As college freshmen, the one thing that we all look forward to once we start school is winter break. We get so excited and think we will get together with every single one of our old friends, but in reality that's not what happens.

Once all of our tremendously stressful finals are over, we all begin packing as well as saying our goodbyes to all of new friends and using the forever corny quote, "See you next year!" We all take off to our various hometowns ecstatic about seeing our families for the holidays. Whether our families are only an hour away or 10 hours away, we cannot contain the excitement we feel road-tripping back to where our lives began with the people we love.

When we arrive home, we are welcomed back into our homes feeling like complete strangers. We end up living out of our suitcases because why unpack when you have to repack in a couple of weeks? Coming home, I thought I would get so much accomplished such as hanging out with friends and being able to do the random things I felt like I could not do at school. Unfortunately, none of that happened. Out of the entire month off, I saw only one friend and it was my new college best friend. Early on in the semester, I had chatted with my friends from high school making plans about seeing each other while on break. Since it was Christmas time, and all of us had our own family functions to attend, that sadly didn't happen. What I actually ended up doing my break was watching television shows, shopping with my mimi, working and just overall soaking up my time of being a lazy bum.

Since being home, I have realized that we think that winter break will be the best thing ever. Yes, it is nice to get a break from school, but you are conflicted with being back home and being in your new home. You get so used to everyday life at your new school that you are truly shocked by the change of pace in your hometown. For myself, I have realized that this break has shown me how much my new college town has grown on me and how much I actually miss it.

So, as I have learned, going home for a month isn't all what I imagined. I worked many days and spent time with my family, but I didn't get to do many of the things I wanted or planned to do. As my next semester of college starts, I want to urge those who are just now beginning school or those who are starting yet another semester to not take your time at school for granted. Soak up every moment with your new friends and make memories that you will remember 20-30 years from now. Live in the moment and don't rush your time away at school.