College is a time in someone’s life where people are becoming adults and learning about themselves and what they are capable of doing and achieving on their own. So when it’s time to go back home, chances are, Mom and Dad might see that you’re a little more different than they remember. At least for me, that happened. Not only do they see the change in you, but you see what has and hasn’t changed in your hometown. Coming home may teach you a few things that you never thought you would have learned. Here’s a few, just in case:

1. The people who made a choice to stay in your hometown are probably still the same people they were when they were in high school.

What I mean by that is, when someone goes away to college, or the military, etc., chances are that they are a completely different person when they return home. When I went back home to Orlando and I saw some of the people I went to high school with, I noticed that there was a change in those who went away for college (ie. to UF, UC Berkeley, and so on) and those who chose to stay. Those who chose to stay were still the same people that they were when they were in high school and while that’s okay, it makes you wonder: is this the type of person I was when I lived here? Did I have this same mindset and thought process? Lots of questions, I know.


2. The places you grew up hanging out at, eventually change.
You know the local strip mall that’s 20 minutes away from your house? There’s apparently another one down the street from it and has a Forever 21 in it. Or you can see that people will go to a wax museum or the aquarium in town and you wonder: wow. I can’t believe this is in my hometown. It’s so beautiful.
Yeah, things will change in town and you’ll be so overwhelmed with all the new changes, you won’t know what to do. Just embrace them and make some new memories along the way. Who knows? One minute you might be eating a burger, the next minute you’ll be at the Wax Museum debating whether or not you should sit on Abraham Lincoln’s lap for a photo (side note: you can, but the thought of breaking his leg will be there while it happens.)


3. Time with your family is the most important time of your life.
While I was visiting Orlando, I spent time with my mom, who hasn’t seen me in a year. We went out to the mall, went out for breakfast a few times, talked about life and why doctors shouldn’t be rude, and just bonded over makeup. I also had a huge family dinner and we all had such a great time and shares stories about the past and what has been going on in everyone’s lives.


4. Plans do change.
When you’re on vacation, you expect to find yourself so overwhelmed with plans that can cause you to either cancel or be so booked up and have a lack of sleep for the next day.

5. You realize how much you have changed since you left home.
Coming back home made me realize how bolder, stronger, and more confident I am. This trip taught me that things change and so do people. You just have to learn to just roll with it.