Going across the country to attend college is a decision that a number of students are faced with towards the end of their senior year in high school. Whether it be 100 miles or 1,000 miles, when going far from home, being in a completely different place with completely different people is a very dramatic change that you now have to face. You have to leave so many things that have been a part of your life for so long and it's definitely not easy.

You have to say goodbye to a lot of things as you move on to the next journey of your life. Your best friends, boyfriend, family, pets, your bedroom. You have to say goodbye to the town you grew up in; the town that made you who you are. You’ll miss the nights you stayed up with your best friend laughing over nothing. You will no longer have the nights where you drive around town with your friends singing to all your favorite songs. You’ll no longer get to see everyone at school in the hallways or get to sit at lunch with them having conversations over the stupid, but funny events that may have happened. You won’t get to see your siblings everyday or cheer them on in their favorite sports. You won’t get the nice home-cooked meals from your parents. You’ll be far far away and with people you barely know, if not at all.

Before you leave, you sit in your house looking around, reminiscing, remembering all of the crazy, fun memories you’ve made there; all the friends and the laughter that once filled these rooms is now all gone. You pack up your things and the valuables you can take with you that each remind you a little bit of where you came from and the importance of it.

But how are you supposed to pack up years of memories and friendships and just leave everything behind? Things and items can be missed, picture frames can be packed, but nothing compares to the feeling of leaving the most important people in your life behind. The people that have been with you from the start, you no longer get to see everyday. We all are going our separate ways.

It is now time for a new beginning in a new place. You get to start over in a place where nothing from high school matters anymore. Everything in your life is about to change. You’ll learn to become more independent and obtain a new perspective of life. Taking this change head on and facing your fears will ultimately help you grow as an individual. I can’t wait to see where this life takes me.

Although I miss so many things and the people from where I am from, I know that new beginnings are nice, change can be good, and the opportunities I have now are endless.

Part of me belongs in two places now. I will never forget where I came from and all the memories and people that came with it, and I will never forget the people and the place that made me.