They say when you leave home, college becomes your new home, and the friends you make there become you new family. But lets be real: no one and nothing can replace home. Don't get me wrong, I love college and pretty much everything about it. I love the freedom, the classes, the people i've gotten the chance to know. But every once in a while I start to miss home, the place where I grew up, the people who have known me since the unphotographed times during our supremely awkward stages.
I go to school only two hours away from my home, so I can't even begin to imagine what it's like for out-of-staters. We try our best to distract ourselves from the homesickness, but the excitement we feel when we make a plan to go home is indescribable. Here's a list of all the things us college kids miss about home:
1. Real food.
The number one thing I took for granted when i lived at home was a good old fashioned home-cooked meal. Sure, some dining halls really aren't that bad, and they even have some really good options for food, but nothing beats a meal made with the loving hands of the creators (AKA mom and dad). Plus, you actually know what you're eating, which is something that can not always be said about dining hall food.
2. Your pets.
Honestly, I love my dogs more than I love most people. It's the truth, and I'm not sorry about it. Whenever I get home, whether it's from college or the grocery store, they act like they haven't seen me for months. There's nothing better than going home after a long time and having your pets literally tackle you to the floor and smother you with love.
3. Your bed.
The bond between a person and their bed cannot be broken, even as time passes. For me, being someone who sleeps in a twin-sized bed in a dorm room that fits no more than two people at a time, my queen sized bed at home is magical. My parents wonder why I sleep so much when I go home; it's just me trying to make up for lost time away from the love of my life.
4. Your hometown homies.
Your friends at home are the friends that have been with you through every stage in your life, from being the new kids in school, to the stages in middle school where every picture has to be burned, to the horrors of high school. They've been with you since you were basically fetuses, causing trouble and loving you every step of the way. The best part about having people you've known your whole life, is that when you go home, it's like you never left.
5. Your family.
This one is a given. I bawled like a baby when my parents dropped me off for college. Even though they're only a phone call away, it's not the same as being home and laughing and smiling with them in person. They're the real MVPs, the real reason home is home.
Don't take for granted the things that made you who you are. The best part about college is the fact that you are able to create a life of your own, completely new and different from who you were before. But never forget the people and places that stayed by your side through the braces and bad haircuts.
