My high school psychology teacher always said, "You have not lived until you have lived with a stranger in a closet," when referring to going off to college. He even predicted that I would miss my little closet, as early as winter break. At the time, I thought he was crazy.

Well, I missed my closet.

When going home for the first time, I felt like I was entering my old life again. So far away from college classes and friends, I had to ask if it had really happened at all. I honestly felt like I was going to have to wake up on Monday and go back to high school. Thankfully, that didn't happen. Instead, I could play with my dogs, have dinner with my friends, and go boating with my family. Going to college a day's travel away allowed me to leave it all at school. I finally had the opportunity to focus on all of the things I actually wanted to do, but never felt I had time for. Coming home from college, almost everything was the same. However, my new-found freedom made the experience entirely new. Being home didn't carry the stress of high school. Home was joyful. Home was relaxing.

Going back to school was a lot nicer than getting there the first time. (Let it be known that my 'closet' is actually a very comfortable and well-decorated dorm room.) I also knew what to expect. All of the fear associated with the unknown vanished. In place of it was looking forward to the buffalo chicken salad in the cafeteria, going to the farmers' market, and seeing friends that I found myself missing over break. The fear associated with the unknown morphed into a sense of adventure.

I also knew how to handle missing all of the people I love back home. Sending pictures to each other of the little things like what we're having for lunch or what we're wearing that day is a great way to feel connected. When it gets unbearable, I walk to a special spot on the lake and call home.

I feel like I have two lives, one at home and one at school. The weird thing is, I love them both. Yes, I miss my home and the people there, but I also love what is going on at Rollins. It's a strange feeling, living and loving in two places. At first, I thought it was knowing that I would never be fully happy, always missing something that was at my other spot. That is definitely not the case. It means that although part of me will always be wanting to tug the rest of me somewhere else, I get to be excited about two great lives—all at once.