College is a time for growth. It's a time to spread your arms wide and learn who you really are. It's a time for learning, to find what you're passionate about and dedicate yourself to it. It's a time to let the past be the past, to live in the present, and dream of the future. But, there is one thing that never changes, and that's where you're from.
I grew up in a down-to-earth family, whose motto had been "it is what it is" for as long as I can remember. Because that's how life is, you roll with the punches, try to stay on your feet. I lived under my parents' guidance for 18 years, and they got me through thick and thin. Let me tell you, the road less traveled was quite traveled. They instilled their values of hard-work, honesty, and responsibility into me. And when it came time to say goodbye and leave for college, well let's be honest, all our parents cried. But there is a particular sadness and joy when the oldest child leaves the nest.
As the oldest, I was the first in my family to leave to get a college education. And the transition from high school to college was quite the shocker. We all said we were prepared when we came to campus as first years, but let's face it, we really didn't know what we were getting into. Each of us thought we were out on our own, regardless of how far you were from home. Trying to mimic the swagger of the upperclassmen on campus who had college figured out like it was an exact science. We scrambled between classes during the day, and reveled in our free time during the nights. We lived for freedom, seeking others who felt as ecstatic as we did. Late nights, mid-day lunches, ridiculous conversations out on Powell Plaza became the norm for our friends and ourselves. But what goes up, must come down.
It wasn't until the dead of night, when campus was silent, that we missed home. Missed our families, friends, and the familiarity of our hometowns. The feeling we felt deep in our hearts when we hugged our moms, smirked at our dads' lame jokes, and laughed over anything and everything with our brothers and sisters. No one had prepared us for the homesickness we would experience. But it got easier the longer we were away at school. We called home, told our parents how our day went and asked them about what life was like at home. There was one answer in particular that I remember getting, "oh not to much has changed, it's just a little different now." That response, while a little saddening, left us with a positive feeling. An assurance that despite being oh so many miles away from home, our family was always there for us, and we were loved.
