Going home for a month is both necessary and sad. There are a lot of things I will really miss during my time away from Boulder, but also things I am looking forward to having a break from for a little bit.
1. The snow. Heading back to California for winter break seems almost unfair. I have never had a snowy holiday season, and though I attend school in a state that actually has a winter, I still miss out on an experience that some have never thought twice about.
2. The mountains. At this point, I cannot imagine going an entire month without heading to the mountains to snowboard. Not only that, but thinking about spending an entire month where I look west and see the ocean rather than the snowcapped (though not really right now) Rockies seems unnatural.
3. Freedom. Sure, at home I have a car and parents that understand I am a college student. But it is not quite the same as living on your own and being able to decide to order Hungrybuffs at two in the morning without anyone giving it a second thought.
4. The night life. In my stereotypical suburb, the idea of a night life is going to the local line-dancing bar (yes, we line-dance in California) and dancing — or trying to pick up the intricate dance moves — until midnight or one and then heading home to bed.
5. Staying in bed all day Sunday and no one thinking twice about it. At home, it seems there is always something to do or some reason that drags you out of bed, even on the weekends. While at school, if you don't get out of bed except to eat and use the bathroom on a Saturday or Sunday — or honestly any day — people don't really think twice about it.
With that being said, I am excited to go home for a bit, get some R&R and not have to think about school or FOMO for a couple of weeks. So following the five things I will miss about Boulder over the next month, here are the five I will not miss while I am home.
1. Having to layer jackets over jackets and long sleeves before going outside only to have to peel them off upon entering a building that has been over-heated in accordance to the winter weather.
2. Sharing a room. Sure I love my roommates, but I am looking forward to having my own space again (for at least a little while) so I can go to bed, turn off the lights, and leave the windows open whenever I want. Sorry guys, if you are reading this, you know I love you.
3. Being almost expected to go out each night of the weekend — to reduce the symptoms of FOMO. For me, going out two nights a week is both physically and mentally exhausting. But there are always those weekends where things sound too good to pass up and spend the night watching Netflix, so you end up waking up Sunday morning exhausted.
4. Being surrounded by people all the time, unless you are in the shower. Living in the house has been quite an experience, but it is exhausting to be social 100% of the time; I am stoked to have time to be alone.
5. Classes and schoolwork (of course). With the semester winding down, we are all burnt out during the week we need to be focused the most. I — like most — am unbelievably excited to not have to open a textbook or write a paper for almost a month.
Being home will be a nice break, but I’m sure that after a week of being home, I will be ready to get back to Boulder and life away from home.
