You're done with finals, have averaged three hours of sleep every night over the past week and can't remember the last time you ate a real meal. At the moment, the idea of going back home and laying in bed for hours sounds like absolute heaven. When you first get home, you're showered with all your favorite foods and have a ton of time to do whatever you want and you're living in pure bliss! However, about halfway into break, reality hits and you start to wonder why you were ever so excited to go home in the first place...
Making plans with your friends is impossible
We're all guilty of throwing around the words, "we should hang out sometime!" when we actually don't know what to say to someone we haven't seen in a while. Sometimes this works out and we end up seeing our old friends, but majority of the time, it's just something we say and forget about. Reality is, you're no longer as close to most people in your hometown and there's not many people left that you actually want to make plans with.
Being back home means old rules still apply
When you're at home, you're expected to ask for permission to do things again. It's awkward when you're so used to being on your own and doing your thing and now all of a sudden there are people that need to know where you are at all times! Also, being at home means that you have chores and responsibilities again and nike shorts and t-shirts aren't considered acceptable forms of clothing. Apparently sleeping till noon and spending the rest of your day Netflix-ing in bed isn't appreciated.
No more midnight fast food runs
In college, texting people at midnight to go grab food is completely acceptable and even somewhat expected. However, I've learned that parents usually aren't as okay with you leaving the house at midnight to go eat. When you're accustomed to a schedule of midnight eating, going to bed late and sleeping in, it's tough to change your routine to something your parents actually approve of!
You will miss your college friends like crazy
When you leave for break you think to yourself, "Oh I see them everyday, 3 weeks without them won't be a big deal, right?". WRONG. As cliche as it sounds, your friends at college start to feel like your family and spending that much time without them is strange. They're the people that have been there through everything all year and going almost a month without them feels really weird. Every time something exciting happens over break you'll find yourself counting down the days until you get to see your friends again and share all your stories!
Above all, appreciate the time you have at home
It's really easy to get stuck thinking about everything you miss about college and forget to enjoy the time you're at home. When you're at home you finally get to spend some quality time with your family, eat delicious food at all times, and see your high school favorites again! As college picks up you're only going to get busier and busier and eventually internships, jobs, and other commitments will get in the way of going home. When you still have the time to come home as often as you'd like, cherish the time you have and relax - you'll get to go back to the craziness of college life soon enough!
