College is great. It is the time where you have to grow up a little bit and have some responsibilities, but it is also one of the most fun and freeing times in your life.
Freedom is great, finally you do not have to check in with your parents and let them know what you are doing, where you are going, who you are with, and what time you will be home.
You get to eat whatever you want, go wherever you want, come home whenever you want, everything is on you know to decide.
It is so easy to get caught up in the fun social life, the games, the parties, doing your laundry, going to class, spending hours studying and doing homework, that it can blind you to a lot of other things. I know for me, I am very settled into college life. I have a routine established now, and I am so happy. I talk to my family everyday, but not being physically with them when we talk, and being so distracted with my daily life, keeps me from getting too homesick.
However, going home, or having family visit, and seeing them in person, changes all of that. It makes me realize how much I miss all of them. This past weekend, for example, my dad came for "Dad's Weekend" at school. It was one of the best weekends ever. Sending him home, though, was so hard, despite the fact that I have already done it so many times. I have yet to say "see you later" to my family, without at least tearing up a little bit. The whole rest of the day after he left, I spent more sad, and more homesick than I have when I have not seen my family for a month. Seeing loved ones in person is just a reminder of how much you love them, and that is what makes it so difficult; especially when you have family like mine.
It is a tough place to be in, when obviously I love my family and want to see them, but the more I see them and am with them, the harder it is to leave or have them leave. In those moments, the only people I want, I can't have with me.
Being homesick is hard. It really never gets easier even as time goes on. It does not happen all the time, and it is not something that plagues you all day everyday. But, when it does, it sucks, plain and simple. There are few worse feelings than being hours away from your house and family, and wanting nothing more than to be there, but you can't.
With that, it definitely makes you not take for granted the time spent with loved ones when you do not have the luxury of seeing them everyday, and helps you to make the most of every moment you are lucky enough to spend with them.
