Growing up in a small town in New Jersey, I would have taken any chance I could to escape and discover something outside of what I had always known. I had gone from kindergarten to senior year of high school knowing only the same group of kids, save a few from sleep-away camp. My opportunity came the fall of my senior year when I submitted every single one of my college applications to schools that were at least a three-hour plane ride away. My wish came true as I packed my bags one year later to begin my college career 3,000 miles away from home in California.

The first month of school was an absolute blur filled with shaking hands, attempting to learn names and adapting to massive lecture halls, all without taking a minute to myself. Besides the occasional call home or text to a friend, I had completely left my East Coast life behind. The true effects of leaving home didn’t hit me until I fell into a steady, happy pattern about six weeks in. Little differences became increasingly obvious as I had more time to talk to my friends back home.

What they don’t tell you about leaving home is that you’ll miss the smallest things that once seemed so insignificant in your daily routine. I began craving bagels from my favorite café in my hometown that I used to get almost every morning before school; it became so bad that I even had a dream that I was eating one. Sure, there were bagels on the West Coast, but they didn’t capture the true essence that is a New Jersey bagel. Of course, no one on the West Coast understood my excessive need for a plain old bagel with cream cheese or even a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee. Not only do you miss the small things, but you also miss the routine itself. As much as I love and treasure waking up to seventy-degree weather, I miss the crisp, fall mornings driving to school with the windows down.

What they also don’t tell you about going to a completely different state is that you’ll learn so many different things. Believe it or not, East Coast and West Coast college student are insanely different. In a short amount of time, I have learned a completely new lingo, learned how to surf, and tasted some of the best Spanish rice milk called horchata.

Although I get extremely homesick some days, I wouldn’t change this experience for the world. The small things I miss back home will always be there, but this is the only chance I’ll ever have to go to school on the West Coast. Time away from home has only made me appreciate where I come from. My time in California will only continue to be an adventure as I grow as a person. Going across the country for college has been the best choice because I get to have the best of both worlds.