Everyone asks me why I moved to Chicago, or better yet— they think I'm insane for leaving Florida. Don't get me wrong, I love Naples, but I love exploring more, so I took a leap of faith and moved to a big city. From time to time I question my decision, especially when (Chicago) friendships end. I miss my friends from home and I genuinely wish I had room for all the amazing people that have I've met since I left Florida.
I'm getting nostalgic thinking about my nostalgia.
You know how people say that they meet their bridesmaids in college or in their sororities...? I met mine in high school — the people that I care the most I've already met. It's hard really — I met my people in high school and left them. I didn't need college to help me find my friends, but I needed college to show me what I already had.
1. Call/FaceTime your parents
This past year, it's really been hitting me. I'm getting old, and so is my family. It makes me so sad to think of my mom as an old person in a wheel chair, and wish she could stay 40 forever. I've been so bad about calling my parent's in college, I'm actually kind of ashamed of it.
2. It's okay to look through old pictures
I have about 15,000 pictures on my phone, so yeah it gets a little crazy going through my pictures. Lately, I've been scrolling through my pictures, and instead of feeling nostalgic, I feel nothing. I think college was a weird time for me. I was trying to discover myself, and decided to do the whole Greek life when it really wasn't for me. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to be part of it, but I had to change a lot of who I was to enjoy it, and that wasn't something I was comfortable doing. I think going through my pictures reminds me of all the growth I've done, and not just how I used to look, but the friendships I've had, and how even though I don't speak to those people, I always wonder if they're doing okay.
3. Rant about it
Honestly, it's kind of annoying that everyone at dePaul is from the suburbs, because no one understand what is like growing up in Florida, except for like 3 of my friends here. I used to get so much shit from people because they would think I was bragging, but like it's not my fault I grew up in paradise okay? Stop being so jealous I grew up where you vacation! I just want to say, that although I love the city and it's gloomy moments, there's 17 years of me where all I did was go to the beach and go to school, so unless you know what it's like to have the Gulf of Mexico as your backyard, I don't want to hear it.
4. Post about it
Sometimes, #tbt are not enough. You have to post about it on your story as well as snapchat, and basically every social media account you have. It's weird because seeing my friends in Naples doesn't make me want to go back there right now, it just makes me reminisce of when I was young. Being 16 and in Florida is seriously the best feelings in the world, because you can drive to Miami, Orlando, and Key West all within reach. I know people like to hate on Florida, but like that's home.
5. Make a playlist that reminds you of home
This playlist will probably consist of all the angsty and sexually frustrated music that I used to listen to in middle school and high school. But now you are older so you probably add a little bit of country, and it is literally the most amazing and annoying play list of all times. You add all the songs that you were too naïve and innocent to know what it meant, but somewhere in your deep subconscious you kinda knew what it meant.
6. Let the tears come out
Nothing like a shitty winter day to make you reconsider why you went to school in the Mid-Waste. Chicago is not bad at all, but sometimes traveling to the suburbs or any where outside city limits really makes me hate the idea of a suburb. No offense, but most people I met from the suburbs are trash of human beings. They are either power hungry, or money hungry. They are rude and care about brands more than they care about squatting on public bathrooms.
I think it's the fact that there is nothing to do that makes growing up in a suburb create the worse type of people. Never have I met more judgmental people, even more judgmental than Seacrest kids (if you're from Naples you'll get the reference), narcissistic *assholes, that will literally venmo request you $1.25 for an uber.
I grew up in a place where you literally pay for your friends, because they are your friends. Do you know how many times I've cried because I didn't know how good I had it. Talk shit about Florida all you want, but we don't venmo request each other 50 cents!
7. Allow your self to feel nostalgic
Some days I get in these moods that I do not know where they came from. I mean yeah, it probably is seasonal depression, but frankly I just miss being young and not having to worry about stupid college/adult shit.
8. Text/FaceTime your friends
You never know when I'll call, and most times I'll be drunk as shit missing you! I used to do this more when I was a freshmen/sophmore, but I just want all my friends to know that I am always thinking of them! there's not a night were I don't think of our times being home, and hope that after we graduate we can all move to Miami or something.
9. Tag your high school friends in funny memes
My Insta feed is 50% food, and the other 50% memes. I follow so many memes and food accounts, that I legit don't see what my friends post, thus I have to make it up by tagging them in posts!
10. Think about the good times
2 minutes into thinking of the good times, I will probably end up crying.
11. Write an Odyssey article
Many people have asked me if my major is journalism or something, and I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm an accounting major. As a millennial, I have no idea what I am doing and hope that my talents and hobbies get me a job and I won't hate my job as an adult. Writing articles is like my therapy, and although you may enjoy reading my articles, it's actually because my mind is a mess and this is the one thing that makes me feel less anxious about having no future plans.
