1. No Matter How Much You Complained About It, You Miss The Frijoles.
Let’s be real. Nothing was worse as a child than when you passed your favorite restaurant and asked your family if you could stop by there and they said no because, “ay frijoles en la casa para que comas.” It was terrible, you never got what you wanted. But going home on weekends in college, you basically BEGGED for those frijoles. The daily pizza, burgers, Panda Express and sandwiches aren’t cutting it for you anymore and there is nothing that could make you feel better like homemade frijoles (whether they’re de la hoya or machucados). You knew getting home that all of your troubles would go away with some frijoles, a bit of queso fresco and a ton of tortillas hecho a mano because momma always knew.
2. Vaporu Really Does Cure Everything.
I don’t know if y’all have noticed, but Vick’s Vaporub seriously has some magic powers. Growing up, we witnessed them first hand. A spiderbite’s swelling and itch went away almost immediately and even when you had a stuffy nose, rubbing some Vapor Rub on your chest cleared your sinuses almost immediately. Today, I use it constantly for almost anything! Some friends even look at me weird because I carry a small container of it in my backpack at all times—no one knows when you’re going to need it, and you’ll thank me when your time comes.
3. You Realize Spanish Music Isn’t A Thing When People Clean In White America
Every Saturday and Sunday morning, my mom blasted her Juan Gabriel (RIP JuanGa) CD’s and I knew it was time to clean. No matter how early it was, my mom was either playing Juan Gabriel, Selena or some viejitas pero bonitas on Pandora when she would clean and even if I didn’t want to clean, it always made things go by quicker. In college, that shit don’t fly. People give you some sort of weird look because you listen to music in another language (as if being the only person of color in a Residence Hall isn’t isolating enough as it is), but this is what you have to remember when you’re in this situation—YOU CAN LISTEN TO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT! People will always have different tastes in music, but no one has the right to tell you to turn it off or play something they can understand.
4. Your Roommates Cobija Is Nothing Compared To Yours.
You know those cobijas I’m talking about, the ones with the huge elephant in the cover that your tia from California brought you back from the flea markets. The ones that are so warm you take them almost EVERYWHERE with you. ‘Member? You ‘member, they’re perfect for all types of weather and are the softest things on the face of the planet. Bottom line, they’re amazing, you don’t really learn anything about the cobijas themselves they just don’t get enough credit IMO.
5. You Miss Having Someone To Eat With.
Sunday dinners are a huge thing in Latinx households. If not with your immediate family, your entire extended family (including primxs, tixs, Hermanxs, abuelxs) all come over for a meal and spend time together—Latinx families are super close. If there is anything that I miss most being away from home, is getting to see all of my family once a week while we have some food and just kick back. So while you’re at home, enjoy the presence of all of the amazing individuals who have been there for you and thank them for everything they have done, as well as find people like them at school to make you feel at home.
6. You Miss Having Someone Nag At You.
You are in college now- you have the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want and while that is amazing and fantastic, nothing makes you miss home more than someone constantly telling you what to do. I know, it sounds really strange, but let me explain.
In college, you succeed or fail on your own, yes, you have people there who support you and back you up and try to get you to follow the right path, but ultimately the choice to do something falls back on you. It is very rare when you find someone who cares for you enough to constantly check on you and see if you are okay—making sure that you are not only taking care of your studies and responsibilities, but your personal health as well. Why is this? People aren’t selfish (at least not in this case), most likely, they are trying to figure things out for themselves also, which is no easy task. I never thought I would say it, but I miss my mom’s constant nagging (and Beth’s, my other mom).
BONUS: You miss a lot of good chisme when you’re away at school.
OKAY, I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I have come home to sit down at the kitchen table with my parents or sister and talk about all of the chisme (gossip) I’ve missed and everything that has gone on in the circles I am a part of. Sometimes, it’s the same ‘ol same ‘ol, but there’s those rare times when you find something so juicy you can’t help but ask the same stupid question 4-5 times before you can finally comprehend what is happening.
