In my small hometown of rural Wisconsin, going away for college is rare. I mean sure, you got the majority going to schools within an hour drive away from home, some going to schools within a half hour drive away from home, etc. I, on the other hand, decided to attend school in Jersey City, New Jersey. That's fourteen hours away from home.
When I first arrived at school, I was nothing but excited. The anticipation had finally ceased, and I was finally here, starting the next chapter of my life. The first couple weeks went just fine, I started making friends, started adapting to life "on my own"...that is until it wasn't fine anymore.
The first year and a half were more than difficult for me. I just couldn't get past the feeling that I didn't belong here, that I'd be so much happier at home. There were days that I'd be literally, physically nauseous from homesickness, and night after night I'd cry myself to sleep. It seemed everything would only be alright again if I went home if I stayed home. Not here, not in this city that I was 100% sure would never feel like home.
That was then. This is now.
See, the truth about homesickness is that, like most sicknesses, it passes. It takes time: months, years even, but eventually, little by little, you'll start to feel better. Sometimes home isn't a place, sometimes it's people. In my short time here on the east coast, I've met some of the most kind-hearted, fun-loving humans I've ever encountered, and I consider myself so blessed to call those humans some of my forever best friends. Those are the people that make me feel at home here, hundreds and hundreds of miles away from Wisconsin.
Already halfway through my fall semester of junior year, I've felt like I've grown into an entirely new person. A dedicated student. A healthier person, inside and out. A supportive big sister. A friend a friend would like to have. Even a great girlfriend. Being away from home has strengthened my relationship with my parents. Once afraid of losing my friendships at home being so far away, I now know that if a friendship can stand the test of distance, it can stand damn near anything. I may not be there physically, but I'm always there.
Of course, Wisconsin will forever hold the most special place in my heart; it's the place that built me, my first home. Over the past few years though, I've learned you can always have more than one, and it's the people that make it home, not the location. And that's the truth about homesickness.