends, new favorite hangout spots, and a new place to call home. That's why this summer has felt so different than any summer has before. While I still do have my high school friends to call upon, some of my best friends in the world that I grew used to seeing every day are now thousands of miles away. We won't see each other or hang out at the places we used to frequent for another few months. Now, instead of my entire world being encapsulated in a 10-mile radius, I have two places that I call home.
I love being able to relax and take advantage of the comforts of home that you don't really get at school, like home cooked meals and the luxury of showering without flip-flops, but I can't wait to go back to school in August. This summer is one of the only times I can recall being excited to return to school, and as much as I love my family and being at home, I miss my friends and the freedom and spontaneity of college life. Sure, the stresses of school that come with starting classes again won't be the greatest, but living my best life with my best friends is going to be so worth it.
