After winter break, there were eight weeks until my spring break. I never thought I would make it until then, and it seemed so far away. As spring break starting getting closer, everyone in my dorm talked about their plans for Florida or going to Tennessee for the rowing team at my school. Like me, a lot of people were going home for spring break. I couldn't wait to go home because I haven't been back since winter break. Having home-cooked meals, going to all of my favorite places, sleeping in my own bed, and having little homework to complete seemed like a dream. It was weird to me, though, that I had to pack to come home. Going on vacation seems like the only logical reason to actually pack clothes, but it was weird to me that my vacation was coming back to my real home.
When I got home, it was as if I had never left. Everything was the same; and that was a good thing. It made me realize that while I'm away at school with all of the craziness that it brings, I'm able to come back to a stable home. I think I take that for granted way too much.
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About half way through my spring break, I began to think about the stuff that I have been doing at home and how it's all the same: wake up, go downstairs, eat breakfast, watch tv, get dressed, and go to Target, Costco, or hang out with one of my high school friends. I thought about how different my life is at college and how much more exciting it is compared to when I'm at home. I never know what my day will actually entail besides going to class. I could end up taking an impromptu trip to Meijer with my friends or play volleyball with a group of people from my dorm. Being at home, I realize how uneventful things can be, and maybe that's why high school was so boring to me sometimes because I did the same thing every single day, making college that more exciting.
Driving through my neighborhood, I realize how out of place I actually am. I haven't been there since the middle of January and it gives off a different vibe. My house is the only part of my neighborhood that is the same. I'm so used to living in my college town that I can't think of anywhere but college as where I should be. I was just waiting to see one of my friends from school walking down the street or seeing some of them at the mall.
At the end of the week, I didn't really want to go back to school even though college is more fun than sitting at home. I think the thought of having somewhere to come back to after being away for a while is something we all cherish. I realize now that college is my home away from home and my "family" are my friends at school. So in a sense, I have two places to fall back on. As I left home and came back to school, I realize it's OK to miss a place you've lived for your entire life, but sometimes you have to move away from that place for a while to really grow and understand that things will always be there for you when you come back.
I only have six more weeks left of school until summer, and while the workload will be a huge amount and will be harder to focus towards the end of the year, I can't wait to go to my other home and stay there for a while.
I love college and my hometown, which makes it that more important to keep a balance between the two.
