Finals are over, goodbyes were shared and freshman year comes to a close. We've learned more about ourselves in one year then we had ever before. We were pushed out of our comfort zones, took on new lives, and grown as people.
Yet the year of adventure and firsts still has one more stage: going home for the summer. After a year of independence, how will we adjust to going back home to our families, our friends, and homes?
Prepare yourself for your first day home, personal experience provided below:
Stage One: The Happy Family
Your little sister runs and jumps into your arms, your older brother gives you a side huge and a smile, and your parents indulge in the only overly emotional hug they'll be able to give before you leave at the end of summer; they may even shed a tear as they tell you just how excited they are for whole fam to be back in business.
A few hours later, after you happily played twenty questions college edition and shared a few good stories there is a moment of silence.
In my moment of silence, my dad and brother were sitting around the table, my mom was upstairs getting ready for the meal, and my overly excited self was preparing brunch for my family, a rare sighting.*It had been a really long time since my freshman year meal plan allowed me a kitchen to cook in*
Then my dad broke the silence with, "I think this might be my favorite part of the summer, the moment of peace and silence before we all start non-stop talking." Reminiscing on my crazy, loving but crazy family dynamic, I laughed harder than I should seeing the truth in his statement.
Stage Two: The High-School Friends
It has been a full semester *4 months and 4 days, 124 days, 2976 hours, 178,560 minutes, 1,0713,600 seconds. No, I did not miss them if you were wondering* since you have seen these people. They are the friends with history, some of them sticking with you through elementary school, middle school, and high school. Thus, a sumo-tackle love fest paired with an annoying high pitched scream will be in-store. After five minutes, your heart rate will return back to normal, you will begin to pronunciate your words correctly and then you'll forget you've been apart for so long.
Meanwhile the male: A smile and a "Dude, What's up" accompanied by a manly hug. Arrived calm and still calm.
Everything feels freakishly normal. *Did I go to college?* *Was it a dream?* *Please tell me I was not in a coma, I was not in a coma right, right?*
Stage Three: My Own Bedroom
The average dorm room is 12 by 19 ft. In that space you have a roommate, a mini fridge, a closet, a dresser and a futon. So when all said and done, your personal space consists of your mattress, lofted in the air, a whooping total of 39 by 75 inches.
Now, I walk into my room, jump on my bed, then lie on the floor; space at last. Then to my surprise, I was very melancholy with a touch of lonely. My own personal bedroom meant no roommate. No roommate meant no one to wake up involuntarily at freakishly early hours to chit-chat. No roommate means that I made the mess and I can not blame it on anyone else. No dorm means my friends live miles away instead of 10 feet down the hall.
Then it was time to go to sleep and I transformed into my 7-year-old self. Little did I know, I had not grown out of believing there was a murderer in my house with every sound I heard, or kidnapper behind my shower curtain, and maybe even monsters under my bed.
With all that said, let the summer begin. Athens, see you in few short months.
