When I tell people that I am moving 13 hours away from home in a month, there are only two responses.
1. Why so far away?
2. Oh, nice, that will be fun.
Growing up, I never experienced homesickness. Whenever I went to camp or a relative's house for weeks on end, I never missed home like other kids. I didn't understand why they wanted to go back home. Sure, toward the end of my stay I would get excited to see my parents. But never, to my remembrance, did I shed a tear for my parents or my bed back at home.
I'm not a heartless human, though. I promise that I love my parents very much. For some reason I was always OK being somewhere else other than home. Even as I grew older, I always wanted to be at my friend's house or out with friends. It isn't that I hated home or hated being away. I wanted to spend time with people that I might not have much more time with. It might help that I'm an extrovert and I enjoy being around people. I like to lay in bed and watch Netflix, too, don't get me wrong, but most of the time I would rather be out with friends.
Having just graduated from high school, I'm always asked the question of where I am going to school. When I say that I'm moving from Texas to Indiana, most people react with a jaw drop. I have no family or friends in Indiana, but the school I'm attending is too good to pass up.
I'm going to be honest, when I was looking at colleges I never looked for one in Texas. I wanted to go out of state. People ask me, "Aren't you scared to be alone?" And the answer is always yes. Of course I'm apprehensive. But I am willing to take the risk because this school is where I know I'm supposed to be.
Some people will never be able to understand why Texas can't offer me what I need. I need to explore and learn how the world works on my own, with maybe the occasional tips from my family. So when they ask, "Why so far away?" I tell them this: my school gave me an offer I couldn't refuse, and once I visited, it was home.
My family has always joked that when I leave I won't cry at all, and instead it will be my parents. Now with only three weeks left until I leave, I realize more everyday how wrong that is. Of course I'm going to cry. I'm going to miss my annoyingly lovable siblings, my hilarious dad, my beautiful mom, my crazy aunts and uncles, my perfect grandparents, my silly cousins and my one-of-a-kind best friends so much. There's no doubt in my mind that when my family says goodbye I will cry. Of course I am sad, but these tears will eventually turn into bittersweet tears because I'm missing out of spending time with my family and friends back home but I am making a home where I am at too.
