×

Leaving home… for now

Leaving home… for now

Sitting at my college orientation today, it hit me that pretty soon I will be living in a new place, away from my family and all that is familiar. I got a sense of how life will be for me in the fall when I have to “fend for myself.”

I guess I didn’t realize that the parents and incoming freshmen would attend separate seminars to watch slideshows and learn more about what becoming a college student would entail. It wasn’t until the parents left and we were alone in the auditorium that I got to really feel what it was like to be on my own. I was with only people my age, and we had no parents to walk behind, or answer and ask questions for us.

It wasn’t too intimidating being without my dad for a few hours because I was with my roommate. But even without the instructor’s reminder that college is the first time we will be “on our own,” I was quickly realizing that moving away from home and my family will take some getting used to once school starts in the fall.

When I get to college, I know I can call my dad any time I want, but it’s not the same as seeing him get up from the couch, head toward the kitchen and announce that he’s ” having ice cream and going to bed soon.”

And even though I still fight with my brother from time to time, and get irate when I trip over his shoes strewn across the living room, I’m sensing that I’ll even miss that in a few months when I go away.

I’m going to miss when my dad forces my brother to hug me back, and most importantly, when he hugs me without being forced. Just like my dad always said, we are a team, and no matter where we end up, we can always come home to each other.

So until I return to campus at the end of August, I am going to soak up what it feels like to be “home.” I can already sense the nostalgia I will feel coming home to who and what I’ve grown up knowing, and I can’t wait. But I don’t think I’m ready just yet. I’m lucky to have a couple more months to soak in all that I can.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today