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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

Freshman year of college was something I’d truly only ever dreamed about. It’s been relatively close to what I expected so far, give or take a few aspects of it all.

The hardest part though was realizing that this was the longest I’d been away from home all by myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve made friends on campus and found a support system here, but I’m desperately missing all of the little things about my hometown.

And unlike some of the other students here, Thanksgiving break will be the first time I’m going home all semester. I’ve been fine up until now, but maybe there is a part of me that misses everything more than I thought I did. I mean to be fair I don’t think I’ve processed any of the big moments in my life since early 2020, so why would I have processed the fact that I’m homesick?

On a day like today when the weather is nice, I miss being just a short drive away from the river. I miss the seafood clerk at the Safeway who I bonded with over a crazy lady that forgot her cart. I miss working.

And while I do miss my family and friends, I know that they are one simple call away. I know I can hear their voices or see their faces whenever I please. But you can’t FaceTime a feeling.

I miss the smell of Maryland, hell, I miss the smell of my house. I miss ordering Landon’s ice cream and eating it at the park just down the road. I miss the feeling of being in the place that I call my home.

I miss seeing foxes and turtles everywhere. I miss Maryland drivers, if one can believe that. I miss more than I ever thought I would miss, especially as someone who couldn’t wait to get out.

There becomes a point in your life, maybe multiple points, where you just feel stuck. I knew that I wanted to go to a school out of state. I knew I wanted to get out of the small town (Which is so beyond ironic since I ended up moving to a town that is significantly smaller). But what I never knew, was that certain aspects of my life that seemed so absolutely insignificant in the grand scheme of things would be the very things that are making me so excited to go home for the holidays.

Taylor Kidwell is a first-year member of Her Campus at St. Bonaventure University. She is from Southern Maryland and looking forward to her first year as a part of the Her Campus community. Taylor plans to write about many topics including literature, movies, and self-care. Taylor is a freshman at St. Bonaventure, majoring in Literary Publishing and Editing. She has published poems and hopes to one day own a publishing house. Until then you'll find her at St. Bonaventure, continuing to work for the life she's dreamt of since she was little. Outside of school, Taylor enjoys photography, reading, and hanging out with her friends. When hockey season comes around, you'll probably find her rooting for her favorite team, the Washington Capitals. Taylor's favorite books include "The Great Gatsby" and "Freak the Mighty". Her favorite music artists are bands like Set It Off, Peirce the Veil, and Limp Bizkit, who she saw in concert over the summer.