The semester is coming to an end. Classes are wrapping up, finals are being taken and slowly your room is being packed up. Before you know it you are going to be back home, working or simply lounging around, and for a while you are going to be so happy. The stress of school will melt away, and for the first time in forever you are able to simply relax. Then the second week with go by, and the third. Slowly you are going to start getting anxious. You are going to miss those nights that you sat up talking with your roommates about this and that. You are going to want to go back to your group dinners and late study sessions. You will dream of those times when you were back at school. And why? Because you are leaving your second home.
Going back to your parents, siblings and childhood friends is great! Don't get me wrong, you will love seeing them. You missed them more than you can possibly imagine, and the place you grew up will always have that sense of home. But now that you have moved on, met new people and explored new things, those roots that have grounded you for so long are starting to spread.
This makes things a little more challenging. After all, every time you move from your house to college, or college to your house, you are leaving that place that gave you so much joy and comfort. But remember you are also going back to a place that gave you those same feelings, just in a different way. No longer is it school and your parents. It's simply moving from home to home. With each transition you get to experience another setting that makes you happy.
It doesn't mean that you are ready to give up your hometown just yet. Nor does it mean that you have completely moved away from your childhood friends and family. Home means a lot of different things. Sometimes it's a feeling. Sometimes it's a person. Home is a relative term that comes in many shapes and varieties. College is a time when you can truly start to define who you are and where you are going. It's a time of self-expression and growth. It's not surprising that the more time you spend there, with people that you care about, the more you grow attached to it.
So while you are packing your bags, thinking about how much you are going to miss your friends and the times you share together, remember that the reason you are so upset is not because you will be going back to your hometown, but because you are leaving your second home, and the people that help make it so special. But it won't be forever. It's just until next time, when you will once again move from one home to the other.
