With spring semester coming to a close, the majority of us have been forced to return home to those towns we have kind of separated ourselves from since school began in August. College brought us a new daily routine, new places to hangout, and new activities that we have grown accustomed to. While we love college, more than anything, there really is no place like home and whether we want to admit it or not, there are parts of our hometown we are pleasantly surprised to have back in our lives. Here are 10 things you are too prideful to admit you missed about being away from home.
Whether your parents wake up a little early, sit and discuss the morning news over a cup of coffee or they roll out of bed 30 minutes late and spend the entire morning screaming at your younger siblings, nothing makes you feel at home like that same morning routine you remember from high school. While chicken-minis from Chick-fil-A are great and grabbing Starbucks from the student center was convenient, nothing beats a breakfast with the family and your mom’s eggs. College mornings are spent one of three ways: sneaking around quietly as not to wake your roommate up, in pure agony as punishment from the night before, or rushing around because you slept in. It's nice to slip back into a normal routine, and it is something you probably didn’t realize you missed until you re-experienced it.
2. Your bathroom.
If you were lucky
enough to live in an apartment then this feeling might not be as strong as it is for us
dorm guys and gals. Sharing a bathroom is no walk in the park, especially when you take into account the size of dorm life bathrooms. Being able to shower without consulting your roommates, having no time limit when it comes to getting ready, and just the privacy that comes with a place of your own is so refreshing. You never really think about how important a bathroom is to your sanity until you have stayed in a dorm for a while.
3. Your favorite restaurant.
Whether it’s a
small town diner, cafe, pizza joint or BBQ smokehouse, we all have that one restaurant that is signature to our hometown. And, oh have we missed it. Nothing says home like walking into that one restaurant and ordering your favorite thing with people that are native to your town. You’ve yet to find a place like it and you probably never will. Listening to the regular guests’ conversations and seeing that nothing has changed a bit makes this eating establishment so very much a part of your home experience.
4. Your high school friends.
While college friends are gold, and there are times you are so glad you branched out, nothing compares to those people who you have known since birth.
Talking about old prom memories, your teachers and friends you haven’t seen in forever and all the new memories you have made since college is so much fun. These are the people you don’t have to explain your quirky habits to, the people that know what you want for dinner without asking, and the people you are comfortable being honest with; it is so refreshing to have them around.
5. Your "downtown."
It’s the place that ties your specific city together. Whether it's the bustling streets of a big city or the quaint antique shops of a small southern town we all love to be in the heart of our hometown. It is the place that centralizes all the town residents and it is the best representation of your town’s soul. While we enjoyed the adventure that came with navigating and learning our respective college city’s downtown, there is nothing like walking the streets that you claim as your own.
6. Your high school.
You can pretend you hate it. That you’re so glad you’ve moved on and past that part of your life. While this may be completely accurate, driving by your old stomping grounds definitely gets you in your feels. You miss the easy going flow of high school. Those were the days free of true responsibilities, bills or GPAs that stick with you forever. So while college may have been where you found yourself and where you are the happiest, going home makes you reminisce on those high school days.
7. Your church.
While you may have found a new place of worship in your college town, it is so nice to be able to walk into a sanctuary that you call home. It’s awesome to sit in those pews that you are most comfortable with and to talk with people you know.
8. Your parents' incessant questions.
You roll your eyes every time they ask, but deep down you have missed your mom questioning your every move, your dad’s interrogation every time you come in from being out and them both inquiring about who you are texting. The freedom of college is definitely something you’ll grow to appreciate over the
summer, but sometimes, just sometimes, being momma and daddy’s
baby is fun.
9. Your younger siblings.
You’ve probably been arguing since you got back to make up for lost time, but you’ve missed their stupid pranks, their dumb
jokes, and the way they eat the last piece of pizza. Siblings are so special and they have been one of the most missed things while you’ve been away at college.
10. Your room.
It’s your palace. It holds all your photos, all your memories, and it’s the place you can completely be you. You can dance around in your underwear, watch as much
Netflix as you want, and basically do whatever it is you want with no questions. While we claimed to have loved our dorm and loved our roommate, we can’t help but indulge in the solitude of our own room. Being able to spend time with yourself for the first time in forever is a treat and one of the best parts of being back home.
