A lot of people hate being home for the summer. When we are home, we aren't surrounded by the college atmosphere that we have grown so accustomed to over the past months, if not years. We learn how to fend for ourselves and put everything that our parents taught us while we were growing up to use. Many people are fine with doing this once they're out on their own and when summer comes along and we have to go home, we sometimes miss being out on our own and away from home. There are a lot of things that, when moving into my apartment, that I was worried about. Was I really going to be able to do everything that my parents have tried to show me how to do? Would I screw up? I didn't know, but I eventually learned that I was a lot more capable than I had imagined. Here are some things I learned about myself at college:
1. Cooking.
Honestly, I never knew that I would be able to cook as well as I do. I guess standing around in kitchens with my family truly showed me what to do. I love cooking now that I had to do it so often and on my own too. Obviously after long days it sucks to have to come home and cook, but at the same time it really isn't that bad. I even went as far as to making homemade pasta one weekend because I was bored. Meatballs another weekend, stuffed chicken, etc. I learned that I knew a lot more than I truly thought that I had thought. It may not seem like much, but after living out on my own and seeing that I am a lot more capable in the kitchen than what I originally thought, it is a pretty big ego booster.
2. Cleaning.
Okay, so it isn't that I like cleaning, but I slowly saw myself turning into my mother and getting agitated when the apartment got to messy. I would yell at my roommates about the same things that I myself got yelled at about by my mother. As scary as it sounds, I really am a clean freak when I'm not home. I slack a bit when I'm home, but I still catch myself feeling annoyed when my room gets to cluttered now. It's the little things like having a clean bedroom that make me happy now.
3. Eating healthier.
When I'm at home, I don't care about what I eat. I eat whatever is in the fridge and already cooked. I never had to go grocery shopping or anything because my mom did all of that. When I left for school, I had to figure that all out and find the cheapest, yet best food. I learned how to pick things other than junk food because let's be honest, that isn't healthy for one, and two, it really isn't as good as a lot of the more healthy foods. I've finally realized that I really like eating better even while I'm home for the summer.
4. Budgeting.
Being away from home, we obviously don't have a lot of money to just throw everything in the shopping cart and buy it. I had to figure out what I truly needed, how to go about using it to make it through the week by portioning it, etc. Budgeting not only money, but food as well did come to be sort of a hassle at times, but after some time, I did figure it all out.
5. I really miss being home.
So, this isn't really something that my parents had to teach me, but it is something that I learned while being away. I learned that I really love being home. Sure, being away is fun and it gets me out of doing all of the house work, but it's only replaced with different house work that I have to do for not only myself, but also because I want the apartment to be cleaned and I want good food to eat.
Being away from school is sucky at times because we don't have the freedom that we've grown so accustomed to, but at the same time, it is nice being home. It's almost like a vacation at home!
