The summer before college I spent in anticipation and preparation to make the move to North Carolina. I made distinct plans to see all of my high school friends before I was suddenly 500 miles (which seemed like a world) away from them. I spent hours Pinterest-ing and dorm shopping...I was the typical freshman girl. Then finally I was there, I was away from my friends, family, and boyfriend. Before I knew it, the year was over and now I'm back home... but home does not feel quite like my home anymore. College became my home, I fell into a routine where I would wake up and walk to my classes with my roommate, go to dinner with my friends, go to meetings. It did not matter what I did because I was only responsible for myself.
This is my first summer home after the most life-changing year I've ever had, and I didn't know what to expect. At first, I was excited to see everyone back home, but just like me, they had changed dramatically. Coffee and lunch dates with friends were hours long, trying to recap the huge gap that we missed of each other's lives. It was heartbreaking to see people who were my entire life having a completely separate life without me but so exciting to see their happiness in the memories they had created. We all come from different public universities, northern universities, and private universities and all identify with our hometown and the friendships we built.
A big difference in coming home was sharing a room with my two sisters after living with my best friend for nine months. My five-year-old sister had grown up tremendously and my sixteen-year-old sister could do makeup better than me. Coming home to them created quite the same feelings as hearing about my friends times at school. Contrary to my friends, my family did not go through the experience I had, therefore making it harder to identify with them like I had my friends. What I cherish when coming home is the same love between my family and me, my younger siblings were not afraid to embrace me, and my mom was still my best friend.
To all of you college students who are in the middle of your first summer home after college, we are all excited to go "home" to our colleges and be by ourselves again, but cherish this time with family and friends from home. They are our rock and will always be there and ready to catch up, share stories, and a coffee. Without them, we would not have been able to go out into the world and fend for ourselves.
