There is nothing more liberating and wonderful than moving away for college, but no matter how hard you try, you can't not miss being home. Sure the freedom you get is great, and college in general is pretty cool, but home is what you've always known, home is what created you, and there will always be a part of you that yearns to go back. There are so many simple things we take for granted at home that we don't realize how great they are until we're away from it at college. Here's a list of just a few.
Homemade Food
Nothing beats mama's cooking. I didn't believe my friends when they told me how much they missed home cooked meals until I was away at college. Sure eating ramen and cereal every night or wasting your money on takeout seems awesome when you're not doing it, but eventually Lucky Charms gets boring and you get broke. Even something as simple as spaghetti tastes so much better when your mom makes it fresh instead of what you microwave in a can.
Our Own Shower
If you're unfortunate like me, you have a communal shower. There is nothing worse than going to the shower and finding someone else's hair clogging up the drain. Walking through the halls in nothing but a towel, makeup smeared, and dripping is more than a little uncomfortable, especially when it seems like every time I decide to shower the entire school decides to show up in my hall. But your shower at home is beautiful. Your home shower gives you the freedom to shower without shoes and not fear getting a disease and play whatever music you want, as loud as you want. And sure, maybe there's still hair clogging the drain, but at least you know it's from your sister so you can yell at her.
Our Bedroom/Bed
No offense to my school, but the mattresses provided with our dorm might be the single most uncomfortable thing I have ever tried to sleep on, and I've tried to sleep on hardword floor and a trampoline. Sure, a mattress pad helps a little, but it's nothing like our bed back home, with the nice matress and the fresh washed sheets your mom put on it. Living in a dorm also limits the decorations you put up in your room. Some things like candles, lights, and extension cords aren't allowed in most campuses, which means some of the things that make my bedroom my happy place weren't allowed to come with me to college. Something as small as a candle might not seem like it would make that big of a difference, really does in the long run.
Local spots
No matter how small your hometown is, there's always something that makes it your hometown. Maybe it's a restaurant, a park, a mural, or shop, every town has that one thing. After a while, that thing just kind of becomes a part of your life. You meet your friends there, you had your first kiss there, there was drama that happened over the weekend there. No matter what it was, you don't think twice about this place, until you're away from it for a while, that's when you realize how special that place was to you and everyone in your town.
Pets
There is nothing quite like the love of your pet. No feeling can compare to the happiness you get when you walk in your door and you pet comes up to greet you. You really don't realize how much love you have in your heart for your animal until you don't see them everyday.
Family
I saved the obvious one for last. It's no surprise that going away to college is going to make you miss your family. And it makes sense really. You've spent almost every waking moment of your life with your family up until this point. They were there to say goodnight and good morning to you everyday. It's a shock to the system to walk down the hall and not see your dad sipping his coffee Sunday mornings, or be woken up early by your mom making breakfast. Even though you don't miss the annoying things they did, it was sure nice to always have them around, just down the hall, for love and support whenever you needed.
College is certainly an amazing experience, and I wouldn't give it up for anything, but there are things I miss dearly from back home. College was the thing that caused me to appreciate what seemed like little things before, but turned out to be pretty big things. I cherish the time I have at home, and thank my home for making me the person I am today.
