When I made the decision to go out-of-state for college, I was afraid of how much I knew I was going to miss home. I was going to miss my family and my friends that I had grown up with. Even though many of my friends were going all over the country for college, something about leaving my state for another was a little terrifying.
I never thought about how hard it was going to be to leave my new friends to go back home.
Sure, everyone misses their college friends when they go home for the summer, but most of the time, it is not a big deal to set up a weekend that you are all free to hang out. Even if you live an hour or two away, it is doable, especially if it is your best friends waiting for you at the end of your mini road trip.
That all changes when you have to throw in state borders and different time zones.
Being an out-of-state college student back in their home state for summer can be lonely. You have to sit around watching Facebook and Twitter for the latest pics and statuses from all of your friends that get to meet up and hang out every other weekend. You are happy for them, of course; you want your friends to hang out with each other and have fun! But a part of you hates the fact that you do not actually get to be a part of those memories.
In an ideal world, we would not all be slaving away at our summer jobs and money would grow on trees—that way we could hop on a plane and visit each other whenever we wanted. That is not our reality, though, and even if we are able to set aside enough cash for a plane ticket, odds are that our work schedules will not line up and we all know we are too broke to ask for time off.
Do not get me wrong, I love being home for the summer. Being with my family for three months gives me time to make up for all the months I spent away at school, plus it is nice to have something to eat other than ramen and easy mac. I just wish that there was a way to bring my two states together.
To my friends that I will not get to see again until next semester: I miss you. A lot. I cannot wait 'till we are back on campus, stressing over homework assignments and discussing the pros and cons of pulling an all-nighter. We only have so many days together before we all graduate and go our separate ways (I have a feeling some of us will never leave each other, though), and I often wish I could spend every moment with you guys. You have helped me grow into the person I have become, and you all mean so much more to me than you will ever know.
I hope you all have a great summer. Be sure to send me lots of Snaps when you all get together so I can keep myself updated on all the latest shenanigans. Do not forget about your little out-of-staters, we wish more than ever that we could close the distance between our hometowns. Until August!
